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Tue Nov 16 2021
1
Man, time has a weird way of changing the way thinks look. I mean, as far as mid-90s rap goes, this is probably as good as it gets if your name isn't De La Soul. I didn't listen to this back then, but I knew it was a big assed deal. But today, listening to this and reading about Tupac... I mean... I feel like I would hate this dude automatically if he was a bearded white guy. 1992 he dropped his gun, it discharged and killed a 6-year-old. He beat another rapper with a baseball bat. He raped a 19-year-old and went to prison for it. So I mean... sure, it's you against the world, I guess. You sound like an asshole.
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Tue May 11 2021
1
I might be biased because I am a huge Kanye West fan, but most indicative is the difference between Late Registration's "Hey Mama" and "Dear Mama" from this record. The lyrics on 2Pac's version made me wince, the rest of the album is devoid of creative samples and clever wordplay and I am having a hard time remembering the differences between most tracks. This might be due to the generic and repetitive style in most songs, which gives more reason to the fact that this type of rap has aged terribly to my ears. Only song memorable to me is Death Around The Corner, and that is mostly because of the hard-hitting instrumentals. Overall score is a 2(Pac) out of 10.
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Tue Jul 27 2021
5
Some of the smoothest sounds and engaging, emotional, and aggressive lyricism I've heard in a while! 2Pac was truly one of the greats.
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Thu May 06 2021
4
This is not the first album I think of when I think of 2pac, but it is perhaps his most personal and reflective album. Arriving between a shooting incident (to which the opening track makes reference in a skit) and an impending prison sentence, this album deals with feelings of paranoia, gangster violence, and the state of not only being an artist but also a black man in America.
He reflects on the cycle of gangster life, the prison system, and the hopelessness of the situation when one is simply trying to survive with the cards they've been dealt. 2pac asks the listener to be sympathetic towards those who live this lifestyle as it is born of economic insecurity and paranoia. Paper keeps you alive and out of trouble, but it's a lot of trouble to get that paper.
The standout tracks are "If I Die Tonight" seriously some of 2pac's best rapping, the alliteration is insane, "Dear Momma", "So Many Tears"
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Tue Nov 16 2021
4
You know about 2Pac's mom, right? If not, look her up. Pretty fascinating family. Anywho, I found this really incredibly easy to listen to, which seems like an odd thing to say considering the image that followed this dude back in the day. Not gonna lie, "Old School" completely worked for me and also made me feel like there was a millennial right behind me with their arms crossed thinking, "Of course it did, DAD."
Whatever. I would listen to this again and I don't have that reaction a ton with the stuff on this list.
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Tue May 25 2021
5
This is peak 2Pac and the pinnacle of introspective/conscientious hip hop in the heyday of gangsta and dance hip hop. Lyrics are poetic throughout and I love the contrast of the vividly painted stories of urban struggles against generally calm and chill beats and bass lines. Really not any misses here despite a somewhat long album. Dear Mama and the title track are classics but temptations, death around the corner, and others are underrated. I'm really not even the biggest 2Pac fan but it's hard to not respect and appreciate this album in it's context. Probably a 4.5 because of a bit of a lack of replay value overall, but gets a bump up for historical and cultural significance, and that it's still enjoyable and a classic work, even outside of it's narrowly targeted demographic.
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Thu Oct 13 2022
1
The most overhyped and over-esteemed artist of the 90's. He was unjustly martyred when he died and has become a false idol for morons to worship. Sorry, not sorry. His music sucks and I'm not into it and he sounds like he was an absolute garbage human to boot.
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Mon Nov 07 2022
1
Fitting that this album is by 2pac, not Tupac, cause it stinks like a big ol' number 2!
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Wed Sep 01 2021
1
Did not enjoy this album at all. I guess the primary quality is in the lyrical content (especially with 2pac's backstory in mind), but the music just does not appeal to me enough.
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Thu Sep 09 2021
1
It seems to just drone on, i really do not like it
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Wed Dec 01 2021
1
Not my cup of tea
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Thu Mar 10 2022
1
Dull as mud from start to finish. Mono toned, mono rhythmic and mono paced.
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Mon May 09 2022
1
I'm middle aged, white, non-American. I'm not the target market for 2Pac.
I listened to this with my 13 year old son. He liked the rude words. I liked it only when there were no words.
