Today we have a post from a special guest blogger, RULE. RULE is a 30-year-old battle rapper from the UK and is a respected head moderator at LetsBeef.com. He’s gained notoriety from his ability to construct some of the most ferocious/wittiest punchlines people have ever heard, so he may come off as very hard to impress in that aspect. “I got into Hip Hop heavily during the Deathrow / Bad Boy era so I MAY be slightly partial to artists from that time frame. Just remember that opinions are like cave-ins and gold.. only mine matters.” With that said, I’ll let RULE take it from here…
Rating System
1-4: Terrible in terms of quality and/or content
5: Passable song
6: Solid track
7: Very good track
8: Bordering on great
9: Great track
10: Absolutely exceptional
Quotable
I usually pick the most poignant or lyrical line or two from the album artist. Sometimes for its creativity, sometimes for its impact or personal nature. I usually struggle to choose from many quotable per track. And it can often come down to a line I just have an infinity for.
Lets begin.
2Pac - All Eyez On Me
The Backstory
In 1996, 2Pac come out of prison straight into a recording studio with an unstoppable fire in his stomach and a freshly written recording contract with Death Row Records. 2Pac had been considered one of Hip Hop’s elite performers at this time, with his last album: ‘Me Against The World’ going multi-platinum and being a billboard number one selling album. Whereas MATW was an introspective album, touching on many sensitive subjects such as domestic abuse (Can U Get Away) and a mans love for his mother (Dear Mama), AEOM was much more in the vein of a “Gangtsa Rap” album. This was one of 2Pac’s many evolutions over his too-short career, as AEOM saw told the story of his journey from Street Poet, to the king of Thug Life.
The Album: Details
The album was released as a two-disc double LP, with production handled mostly by Daz Dillinger and Johnny J. The album had many guest stars, with 2Pac’s crew – The Outlawz, providing most of them. Dr Dre features as a rapper once and provides two beats for the album, this being the only time he was able to appear with 2Pac on a studio album. The album had 27 tracks in total, and spawned 5 official singles. The album eventually went 9x Platinum, and is widely considered one of the greatest ever.
The Album: Track-by-Track Review
(1) Ambitionz Az A Ridah
- Produced by Daz, a rather low-key album opener. Street production with 2Pac’s usual lyrical skill leads to a solid yet unspectacular track. 7/10
- Quotable: “I’m smokin bomb-ass weed feelin crucial, From player to player, the game’s tight, the feeling’s mutual.”
(2) All About U (Ft Dru Down, Nate Dogg, Yaki Kadafi, Hussein Fatal & Snoop Dogg)
- Released as a single, this track has since become a hip hop classic. Johnny J production, 2Pac rides the first two verses before the guests handle the third. Nate Dogg lays a typical hook whilst Snoop wraps things up on the outro. 8/10
- Quotable: “You probably crooked as the last trick, wanna laugh at how I got my ass caught up with this bad bitch, Thinkin I had her but she had me in the long run, It’s just my luck I’m stuck with fuckin with the wrong one!”
(3) Skandalouz (Ft Nate Dogg)
- Another Daz west coast beat, 2Pac and Nate do their usual thing on the subject of scandalous females. Solid west coast funk track. 7/10
- Quotable: “I’d probably be sprung, addicted to the heat of her tongue and though I don’t where we’re goin, she’s makin me come“
(4) Got My Mind Made Up (Ft Tha Dogg Pound & Method Man & Redman)
- A more east coast sounding production by Daz than usual, the guest all bring solid verses but 2Pac’s infectious delivery leaves him as the victor in this display of coast unity. 7/10
- Quotable: “So mandatory my elevation my lyrics like orientation, So you can be more familiar with the nigga you facing.”
(5) How Do You Want It (Ft K-Ci & JoJo)
- Produced by Johnny J, this has a laid back street feel to it, with 2Pac on the hunt for female attention. Good R&B hook, 2Pac rides the beat perfectly. This was also released as a single, another solid track. 8/10
- Quotable: “Mr. International, playa with the passport, Just like Aladdin bitch, get you anything you ask for.”
(6) 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted (Ft Snoop Dogg)
- Pac and Snoop play lyrical hot-potato with a back and forth display of west coast swag and bravado. Released as a single, featuring production from Daz. 8/10
- Quotable: “They wonder how I live, with five shots, Niggaz is hard to kill, on my block.“
(7) No More Pain
- One of the more filler-ish tracks on the album. Production was average and although pretty much all 2Pac verses damn your attention, this track featured some of his more generic ones. Probably the worst track on the album. 5/10
- Quotable: “Busters shot me five times, real niggaz don’t die.”
(8) Heartz Of Men
- Produced by DJ Quik, this track has that amped production feel to it. A long spoken word intro from Pac leads into a slick verse. A basic hook lets the track down a bit. 7/10
- Quotable: “No longer living in fear, my pistol close in hand, Convinced this is my year, like I’m the chosen man“
(9) Life Goes On
- This is a more introspective 2Pac, akin to his pre-death row persona. Thoughtful lyrics over Johnny J’s smooth production. This encapsulates the perfect mix of Pre-deathrow Pac and current-deathrow production. 9/10
- Quotable: “sayin’ goodbye at the cemetery, tho’ memories fade, I got your name tatted on my arm, so we both ball till’ my dying days“
(10) Only God Can Judge Me (Ft 4-Tay)
- Another strong track here with Pac rapping about the negative-attention he’s been subjected to. 4-Tay adds a solid if unspectacular guest verse. Another strong track. 9/10
- Quotable: “And they say it’s the white man I should fear, but it’s my own kind doin all the killin here“
(11) Tradin War Stories (Ft Hussein Fatal, EDI Mean, C-Bo & Storm)
- Mick Mosley and Rick Rock lay the beat on another great track. I’ve always been a little torn on this one, because as nice as the track is, I think it could have been even better if the concept alluded to in the title was followed better by the guests. Pac again outshines the rest. 8/10
- Quotable: “My lyrics are blueprints to money makin“
(12) California Love Remix (Ft Dr Dre)
- I’m sure I’m not the only one who absolutely hated the fact that the album version of this track had different production to the single version. I’ve always strongly disliked this song for that reason. Listening back in an unbiased way I concede that the track is still good, if not anywhere near as nice as the single version. The single version scores a ten with me. 7/10
- Quotable: “Bumpin and grindin like a slow jam, it’s west side so you know the row won’t bow down to no man“
(13) I Aint Mad At Cha (Ft Danny Boy)
- Another single released from the album, this is a laid back track where Pac addresses people who changed their personas over time. Daz’s perfect production makes Pac’s nonchalance lyrics impact even more. 8/10
- Quotable: “So many questions, and they ask me if I’m still down, I moved up out of the ghetto, so I ain’t real now?”
(14) What’z Ya Phone # (Ft Danny Boy)
- Last track on disc one, Johnny J on the boards as Pac raps about approaching women. Two verses with a skit-like third closes this track out way too soon. Catchy hook adds to the song greatly. 7/10
- Quotable: “Yo, let’s stop fakin and be real now. I got a room and a hard on. Still down?”
My next post will consist of a complete review for Disc 2.
