Who was Tupac Shakur?
Tupac was an American rap artist/actor born Lesane Parish Crooks in New York. He was the son of Afeni Shakur, a former Black Panther who found that she was pregnant with Tupac while incarcerated. As a child, Tupac moved through various parts of New York because his mother was unable to support him and his sisters. In 1986, Tupac moved to The Baltimore School of the Arts, where he found a love for the arts and acting. He also met Jada Pinkett Smith during his time at the School of the Arts. In 1988, he moved to Marin City, California. During his time in high school, he was picked on due to his love for the arts and not acting tough enough to hang with the others. He met Leila Steinberg, who invited Tupac to share his poetry with the class. One of the poems that he shared was titled The Rose That Grew from Concrete; a metaphor for someone who made it to the top even though their foundation was rough. During this time, his mother was addicted to crack and kicked him out the house. In order to make money, he tried to be a drug dealer, but that ultimately didnt work out. Other drug dealers said that they would look out for him and that he should pursue his dream as being a rapper.
The Pre-Deathrow Dayz
1990 was the beginning of Tupacs rapping career, as he was a groupie and dancer for the group Digital Underground. He appeared on their single Same Song, and appeared on the music video as well. The first album he made was 2pacalypse Now, released in 1991. 2pacalypse Now is a somewhat large departure from his future releases; it was more politically driven, showing the various hardships of being a young black male, teenage pregnancy, police brutality, as well as other things. From the get-go, he was able to spark controversy. His album caught the attention of various political groups; including (former) Vice President Dan Quayle who felt that 2pacalpse Now had no place in our society.
The next year Tupac starred in his first movie called Juice, the story of inner-city kids who find a gun and the problems that came after finding the gun. Tupac played the role of Bishop, who demanded respect (a.k.a. the Juice) by any means. Tupacs performance received universal acclaim, but there were other people who felt that Tupac was just being himself. The criticism from Juice and his first LP would be the fuel that would help inspire him in his next LP Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z The acronym N.I.G.G.A. stood for, Never Ignorant; Getting Goals Accomplished. To quote Tupac in his song Words of Wisdom
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z , while still having political themes, was much darker than his debut LP, with songs such as the title track, Holler If Ya Hear Me and Souljahs Revenge. It also sported more pop oriented songs such as Keep Ya Head Up and I Get Around (the former is a prime example to why people believe that his rape charges were BS, which will be explained later).
T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.
In 1993, Tupac began to start a movement called T.HU.G. L.I.F.E. The acronym stood for, The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone, basically meaning you reap what you sew. A thug in Tupacs eyes wasnt someone who robbed people. It was the person who people didnt believe would make it through tough situations in their life but did; the underdog. This goes back to the Rose that Grew From Concrete metaphor that he thought up of as a teenager. He also created a code for T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. with his grandfather Mutulu Shakur.
The T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. movement drew various criticisms from Tupacs peers and critics, many believing that the fame made him forget where he came from. The group consisted of Tupac, Big Syke, Morpreme, Macadoshis and Rated R. Tupac eventually released T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. Vol. 1 in 1994.
Around this time Tupac also met The Notorious B.I.G., who at the time was an underground rapper who aspired for fame. The two became best friends and recorded the following songs together.
*Runnin (From the Police) (released on the 1 Million Strong Album, remixed for the Tupac Resurection OST under the name Runnin [Dyin to Live])
*House of Pain (Remixed for the posthumous B.I.G. album Duets under the name Living In Pain [the remix also removes the rapper Stretch and adds Nas instead])
*Lets Get it On (Unreleased)
More controversy also followed. Tupac was taken in court for shooting off-duty police officers (this is due to the fact that the cops were harassing another black male and Tupac used it for self-defense) and a fan was shot during one of his concerts. The most well known conflict however, was when Tupac and two other men took a girl with them to a hotel. According to Tupac, he closed his eyes for a little and when he woke up the girl was screaming rape. Tupac was taken to court and it looked like he was going to face years in prison. In addition to money problems at the time, it seemed like Tupacs career was over.
The 1994 Shooting.
On November 1994, Tupac went to a recording studio to finish a song for someone. When leaving the studio two men asked him to give them his money and his jewelry. He refused and he was shot as a result. When trying to reach for his gun, he accidently shot himself too. Tupac was soon rushed to a hospital to receive treatment for his wounds. During his time in the hospital, he also met his biological father for the first time. That morning. Tupac also checked himself out, due to his court hearing that day as well as because of death threats he received while at the hospital. He was found innocent of sodomy, but guilty on other counts. In 1995, he began to serve his bid in prison, which would possibly last up to five years. That year, he released his critically acclaimed album, Me Against the World. In Me Against the World, we saw a more matured, reflective side of Tupac not seen in albums prior. Me Against the World was the very first of Tupacs albums to receive commercial success, and Tupac became the first musician in history to have a number one album on the billboard charts while incarcerated.
