Tupac Amaru Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names: 2Pac, Makaveli, or simply Pac, was an American artist renowned for his rap music, movie roles, poetry, and his social activism. He is recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-selling hip-hop artist, with over seventy-five million albums sold worldwide including over fifty million in the United States alone. Most of Shakur’s songs are about growing up around violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, problems in society, and sometimes qualms with other fellow rappers. Shakur’s work is known for advocating political, economic, social, and racial equality as well as his raw descriptions of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and conflicts with the law. Many fans, critics, and industry insiders rank him as the greatest rapper of all time.
In 1990, Shakur was a roadie and backup dancer for the alternative rap group Digital Underground. Shakur’s debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, gained critical recognition and backlash for its controversial lyrics. Shakur became the target of lawsuits and experienced other legal problems. Later, Shakur was shot five times in a recording studio lobby in Manhattan and was robbed. Following the incident, Shakur grew suspicious that other figures in the rap industry had prior knowledge of the shooting and did not warn him; the controversy would help spark the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. After serving eleven months of his sentence, Shakur was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion “Suge” Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records. In exchange for Suge’s assistance, Shakur agreed to release three records under the Death Row label. Shakur’s fifth album, the first double-disc release in hip hop history All Eyez on Me, counted as two albums. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, and died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at University Medical Center, Las Vegas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupac_Shakur
2Pacalypse Now (1991)
2Pacalypse Now was Tupac Shakur’s debut album, released in November 1991. Though less polished and lacking the hard-hitting produced beats of his later albums, it was his most overtly political work. He addresses social problems such as police brutality, poverty, teenage pregnancy, and drug use, some issues giving a lyrical glimpse into the world of a young black person on the urban streets of the United States. It is hailed by many critics and fans for its underground feel, with many rappers such as Nas and Talib Kweli having pointed to it as a source for inspiration from the album.[1]. Although the album was originally released on Interscope, Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by the mother of Tupac Shakur, has since gained the rights to it.
The album generated significant controversy stemming from Dan Quayle’s public criticism after a youth in Texas shot a state trooper and his defense attorney claimed he was influenced by 2Pacalypse Now and its strong theme of police brutality. Quayle made the statement, “There’s no reason for a record like this to be released. It has no place in our society.”
The record never achieved the same success as many of Shakur’s later albums owing in part to rough construction and sometimes repetitive beats, but it was important in showcasing Shakur’s political conviction and lyrical talent. It featured three singles, “Brenda’s Got a Baby”, “Trapped”, and “If My Homie Calls”.
1 “Young Black Male”
2 “Trapped”
3 “Soulja’s Story”
4 “I Don’t Give a ~Censored~”
5 “Violent”
6 “Words of Wisdom”
7 “Something Wicked”
8 “Crooked Ass ~censored~”
9 “If My Homie Calls”
10 “Brenda’s Got a Baby”
11 “Tha’ Lunatic”
12 “Rebel of the Underground”
13 “Part Time Mutha”
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Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993)
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. is a 1993 album released by rapper Tupac Shakur. Similar to his debut, the album contains many tracks emphasizing 2Pac’s political and social views. Debuting at #24 on the Billboard 200, this album saw more commercial success than 2Pacalypse Now, and there are many noticeable differences in production. It spawned the hits “Keep Ya Head Up” and “I Get Around” and reached platinum status. Although the album was originally released on Interscope, Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by the mother of Tupac Shakur, has since gained the rights to it.
1 “Holla If Ya Hear Me”
2 “Pac’s Theme (Interlude)”
3 “Point The Finga”
4 “Something 2 Die 4 (Interlude)”
5 “Last Wordz”
6 “Souljahs Revenge”
7 “Peep Game”
8 “Strugglin”
9 “Guess Who’s Back”
10 “Representin’ 93″
11 “Keep Ya Head Up”
12 “Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.”
13 “The Streetz R Death Row”
14 “I Get Around”
15 “Papa’z Song”
16 “5 Deadly Venomz”
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Thug Life Vol.1 (1994)
Thug Life: Volume 1 was the first release by the group Thug Life, started by rapper Tupac Shakur, and was released on September 26, 1994. The album was originally released by Shakur’s label Out Da Gutta Records. Due to heavy criticism on gangsta rap at the time, the original version of the album was scrapped and re-recorded with many of the original songs being cut. The group featured Big Syke, Macadoshis, Mopreme, The Rated R and Tupac Shakur. Among the notable tracks on the album are “Bury Me a G”, “Pour Out a Little Liquor”, “How Long Will They Mourn Me?” and “Str8 Ballin”. In 1996 Big Syke and Shakur planned to create a Thug Life: Vol. 2 which would have been released on Makaveli Records. Although the album was originally released on Shakur’s label Out Da Gutta, Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by the mother of Tupac Shakur, has since gained the rights to it.