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Thu Dec 15 2022
1
As I was listening to the intro, I was thinking, this isn't so bad. I was wrong. I get that it may be a prophetic look into a world that I will never experience. But that doesn't make it an album that I have to hear before I die. There has to be noteworthy rap albums better than this.
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Thu Oct 21 2021
5
Legendary. His storytelling, emotion, and fearlessness about his content is why he is unanimously considered one of the greatest rappers ever. In my opinion this is his best work.
I knew i loved it going in, but it’s always nice to revisit a classic. Must listen for everyone in my opinion, but especially fans of hip hop.
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Tue Dec 14 2021
5
This was the album that convinced me that Tupac truly desires the praise/status he’s achieved in his legacy. As a youth, his rapping and style wasn’t immediately clear to me, but as soon as you hear “They say pussy and paper is poetry, power, and pistols,” followed by an assault of lyrical alliteration, I was sold.
I don’t love his beat selection 100% of the time. His G-Funk/West Coast beats are typically the most bland, watered-down version of the style, his soft songs are really grating, especially if he’s not doing the hook. There are exceptions (“Hey Mama”) but I think Pac is at his best when he’s doing gangsta rap, if only because his tone fits it so well, and he’s really not the greatest at it until this record, when his own game is undeniable. But all his albums are a mix of styles and tonal shifts. Some people love that, and even argue it’s why he’s so great. I disagree; to me, it means he doesn’t have a flawless album.
But of his 5 albums, I’d have to say this is the closest he has to a legitimate classic. I’d say all his other albums have higher highs (my favorite track here, “Old School,” is my least favorite of my favorite Tupac songs), *but* this record also has quantitatively the most highs in his discography. Maybe if 7 Day Theory wasn’t posthumous, or if All Eyez on Me was one disc, I’d prefer it, but Me Against the World is the tightest of all Tupac records imo, so therefore my favorite, and the one I’d say is his definite classic.
Honestly, though, while the first half is all gold, I don’t think Side B gets good until “Old School,” and even then, all those final tracks are notably weaker. High water marks for sure, but not on the same caliber as Side A/any of his best tracks that released after this album.
I don’t know - I’ve always felt odd about Pac. On the one hand, when I like him, I love him. But when I don’t, I really don’t. Maybe that dichotomy is why people love him. Idk - I was always a Biggie fan first. But my distaste for Pac still isn’t distain - bad 90s hip-hop is still an A- for me, so while this isn’t like my favorite album ever, it’s still my favorite Tupac record, and therefore 5 stars.
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Fri Apr 22 2022
5
2pac is easily the most popular 90s rapper that tragically lost their life due to violence, and the only one that can even have the same title in the conversation is his rival, The Notorious B.I.G
So, I hadn't really heard many 2pac tracks before listening to this album. The only 2pac track that I had heard was "California Love", plus that interview that Kendrick Lamar sampled on "Mortal Man".
I was super excited to listen to this album, and the reason was because of the main artist. A lot of Rap fans and rappers have stated that 2pac is one of the best rappers ever, this being an album from the 90s also made me look more forward listening to it.
Holy fuck, this album is amazing. I'm not gonna lie, I did also think that this was gonna be the same situation as the N.W.A. album, where it's an album that many love that I disliked, but it was the exact opposite for this one.
The first thing that I'll speak about is the production, it's so good. Boombap is easily one of my favourite styles of productions ever, but that being mixed with the quiet background vocals on tracks like "Might Die 2nite" was even fucking better. It might be kinda simple for today's standards, but 2pac's writing was just perfect for it.
2pac is a lot like someone like J. Cole, where the rhymes are super impressive and shit while not having the tracks be super complex. Now I'm not saying if I think that 2pac is worse than J. Cole since I haven't really listened to many 2pac tracks, but I was just using him as an example.
The intro and the title for this album perfectly describe the situation that 2pac was in. He was basically getting blamed for shit that he didn't even have a part in, which must've felt horrible. It was basically a me against the world situation, and 2pac made sure that he would prove the press wrong.
Album art is so fucking good, with 2pac leaning at the wall with he black, white and yellow blending together. Maybe people think that it’s basic, I think that it’s dope.
FAV TRACK would have to be "Dear Mama". Tracks about loving your mother is always positive, and the stuff 2pac says in this track is super interesting.