In prison, Tupac began to read various books such as The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Prince by Machiavelli. Both books would have a large impact on Tupacs choice of lyrics and his mentality post-prison. Rumors of Tupac being raped in prison were also floating around thanks to Wendy Williams.
The Death Row Era
On October 1995, Tupac was released thanks to Suge Knight. Suge and Tupac shared a similar distaste for Bad Boy, and Tupac knew that this was probably his only chance of being free, so he took his offer. Immediately, he began work on All Eyez on Me, with Ambitionz Az a Ridah being the first song he recorded on Death Row. Originally, All Eyez on Me was to be titled, When I Get Free. The original track listing is as followed.
He also established a group called The Outlaw Immortalz. The Outlawz were simply friends and family that Tupac knew through the years. They went under another group name called Dramacydal prior to Death Row. Their alias were all based on dictators, other than Tupacs himself. Kadafi (Muamarr Gadaffi), EDI Mean (Idi Amin), Kastro (Fidel Castro), Hussein Fatal (Saddam Hussein) Big Syke /Mussolini (Benito Mussolini), and Morpreme /Ruhollah (Ruhollah Khomeini). The last two werent featured as much as the others due to issues with their label and not liking Suge Knight. Mopreme and Big Syke are the only members on T.HU.G. L.I.F.E. who were on The Outlawz. There was also a female Outlaw (Storm).
Various songs were recorded during October-December 1995, many of those song would see the light of day thanks for posthumous releases and bootlegs. The first single for All Eyez on Me was California Love, featuring and produced by Dr. Dre. The song was to be featured on Dr Dres next release, but was put on All Eyez on Me instead. Infact, various songs that were meant for other Deathrow stars were put on All Eyez on Me instead (Cant C Me, Got My Mind Made Up). All Eyez On Me was the first 2 Disc rap album and was released on February 14th 1996. It debuted at number 1 on the billboard charts, and was the second Tupac album to make it at number one on the billboard charts. During February-June 1996 Tupac would mess around in the studio, trying to record at least two songs a day, due to the fact that he was going back to prison in September.
The How Do U Want It single was released in June of 1996, but it was the B-Side that caught the ears of everyone. Hit Em Up is the venomous B-Side where Tupac essentially says, fuck you to the Bad Boy label. The song met with a lot of negative responses from critics but in time it would be revered as one of the greatest diss tracks of all time. The music video also featured a Notorious B.I.G. and P. Diddy look-a-like, which previously appeared on the 2 of Americaz Most Wanted video.
The Makaveli Era
During July of 1996, Tupac began recording songs for a new album called Makaveli. The album was originally set to be a mixtape and according to the people he worked with, it took seven days to record and mix down the album. During this time, Tupac began to reach out to new producers, as he wanted this album to have an entirely new sound from All Eyez on Me. The Makaveli era is characterized as being more militant and focused than All Eyez on Me, as well as more aggressive toward the people he feel betrayed him.
The Last Sessions
Before leaving for Las Vegas, Tupac went and recorded 3 songs.
*Letz Get it On (Lets Get Ready 2 Rumble) This song was for the Mike Tyson Bruce Sheldon fight (the night where Tupac was shot). Its a 2-verse song and only the first verse is available (thanks to the ESPN documentary, One Night in Vegas).
*All Out (some bootlegs have the song labeled as Die Slow) song features one long verse from Tupac and verse from The Outlawz. It was released/remixed on Until the End of Time (2001).
*Hell 4 A Hustler Features 2 verse from Tupac and verses from The Outlawz. It was posthumously released/remixed on the Tupac/Outlawz album Still I Rise (1998).
The Last Day.
After the Tyson-Sheldon fight, someone in Suges entourage spotted Orlando Anderson, a crip who robbed some on Death Row. Tupac began to fight him and the others from Death Row began to attack Orlando as well. The situation began to get out of hand and Tupac and the other people from Death Row began to leave the MGM Grand to head out to Club 662 (M.O.B.). Tupac told his bodyguards and his friends not to ride with him or Suge just in case they got too drunk. When arriving at a stoplight, a white Cadillac rode up and shot up their car. While most of the shots werent aimed at any direction in particular, one of the bullets ricocheted into Tupacs lungs, which would prove to be the cause of his death. Tupac was rushed to the hospital soon after. When being rushed to hospital, Tupacs bodyguard said that Tupac was softly saying, Im dying as they were heading to the hospital. Tupac died and was recovered seven times when he was in the hospital. He couldnt speak while in the hospital and tried to actually leave the hospital multiple times but was forced back on the bed. His mother Afeni Shakur felt that he went through enough suffering and on Friday September 13th, Tupac was pronounced dead.
