2Pac is, as a rapper, near the height of popularity, so the exaggerated title of this album isn’t too far off. All Eyez aren’t on him, but a mixture of vanity and paranoia probably makes it seem that way from his point of view. It’s still Me Against The World. Everyone else is just waiting to see what his next move is going to be. If we’re looking, we’re listening, so this album is for the whole world.
It will be heard by rap music fans more than anyone else, of course, and in that category, it holds its own. 2Pac isn’t the best rapper or anywhere near; the Thug poet rarely has anything clever or particularly creative to say; but there is something to be said for his distinct sing-songy flow, in which he emphasizes random words by stretching syllables and putting an exclamation mark at the end.
If that’s not impressive enough, and I don’t think it is, it sounds a lot better over an array of sleek beats. There are also a lot of guest rappers; almost every song has one; but it’s the guest singers that really stand out. When one provides a catchy hook over said beat; Can’t C Me; the rapper shines more than he ever could on his own.
The second half of this 2-pack; a double album as far as CDs and tapes go; is superior in that regard. Run Tha Streetz and Rather Be Ya Nigga are catchy, perhaps even a bit romantic, and a sip of Thug Passion is all you need in the bedroom. Even when he’s calling out enemies in a violent rage, daring them to Holla at him, a singer is right there instigating with melodic taunts of her own.
That said, the album would be better limited to its best fourteen or thirteen songs. That means weaker inclusions like When We Ride, Hearts Of Men and How Do U Want It; not all the singers do well; would have to go. Even as is though, there are enough interesting things happening musically to hold your attention.
my rating : 4 of 5
1996
Muyiwa olubajo :
Some people don’t know what is really called a poet a distinct one for that matter that’s 2pac Amaru Shakur