Contents
1 “Bury Me A G”
2 “Don’t Get It Twisted”
3 “~I’m an idiot with no life~ Don’t Stop”
4 “Pour Out A Little Liquor”
5 “Stay True”
6 “How Long Will They Mourn Me?”
7 “Under Pressure”
8 “Street Fame”
9 “Cradle to the Grave”
10 “Str8 Ballin”
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Me Against The World (1995)
Me Against the World is a hip hop album by Tupac Shakur, released on March 14, 1995 (see 1995 in music). The album was recorded before and while Shakur was recovering from his November 1994 shooting, and released while he was incarcerated. Perhaps as a result of these circumstances, Me Against the World has become known to many as the most incendiary of Shakur’s releases, expressing an intensely personal mix of emotions and reactions to the events of his life. The album consists of frequent digressions into the dangers of paranoia, organized crime, and the moral repercussions of violence. Although the album was originally released on Shakur’s label Out Da Gutta, Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by Shakur’s mother, has since gained the rights to it.
This album, has been credited as setting the “nothing to lose” persona adopted by many rappers since Shakur’s death. The album is generally regarded as a classic album by the hip hop community due to its soulful and emotional content, claiming that Pac could make you feel as if you were in his shoes throughout the album, thus making the album distinct from others. In one particular review it was said that Tupac’s uncovered and raw humanity created a flow of inspiration and vibes through all who heard the album, and that it is a remarkable and somewhat insightful musical achievement.
1 “Intro”
2 “If I Die 2 Nite”
3 “Me Against the World”
4 “So Many Tears”
5 “Temptations”
6 “Young ~censored~”
7 “Heavy in the Game”
8 “Lord Knows”
9 “Dear Mama”
10 “It Ain’t Easy”
11 “Can U Get Away”
12 “Old School”
13 “~Censored~ the World”
14 “Death Around the Corner”
15 “Outlaw”
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All Eyez On Me (1996)
All Eyez on Me is a double album by rapper Tupac Shakur. It was released on February 13, 1996 (see 1996 in music). The album is one of the most influential albums in hip hop history and is widely considered one of the crowning achievements of 1990s rap. All Eyez on Me reached Platinum qualification in just 4 hours, and reached #1 on the Billboard 200 charts. The album has sold over twelve million copies which qualifies it for Diamond album status, as each disc in a double-album counts toward certification. The album is one of the best selling albums in hip-hop. It last received an RIAA certification in 1999, when it was certified 9x Platinum.
All Eyez on Me was released after Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records, bailed Shakur out of jail, fulfilling part of Shakur’s brand new contract with Death Row Records. This double-album served as the first two records of his three album contract. He arrived in the studios just hours after being released from prison to begin work on this 27 track hip-hop “tour de force”. The prolific rapper finished this album in only two weeks.
The songs on All Eyez on Me are, in general, unapologetic celebrations of what is called in the idiom the thug lifestyle. Though there is the occasional reminiscence about past and present friends, it is a definite move away from the social and political consciousness of 2Pacalypse Now.
1 “Ambitionz Az a Ridah”
2 “All Bout U”
3 “Skandalouz”
4 “Got My Mind Made Up”
5 “How Do You Want It”
6 “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”
7 “No More Pain”
8 “Heartz of Men”
9 “Life Goes On”
10 “Only God Can Judge Me”
11 “Tradin War Stories”
12 “California Love (RMX) [Remix]”
13 “I Ain’t Mad at Cha”
14 “What’z Ya Phone #”
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The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is the final album finished before 2Pac’s death and the first to be released after his death. Shakur had complete creative input on the album from the name of the album to the cover which Tupac chose to symbolize how the media has crucified him. The album was completely finished in a total of seven days during the month of August of 1996. The lyrics were written and recorded in only three days and mixing took an additional four days. These are among the very last songs he recorded before his fatal shooting on September 7th, 1996. Although The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released almost two months after his death, on November 5th, 1996, it is not a true posthumous album in the way that the later 2Pac albums are since he completed the album before his death. It has been recognized as a classic by many critics and fans. The emotion and anger showcased on the album has been admired by a large part of the hip-hop community, including other rappers. The album made its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 663,000 copies in the first week, making Shakur the first rapper to have two #1 albums in one year. As of 1998, the album had sold over seven million copies in the United States.