Tupacs death came as a shock to a lot of people: In his songs, he often questioned his mortality. He talked about death so much to the point where he began painting images in his rhymes of his demise (for example, in Life Goes On, he talks about his funeral and how he would want to be buried). After his death, people instantly began to point fingers at the Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy for devising the hit. But Bad Boy denied any ties to the September shooting. In November 1996, Makaveli dropped in retail stores. It was the first posthumous release and once again, it landed the #1 spot on the billboards. However, it was Snoop Doggs Doggfather album that dethroned it from its spot. In Makaveli, from start to finish Tupac calls out the names of the people he once associated himself with, exposing them and threatening to destroy their career. To many, it was Tupac who got the last laugh.
Life After Death
Note: When the song is starred * it means that the song was remixed, unless noted.
With the departure of Dr. Dre early in 1996, Snoop later on and Suge Knight facing charges, The Death Row was slowly beginning to crumble. People left and right were trying to get whatever music they could. In 1997 Afeni created Amaru Entertainment, and won the right to release future unreleased Tupac material. She also owned the rights to all of Tupacs pre-Death Row albums as well. That year we saw R U Still Down ?(Remember Me), the first posthumous album released without Tupacs input. The album contained material from Tupacs early days as a rapper (1991-1994). Critical Reception was mixed, but in time it would be the most revered posthumous album in the eyes of the fans, because most of the music was kept true to the original.
Disc One
1. Redemption (intro) (Made for the album)
2. Open Fire
3. R U Still Down? (Remember Me) Tupac did two takes of this song, one contains a different beat than the one used on the album , and has one additional verse, but its missing his last verse as well. Its speculated that the version used on the album is the original version of that take.
4. Hellrazor*
5. Thug Style* - removes the trumpet from the demo version, adds a piano.
6. Where Do We Go From Here (Interlude)
7. I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto (LP Version)* - already released in 1993 as a B-side to Keep Ya Head Up.
8. Nothing to Lose
9. Im Getting Money*
10. Lie to Kick It most likely the original beat.
11. Fuck All Yall*
12. Let Them Thangs Go remixed but retains original sample.
13. Definition of a Thug Nigga released on the Poetic Justice OST.
Disc Two
1. Ready 4 Whatever
2. When I Get Free
3. Hold on Be Strong
4. Im Losin It*
5. Fake Ass Bitches Practically original, removes sample.
6. Do 4 Love Remixed but retains original sample.
7. Enemies With Me* - sample removed
8. Nothin But Love Already released in 1993 on the Keep Ya Head Up B-Side (Australia)
9. 16 On Death Row
10. I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto (Hip-Hop Remix) *
11. When I Get Free II
12. Black Starry Night (Interlude) Its unknown if this is original or not.
13. Only Fear of Death
In 1998, a Greatest Hits compilation was released. It would eventually be certified Diamond in 2011. It also sported 4 previously unreleased songs: Unconditional Love, Changes, God Bless the Dead and Troublesome 96. At the time they didnt have the master reel for Unconditional Love, so they had to settle for a crappy radio rip of it (the master since then has been found). Troublesome 96 and God Bless the Dead are censored in the American versions of the album due to trying to trim down the amount of cop hating songs at the time (the European versions and the international versions of the album [as well as the first pressing of the American version] contain the uncensored version of both songs). Changes is a tweaked version of the original, capitalizing more on the Bruce Hornsby sample that it uses. Changes is probably Tupacs most well known song, posthumous or otherwise.
In 1999, Still I Rise was released. Its the first album that contained primarily Death Row material. One of the Outlawz, Hussein Fatal,, didnt record/rerecord any songs for his album. Prior to Tupacs death, The Outlawz werent signed to any label. Tupac warned them not to sign onto Death Row, and Hussein was the only one of the Outlawz who respected Tupacs wishes. Hussein Fatals verses were removed from the album and replaced by other Outlaw verses. Still I Rise, much like R U Still Down, contained a mix of both original and remixed songs. Its leading single was Baby Dont Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II).
