![]() ![]() 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. Dre track “California Love” became a huge house-party hit, but what unifies the album, through an array of different producers and guest stars, is Pac’s charisma and his struggles with morality: “It’s similar to Rhythm Nation, but thugged out - forgive me, Janet.” In the course of 27 songs and two discs, Pac empties his brain of the contradictory impulses. On his fourth (and final) album, he briefly gets it. He was arrested in 1992 after he was involved in a fight that culminated with a stray bullet killing a six-year-old bystander the charges were later dismissed.2Pac wanted it all: credibility and success, “murderous lyrics” and voice-of-a-generation gravitas. Although Shakur was selling records and earning praise for his music and acting, he began having serious altercations with the law prior to becoming a recording artist, he had no police record. Late in 1993, he acted in the basketball movie Above the Rim. By the time the film hit theaters, 2Pac had released his second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., which became a platinum album, peaking at number four on the R&B charts and launching the Top Ten R&B hit singles 'I Get Around' and 'Keep Ya Head Up,' which peaked at number 11 and 12, respectively, on the pop charts. ![]() Shakur's profile was raised considerably by his acclaimed role in the Ernest Dickerson film Juice, which led to a lead role in John Singleton's Poetic Justice the following year. However, its blunt and explicit lyrics earned criticisms for moral watchdogs, and Vice President Dan Quayle attacked the album while he was campaigning for re-election that year. ![]()
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