1 “Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)”
2 “Hail Mary”
3 “Toss It Up”
4 “To Live & Die in LA”
5 “Blasphemy”
6 “Life of an Outlaw”
7 “Just Like Daddy”
8 “Krazy”
9 “White Man’z World”
10 “Me and My Girlfriend”
11 “Hold Ya Head”
12 “Against All Odds”
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R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (1996)
R U Still Down? (Remember Me) was the first posthumous album by Tupac Shakur, released in 1997. Although it is the second album release after his death, it is the first to be finished without the creative input of Shakur. Containing totally unreleased material coming from the time period of his albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and Thug Life: Volume 1, the album quickly reached multi-Platinum status. Having left a large body of work behind, this was the first release from his mother’s new imprint Amaru Entertainment, set up to control his posthumous releases. It spawned two hit singles, “Do for Love” and “I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto”.
1. “Redemption” (Intro)
2. “Open Fire”
3. “R U Still Down? (Remember Me)”
4. “Hellrazor” (Featuring Stretch & Val Young)
5. “Thug Style”
6. “Where Do We Go From Here (Interlude)”
7. “I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto”
8. “Nothing to Lose”
9. “I’m Gettin Money”
10. “Lie to Kick It” (Featuring Richie Rich)
11. “~Censored~ All Y’all”
12. “Let Them Thangs Go”
13. “Definition of a Thug ~censored~”
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Still I Rise (1999)
Still I Rise is an album by Tupac Shakur and his group The Outlawz excluding member Hussein Fatal for undisclosed reasons. The album contains all previously unreleased material and contains popular 2Pac tracks. It was released on December 14, 1999 by Interscope Records, under the Death Row label.
The album includes the single “Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head up II)”, which is similar in lyrical tone to 2Pac’s popular singles “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and “Keep Ya Head Up”.
1. “Letter to the President”
2. “Still I Rise”
3. “Secretz of War”
4. “Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)”
5. “As the World Turns”
6. “Black Jesuz”
7. “Homeboyz”
8. “Hell 4 a Hustler”
9. “High Speed”
10. “The Good Die Young”
11. “Killuminati”
12. “Tear Drops and Closed Caskets”
13. “Tattoo Tears”
14. “U Can Be Touched”
15. “Y’all Don’t Know Us”
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Until the End of Time (2001)
Until the End of Time is a posthumous album release from the late rapper Tupac Shakur. This album consists of a collection of unreleased material and remixed songs. This album was the third album released without Shakur’s creative input. Until the End of Time was very highly anticipated and ended up being the best selling hip hop album in 2001. The single “Until the End of Time” features Richard Page and contains a sample from the song “Broken Wings”, a 1980s song by Mr. Mister (from which Page is lead singer). The video for this song featured a compilation of unreleased footage of Tupac Shakur. Suge Knight and Afeni Shakur were the Executive Producers of this album, with ten of the songs being produced by longtime Tupac producer and friend Johnny “J” and Cold 187um. The album went 4x Platinum.
Disc 1
1. “Ballad of a Dead Soulja”
2. “~Censored~ Friendz”
3. “Lil’ Homies”
4. “Let Em Have It”
5. “Good Life”
6. “Letter 2 My Unborn”
7. “Breathin”
8. “Happy Home”
9. “All Out”
10. “~Censored~ Wit the Wrong ~censored~”
11. “Thug n U Thug n Me (Remix)”
12. “Everything They Owe”
13. “Until the End of Time”
14. “M.O.B.”
15. “World Wide Mob Figgaz”
Disc 2
1. “Big Syke Interlude”
2. “My Closest Roaddogz”
3. “~censored~ Nature (Remix)”
4. “When Thugz Cry”
5. “U Don’t Have 2 Worry”
6. “This Ain’t Livin”
7. “Why U Turn on Me”
8. “Street Life”
9. “Lastonesleft”
10. “Thug n U Thug n Me”
11. “Words 2 My First Born”
12. “Let Em Have It”
13. “Runnin On E”
14. “When I Get Free”
15. “Until the End of Time [RP Remix]”
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Better Dayz (2002)
is the fourth posthumous album by Tupac Shakur. It was released in November 2002, debuting at number 5 on the Billboard 200; since then, it has sold 3 million copies. This release is the second of two albums recorded in Tupac’s “Makaveli” period (late 1996 to death) and was produced by Death Row producer Johnny “J”, Jazze Pha, Frank Nitty, and EDI of Tha Outlawz. Tracks include “My Block (remix),” “When We Ride On Our Enemies,” “Catchin Feelins” and “Never Call U ~censored~ Again”. It features 23 unreleased recordings and 2 remix from the period of 1995-1996, with appearances by Nas, Tha Outlawz, M