1. Letter to the President
2. Still I Rise* - I consider It an updated original, but eehhh
3. Secretz of War*
4. Baby Dont Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)*
5. As the World Turns
6. Black Jesuz*
7. Homeboyz The original version of the song hasnt leaked, but its speculated that the retail is very close to the original.
8. Hell 4 a Hustler*
9. High Speed
10. The Good Die Young
11. Killuminati*
12. Teardrops and Closed Caskets
13. Tattoo Tearz*
14. U Can Be Touched* - Again, I would consider this an updated original. Tupac also recorded a verse for this as a reference verse for Napoleon. As a result, Tupac is only seen on the chorus on the retail.
15. Yall Dont Know Us This song was recorded specifically for the album; Tupac doesnt appear on the song at all.
We wouldnt see another Tupac album until 2001, which brought Until the End of Time. The tracks were all recorded during his bid on Death Row. This album is significant in that this is the first time they truly began to start with remixing albums. The songs were also influenced by the pop trends of the time, adding female vocals on the choruses. Until the End of Time went on to be the best selling rap album of 2001.
Disc One
1. Ballad of a Dead Soulja
2. Fuck 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. Fuckin With the Wrong Nigga
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 Two
1. Big Syke Interlude - Made for the album.
2. My Closet Roaddogz*
3. Niggaz Nature (Remix)*
4. When Thugz Cry*
5. U Dont Have 2 Worry*
6. This Aint Livin*
7. Why U Turn On Me*
8. Lastoneleft
9. Thug N U Thug N Me*
10. Wordz 2 My 1st Born*
11. Let Em Have It (Remx)*
12. Runnin On E
13. When I Get Free*
14. Until the End of Time (RP Remix)*
In roughly a year, another posthumous album was released called Better Dayz. Infact, Until the End of Time was originally supposed to be a 4 disc CD, but they split the projects in two. Better Dayz performed well on the hip-hop charts, but it failed to share the shame success as Until the End of Time. Many of the posthumous remixes on Better Dayz were labeled as such.
Disc One
1. Intro Made for the album.
2. Still Ballin (Nitty Remix)
3. When We Ride on Our Enemies (Briss Remix)
4. Changed Man*
5. Fuck Em All
6. Never B Peace*
7. Mamas Just a Little Girl (KP Remix)
8. Street Fame (Briss Remix)
9. Whatcha Gonna Do?*
10. Fair Xchange (Jazze Pha Remix)
11. Late Night*
12. Ghetto Star its speculated that the demo version is very close to the album version.
13. Thugz Mansion (Acoustic Version)
Disc Two
1. My Block (Nitty Remix)
2. Thugz Mansion*
3. Never Call U Bitch Again*
4. Better Dayz
5. U Can Call*
6. Military Minds*
7. Fame
8. Fair Xchange (KP Remix)
9. Catchin Feelins*
10. There U Go*
11. This Life I Lead*
12. Who Do U Believe In?
13. They Dont Give a Fuck About Us
14. Outro I think that they grabbed this from the original version of Untouchable.
In 2003, Amaru released Tupac Resurrection in theatres. To coincide with the documentary, they released a soundtrack with it as well. The soundtrack consisted of material both old and unreleased. This time around, Eminem handled the remixes. He remixed Ghost, One Day at a Time, and Runnin (Dyin to Live). Runnin became the next single, removing Dramacydal and adding Tupacs verse from the demo version of Runnin (From Tha Police). Throughout the song interviews play during the intro, chorus and outro, to help give the listener a taste of what Tupac Resurrection would be like. The last remix was done by Red Spyda, called The Realest Killaz. The song features a verse from Tupac, with 50 Cent doing the chorus as well as an additional verse. This collab was fueled by 50 vs. Ja Rule beef at the time.
In 2004, Loyal to the Game was released. Loyal to the Game was the first album since R U Still Down to contain only Pre-Death Row songs. The majority of the album was produced by Eminem, mainly because he offered to do the remixes for free. But Eminem made the biggest mistake of altering and stretching out Tupacs vocals to be onbeat. He even spliced up his vocals to make Tupac say things such as G-Unit! and shouting out to Eminem himself. This album was met with mixed reactions to critics and universal hatred from the fanbase. However, the single Ghetto Gospel was very popular in Europe and the song helped spread pacs popularity there.
2006 marked the 10th anniversary of Tupacs death. Pacs Life was released later that year in order to commemorate his death. It consisted of Death Row filler material, often using one Tupac verse and other mediocre rappers would follow. Since Pac's Life there's been a Greatest Hits album in 2007 with two unreleased songs.
