That’s how he choose to present his new image as a free man.Īll Eyez On Me was a critical and commercial smash. Curious in their absence are Shakur’s reminiscences of his younger days as a ballet dancer, however we must forge on ahead with what the artist has chosen to portray to us- Tupac grew up hard in the ghetto with an-ex Black Panther mother and a murderer step-father.
The two-disc set is a belated celebration of all things gangster, all manners thug and the all-important self-righteous ghetto saga. All Eyez On Me is an effective break with the past for 2Pac scarce to be the found are the solemn examinations of spirit that permeated its predecessor, and missing (presumed murdered) are rants against social and political injustice which informed his debut releases. If the concept of a long stretch in a penitentiary and the subsequent attempt on his life inspired an album of sober introspection and the exorcising of personal demons ( Me Against The World, the anticipation of release had more positive ramifications, for the subject at least. Ultimately quintupling the sales of its predecessor, All Eyez On Me was a watershed in hip-hop history and elevated 2Pac from an outstanding west coast rapper to a veritable hip-hop institution. Just five months after his release from prison, he released the first hip-hop double album- legally regarded as two individual releases- All Eyez On Me. Emerging from an eight-month hiatus, 2Pac had plenty of material to get him started he reportedly hit the studio within hours of his release, completing fully twenty-seven song in a mere two weeks. Speculation on just how bad the deal was for the rapper is as badly informed today as it was a decade ago, but it’s safe to say that he was at least organising his release schedule to fulfil the contract as soon as possible. In return, he required 2Pac release three albums on his Death Row label- he even offered to take a larger than usual stake in the rights. Knight, co-founder of the soon-to-be hip-hop empire Death Row Records, used his unique powers of persuasion to lobby for Shakur’s release, raising the $1.4 million bail himself. Shakur was, in late 1995, serving the first of four years in prison for an alleged sexual assault when Knight offered to engineer his release in September of that year, Shakur was essentially prepared to submit to any agreement.
Indeed, this was less a thuggish alliance than the rash submission of a desperate man, and the exact details of the deal the two struck (or rather the deal Suge dictated) are still unclear.
Erratic though it may be, All Eyez on Me is nonetheless carried off with the assurance of a legend in his own time, and it stands as 2Pac's magnum opus.It was an association that was fated to end in tears: ‘Sugar Bear’ Knight (commonly known by the more sexually-innocuous moniker ‘Suge’), the label head who once dangled Vanilla Ice from a twentieth-story balcony in order to secure the rights to 'Ice Ice Baby,' and international badass rapper Tupac Shakur.
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Despite some good moments, the second disc is slowed by filler and countless guest appearances, plus a few too many thug-lovin' divas crooning their loyalty. Both hits are on the front-loaded first disc, which would be a gangsta classic in itself other highlights include the anthemic Snoop Dogg duet "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted," "All About U" (with the required Nate Dogg-sung hook), and "I Ain't Mad at Cha," a tribute to old friends who've gotten off the streets. Dre also contributes another surefire single in "California Love" (which, unfortunately, is present only as a remix, not the original hit version). On the plus side, this is easily the best production he's ever had on record, handled mostly by Johnny J (notably on the smash "How Do U Want It") and Dat Nigga Daz Dr. In that sense, it's an accurate depiction of what made him such a volatile and compelling personality, despite some undeniable filler. All Eyez on Me is 2Pac the thug icon in all his brazen excess, throwing off all self-control and letting it all hang out - even if some of it would have been better kept to himself. Sure, there are a few reflective numbers and dead-homiez tributes, but they're much more romanticized this time around. But more than that, it's also an unabashed embrace of the gangsta lifestyle, backing off the sober self-recognition of Me Against the World. With all the controversy surrounding him, 2Pac seemingly wanted to throw down a monumental epic whose sheer scope would make it an achievement of itself. Whatever the case, 2Pac re-emerged hardened and hungry with All Eyez on Me, the first double-disc album of original material in hip-hop history. Maybe it was his time in prison, or maybe it was simply his signing with Suge Knight's Death Row label.
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