Tupac was an American rap artist/actor born Lesane Parish Crooks in New York. He was the son of Afeni Shakur, a former Black Panther who found that she was pregnant with Tupac while incarcerated. As a child, Tupac moved through various parts of New York because his mother was unable to support him and his sisters. In 1986, Tupac moved to The Baltimore School of the Arts, where he found a love for the arts and acting. He also met Jada Pinkett Smith during his time at the School of the Arts. In 1988, he moved to Marin City, California. During his time in high school, he was picked on due to his love for the arts and not acting tough enough to hang with the others. He met Leila Steinberg, who invited Tupac to share his poetry with the class. One of the poems that he shared was titled The Rose That Grew from Concrete; a metaphor for someone who made it to the top even though their foundation was rough. During this time, his mother was addicted to crack and kicked him out the house. In order to make money, he tried to be a drug dealer, but that ultimately didnt work out. Other drug dealers said that they would look out for him and that he should pursue his dream as being a rapper.
The Pre-Deathrow Dayz
1990 was the beginning of Tupacs rapping career, as he was a groupie and dancer for the group Digital Underground. He appeared on their single Same Song, and appeared on the music video as well. The first album he made was 2pacalypse Now, released in 1991. 2pacalypse Now is a somewhat large departure from his future releases; it was more politically driven, showing the various hardships of being a young black male, teenage pregnancy, police brutality, as well as other things. From the get-go, he was able to spark controversy. His album caught the attention of various political groups; including (former) Vice President Dan Quayle who felt that 2pacalpse Now had no place in our society.
The next year Tupac starred in his first movie called Juice, the story of inner-city kids who find a gun and the problems that came after finding the gun. Tupac played the role of Bishop, who demanded respect (a.k.a. the Juice) by any means. Tupacs performance received universal acclaim, but there were other people who felt that Tupac was just being himself. The criticism from Juice and his first LP would be the fuel that would help inspire him in his next LP Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z The acronym N.I.G.G.A. stood for, Never Ignorant; Getting Goals Accomplished. To quote Tupac in his song Words of Wisdom
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z , while still having political themes, was much darker than his debut LP, with songs such as the title track, Holler If Ya Hear Me and Souljahs Revenge. It also sported more pop oriented songs such as Keep Ya Head Up and I Get Around (the former is a prime example to why people believe that his rape charges were BS, which will be explained later).
T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.
In 1993, Tupac began to start a movement called T.HU.G. L.I.F.E. The acronym stood for, The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone, basically meaning you reap what you sew. A thug in Tupacs eyes wasnt someone who robbed people. It was the person who people didnt believe would make it through tough situations in their life but did; the underdog. This goes back to the Rose that Grew From Concrete metaphor that he thought up of as a teenager. He also created a code for T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. with his grandfather Mutulu Shakur.
The T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. movement drew various criticisms from Tupacs peers and critics, many believing that the fame made him forget where he came from. The group consisted of Tupac, Big Syke, Morpreme, Macadoshis and Rated R. Tupac eventually released T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. Vol. 1 in 1994.
Around this time Tupac also met The Notorious B.I.G., who at the time was an underground rapper who aspired for fame. The two became best friends and recorded the following songs together.
*Runnin (From the Police) (released on the 1 Million Strong Album, remixed for the Tupac Resurection OST under the name Runnin [Dyin to Live])
*House of Pain (Remixed for the posthumous B.I.G. album Duets under the name Living In Pain [the remix also removes the rapper Stretch and adds Nas instead])
*Lets Get it On (Unreleased)
More controversy also followed. Tupac was taken in court for shooting off-duty police officers (this is due to the fact that the cops were harassing another black male and Tupac used it for self-defense) and a fan was shot during one of his concerts. The most well known conflict however, was when Tupac and two other men took a girl with them to a hotel. According to Tupac, he closed his eyes for a little and when he woke up the girl was screaming rape. Tupac was taken to court and it looked like he was going to face years in prison. In addition to money problems at the time, it seemed like Tupacs career was over.
The 1994 Shooting.
On November 1994, Tupac went to a recording studio to finish a song for someone. When leaving the studio two men asked him to give them his money and his jewelry. He refused and he was shot as a result. When trying to reach for his gun, he accidently shot himself too. Tupac was soon rushed to a hospital to receive treatment for his wounds. During his time in the hospital, he also met his biological father for the first time. That morning. Tupac also checked himself out, due to his court hearing that day as well as because of death threats he received while at the hospital. He was found innocent of sodomy, but guilty on other counts. In 1995, he began to serve his bid in prison, which would possibly last up to five years. That year, he released his critically acclaimed album, Me Against the World. In Me Against the World, we saw a more matured, reflective side of Tupac not seen in albums prior. Me Against the World was the very first of Tupacs albums to receive commercial success, and Tupac became the first musician in history to have a number one album on the billboard charts while incarcerated.
In prison, Tupac began to read various books such as The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Prince by Machiavelli. Both books would have a large impact on Tupacs choice of lyrics and his mentality post-prison. Rumors of Tupac being raped in prison were also floating around thanks to Wendy Williams.
The Death Row Era
On October 1995, Tupac was released thanks to Suge Knight. Suge and Tupac shared a similar distaste for Bad Boy, and Tupac knew that this was probably his only chance of being free, so he took his offer. Immediately, he began work on All Eyez on Me, with Ambitionz Az a Ridah being the first song he recorded on Death Row. Originally, All Eyez on Me was to be titled, When I Get Free. The original track listing is as followed.
He also established a group called The Outlaw Immortalz. The Outlawz were simply friends and family that Tupac knew through the years. They went under another group name called Dramacydal prior to Death Row. Their alias were all based on dictators, other than Tupacs himself. Kadafi (Muamarr Gadaffi), EDI Mean (Idi Amin), Kastro (Fidel Castro), Hussein Fatal (Saddam Hussein) Big Syke /Mussolini (Benito Mussolini), and Morpreme /Ruhollah (Ruhollah Khomeini). The last two werent featured as much as the others due to issues with their label and not liking Suge Knight. Mopreme and Big Syke are the only members on T.HU.G. L.I.F.E. who were on The Outlawz. There was also a female Outlaw (Storm).
Various songs were recorded during October-December 1995, many of those song would see the light of day thanks for posthumous releases and bootlegs. The first single for All Eyez on Me was California Love, featuring and produced by Dr. Dre. The song was to be featured on Dr Dres next release, but was put on All Eyez on Me instead. Infact, various songs that were meant for other Deathrow stars were put on All Eyez on Me instead (Cant C Me, Got My Mind Made Up). All Eyez On Me was the first 2 Disc rap album and was released on February 14th 1996. It debuted at number 1 on the billboard charts, and was the second Tupac album to make it at number one on the billboard charts. During February-June 1996 Tupac would mess around in the studio, trying to record at least two songs a day, due to the fact that he was going back to prison in September.
The How Do U Want It single was released in June of 1996, but it was the B-Side that caught the ears of everyone. Hit Em Up is the venomous B-Side where Tupac essentially says, fuck you to the Bad Boy label. The song met with a lot of negative responses from critics but in time it would be revered as one of the greatest diss tracks of all time. The music video also featured a Notorious B.I.G. and P. Diddy look-a-like, which previously appeared on the 2 of Americaz Most Wanted video.
The Makaveli Era
During July of 1996, Tupac began recording songs for a new album called Makaveli. The album was originally set to be a mixtape and according to the people he worked with, it took seven days to record and mix down the album. During this time, Tupac began to reach out to new producers, as he wanted this album to have an entirely new sound from All Eyez on Me. The Makaveli era is characterized as being more militant and focused than All Eyez on Me, as well as more aggressive toward the people he feel betrayed him.
The Last Sessions
Before leaving for Las Vegas, Tupac went and recorded 3 songs.
*Letz Get it On (Lets Get Ready 2 Rumble) This song was for the Mike Tyson Bruce Sheldon fight (the night where Tupac was shot). Its a 2-verse song and only the first verse is available (thanks to the ESPN documentary, One Night in Vegas).
*All Out (some bootlegs have the song labeled as Die Slow) song features one long verse from Tupac and verse from The Outlawz. It was released/remixed on Until the End of Time (2001).
*Hell 4 A Hustler Features 2 verse from Tupac and verses from The Outlawz. It was posthumously released/remixed on the Tupac/Outlawz album Still I Rise (1998).
The Last Day.
After the Tyson-Sheldon fight, someone in Suges entourage spotted Orlando Anderson, a crip who robbed some on Death Row. Tupac began to fight him and the others from Death Row began to attack Orlando as well. The situation began to get out of hand and Tupac and the other people from Death Row began to leave the MGM Grand to head out to Club 662 (M.O.B.). Tupac told his bodyguards and his friends not to ride with him or Suge just in case they got too drunk. When arriving at a stoplight, a white Cadillac rode up and shot up their car. While most of the shots werent aimed at any direction in particular, one of the bullets ricocheted into Tupacs lungs, which would prove to be the cause of his death. Tupac was rushed to the hospital soon after. When being rushed to hospital, Tupacs bodyguard said that Tupac was softly saying, Im dying as they were heading to the hospital. Tupac died and was recovered seven times when he was in the hospital. He couldnt speak while in the hospital and tried to actually leave the hospital multiple times but was forced back on the bed. His mother Afeni Shakur felt that he went through enough suffering and on Friday September 13th, Tupac was pronounced dead.
Tupacs death came as a shock to a lot of people: In his songs, he often questioned his mortality. He talked about death so much to the point where he began painting images in his rhymes of his demise (for example, in Life Goes On, he talks about his funeral and how he would want to be buried). After his death, people instantly began to point fingers at the Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy for devising the hit. But Bad Boy denied any ties to the September shooting. In November 1996, Makaveli dropped in retail stores. It was the first posthumous release and once again, it landed the #1 spot on the billboards. However, it was Snoop Doggs Doggfather album that dethroned it from its spot. In Makaveli, from start to finish Tupac calls out the names of the people he once associated himself with, exposing them and threatening to destroy their career. To many, it was Tupac who got the last laugh.
Life After Death
Note: When the song is starred * it means that the song was remixed, unless noted.
With the departure of Dr. Dre early in 1996, Snoop later on and Suge Knight facing charges, The Death Row was slowly beginning to crumble. People left and right were trying to get whatever music they could. In 1997 Afeni created Amaru Entertainment, and won the right to release future unreleased Tupac material. She also owned the rights to all of Tupacs pre-Death Row albums as well. That year we saw R U Still Down ?(Remember Me), the first posthumous album released without Tupacs input. The album contained material from Tupacs early days as a rapper (1991-1994). Critical Reception was mixed, but in time it would be the most revered posthumous album in the eyes of the fans, because most of the music was kept true to the original.
Disc One
1. Redemption (intro) (Made for the album)
2. Open Fire
3. R U Still Down? (Remember Me) Tupac did two takes of this song, one contains a different beat than the one used on the album , and has one additional verse, but its missing his last verse as well. Its speculated that the version used on the album is the original version of that take.
4. Hellrazor*
5. Thug Style* - removes the trumpet from the demo version, adds a piano.
6. Where Do We Go From Here (Interlude)
7. I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto (LP Version)* - already released in 1993 as a B-side to Keep Ya Head Up.
8. Nothing to Lose
9. Im Getting Money*
10. Lie to Kick It most likely the original beat.
11. Fuck All Yall*
12. Let Them Thangs Go remixed but retains original sample.
13. Definition of a Thug Nigga released on the Poetic Justice OST.
Disc Two
1. Ready 4 Whatever
2. When I Get Free
3. Hold on Be Strong
4. Im Losin It*
5. Fake Ass Bitches Practically original, removes sample.
6. Do 4 Love Remixed but retains original sample.
7. Enemies With Me* - sample removed
8. Nothin But Love Already released in 1993 on the Keep Ya Head Up B-Side (Australia)
9. 16 On Death Row
10. I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto (Hip-Hop Remix) *
11. When I Get Free II
12. Black Starry Night (Interlude) Its unknown if this is original or not.
13. Only Fear of Death
In 1998, a Greatest Hits compilation was released. It would eventually be certified Diamond in 2011. It also sported 4 previously unreleased songs: Unconditional Love, Changes, God Bless the Dead and Troublesome 96. At the time they didnt have the master reel for Unconditional Love, so they had to settle for a crappy radio rip of it (the master since then has been found). Troublesome 96 and God Bless the Dead are censored in the American versions of the album due to trying to trim down the amount of cop hating songs at the time (the European versions and the international versions of the album [as well as the first pressing of the American version] contain the uncensored version of both songs). Changes is a tweaked version of the original, capitalizing more on the Bruce Hornsby sample that it uses. Changes is probably Tupacs most well known song, posthumous or otherwise.
In 1999, Still I Rise was released. Its the first album that contained primarily Death Row material. One of the Outlawz, Hussein Fatal,, didnt record/rerecord any songs for his album. Prior to Tupacs death, The Outlawz werent signed to any label. Tupac warned them not to sign onto Death Row, and Hussein was the only one of the Outlawz who respected Tupacs wishes. Hussein Fatals verses were removed from the album and replaced by other Outlaw verses. Still I Rise, much like R U Still Down, contained a mix of both original and remixed songs. Its leading single was Baby Dont Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II).
1. Letter to the President
2. Still I Rise* - I consider It an updated original, but eehhh
3. Secretz of War*
4. Baby Dont Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)*
5. As the World Turns
6. Black Jesuz*
7. Homeboyz The original version of the song hasnt leaked, but its speculated that the retail is very close to the original.
8. Hell 4 a Hustler*
9. High Speed
10. The Good Die Young
11. Killuminati*
12. Teardrops and Closed Caskets
13. Tattoo Tearz*
14. U Can Be Touched* - Again, I would consider this an updated original. Tupac also recorded a verse for this as a reference verse for Napoleon. As a result, Tupac is only seen on the chorus on the retail.
15. Yall Dont Know Us This song was recorded specifically for the album; Tupac doesnt appear on the song at all.
We wouldnt see another Tupac album until 2001, which brought Until the End of Time. The tracks were all recorded during his bid on Death Row. This album is significant in that this is the first time they truly began to start with remixing albums. The songs were also influenced by the pop trends of the time, adding female vocals on the choruses. Until the End of Time went on to be the best selling rap album of 2001.
Disc One
1. Ballad of a Dead Soulja
2. Fuck 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. Fuckin With the Wrong Nigga
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 Two
1. Big Syke Interlude - Made for the album.
2. My Closet Roaddogz*
3. Niggaz Nature (Remix)*
4. When Thugz Cry*
5. U Dont Have 2 Worry*
6. This Aint Livin*
7. Why U Turn On Me*
8. Lastoneleft
9. Thug N U Thug N Me*
10. Wordz 2 My 1st Born*
11. Let Em Have It (Remx)*
12. Runnin On E
13. When I Get Free*
14. Until the End of Time (RP Remix)*
In roughly a year, another posthumous album was released called Better Dayz. Infact, Until the End of Time was originally supposed to be a 4 disc CD, but they split the projects in two. Better Dayz performed well on the hip-hop charts, but it failed to share the shame success as Until the End of Time. Many of the posthumous remixes on Better Dayz were labeled as such.
Disc One
1. Intro Made for the album.
2. Still Ballin (Nitty Remix)
3. When We Ride on Our Enemies (Briss Remix)
4. Changed Man*
5. Fuck Em All
6. Never B Peace*
7. Mamas Just a Little Girl (KP Remix)
8. Street Fame (Briss Remix)
9. Whatcha Gonna Do?*
10. Fair Xchange (Jazze Pha Remix)
11. Late Night*
12. Ghetto Star its speculated that the demo version is very close to the album version.
13. Thugz Mansion (Acoustic Version)
Disc Two
1. My Block (Nitty Remix)
2. Thugz Mansion*
3. Never Call U Bitch Again*
4. Better Dayz
5. U Can Call*
6. Military Minds*
7. Fame
8. Fair Xchange (KP Remix)
9. Catchin Feelins*
10. There U Go*
11. This Life I Lead*
12. Who Do U Believe In?
13. They Dont Give a Fuck About Us
14. Outro I think that they grabbed this from the original version of Untouchable.
In 2003, Amaru released Tupac Resurrection in theatres. To coincide with the documentary, they released a soundtrack with it as well. The soundtrack consisted of material both old and unreleased. This time around, Eminem handled the remixes. He remixed Ghost, One Day at a Time, and Runnin (Dyin to Live). Runnin became the next single, removing Dramacydal and adding Tupacs verse from the demo version of Runnin (From Tha Police). Throughout the song interviews play during the intro, chorus and outro, to help give the listener a taste of what Tupac Resurrection would be like. The last remix was done by Red Spyda, called The Realest Killaz. The song features a verse from Tupac, with 50 Cent doing the chorus as well as an additional verse. This collab was fueled by 50 vs. Ja Rule beef at the time.
In 2004, Loyal to the Game was released. Loyal to the Game was the first album since R U Still Down to contain only Pre-Death Row songs. The majority of the album was produced by Eminem, mainly because he offered to do the remixes for free. But Eminem made the biggest mistake of altering and stretching out Tupacs vocals to be onbeat. He even spliced up his vocals to make Tupac say things such as G-Unit! and shouting out to Eminem himself. This album was met with mixed reactions to critics and universal hatred from the fanbase. However, the single Ghetto Gospel was very popular in Europe and the song helped spread pacs popularity there.
2006 marked the 10th anniversary of Tupacs death. Pacs Life was released later that year in order to commemorate his death. It consisted of Death Row filler material, often using one Tupac verse and other mediocre rappers would follow. Since Pac's Life there's been a Greatest Hits album in 2007 with two unreleased songs.