LEAST FAV TRACK: N/A
10/10
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Wed Apr 28 2021
4
Great old school hip hop album, melodic, poignant lyrics and some beautiful soul moments
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Sat Oct 16 2021
4
Pretty damn introspective, thematically strong. Very confessional and raw, probably was a bit uncommon to show vulnerability in hip hop at this time. I probably wouldn't listen to a lot of it, but I can respect it.
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Wed Dec 01 2021
4
This album has all the best parts of west coast rap. Great listen all the way through
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Sat May 28 2022
1
nope
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Thu Oct 13 2022
1
Boring
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Tue Oct 18 2022
1
not my jam
1/5
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Tue Oct 18 2022
1
No gusta
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Mon Dec 05 2022
1
Normaly, I don't like this kind of music.
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Sun Jul 11 2021
5
Already in my collection. Obviously a banger of an album.
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Tue Jun 15 2021
5
Hands down classic! One of 2Pac’s best works.
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Thu Jun 03 2021
5
If the song about his momma doesn’t make you cry then you don’t love your mama
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Fri Jul 30 2021
5
Classic. So good. Very solid.
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Fri Aug 06 2021
5
Some of the best music ever made
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Tue Aug 17 2021
5
Love "Can U get away" and "So Many Tears"
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Fri Sep 10 2021
5
Yes
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Fri Oct 22 2021
5
didnt know that before
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Thu Nov 18 2021
5
dated and simplistic 90s, but this hit me in the feels. genuine emotions packaged within old school beats
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Tue Nov 30 2021
5
Nice
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Tue Dec 07 2021
5
Great flows and fun production
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Fri Dec 10 2021
5
you can hear how personal this one seems. I don't listen to Tupac, nor do I know much about him but you can hear how raw he tried to make this one.
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Sat Dec 11 2021
5
El mejor rapero de la historia.
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Sat Dec 11 2021
5
Legendary
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Fri Jan 07 2022
5
Never knew some of the deeper cuts on this were so good! Really enjoyed it though!
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Sun Jan 09 2022
5
Mutha fuckin 'Pac
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Sun Jan 23 2022
5
One of the most fun hip-hop albums I've ever heard. Fantastic beats, lyrics and no filler make this one of the best in the genre.
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Wed Feb 02 2022
5
Achei legal demais o título. Tudo a ver com a proposta do rap. Gostei das canções e da maneira envolvente das letras. Não domino o inglês, mas quero ler as músicas para entender o que foi dito. E ouvir, é claro, mais 2Pac.
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Mon Feb 14 2022
5
Super enjoyable with some classic tracks. Final verse of Me Against the World is incredible. Falls into the 90s album trap of being just a bit too long. 9/10
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Mon Feb 14 2022
5
9/10 great
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Wed Feb 23 2022
5
Só fado
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Sat Mar 05 2022
5
Classic.
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Tue Mar 08 2022
5
Listened Before? N
This is one I've been wanting to listen to, and putting off since literally the 90's. I've always been a fan of 2pac's style but never listened to a full album.
Pros: This is an amazing record. The subject matter ranges from typical gangsta faire to personal therapy sessions. 2pac was a special talent. He makes the unrelatable relatable.
Cons: Nothing much. Some terminology didn't hold its relevance, but this is a great snapshot of the mid-90s.
Added to Library? Y
Songs added to Library: Me Against the World, Dear Mama
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Thu Mar 31 2022
5
He’s a favorite of mine so this was an easy sell to me.
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Sun Apr 03 2022
5
A true original. This album feels like it has an aged a day
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Tue Apr 05 2022
5
Well. That was a surprise. Everyone knows 2Pac is a legend but I've personally never just sat down and listened to a whole album. I was utterly blown away by the lyricism, creativity, and delivery that he brought to the table.
But the real surprise was the depth of the content. I expected the same ol' shallow gangsta rhymes that you get from 2Pac's contemporaries in the genre. What I experienced, however, was incredibly self-aware social commentary. 2Pac comes off more like a really cool older brother dispensing heavy wisdom than a hard-ass, bragging gangster.
This album was just great. 2Pac really was one the greats. R.I.P.
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Thu Jul 14 2022
5
Poet
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Thu Jul 14 2022
5
It was you against the world… wasn’t it Tupac, RIP
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Fri Jul 15 2022
5
Klassiker. Kannte ich zwar schon, hatte aber die Gelegenheit noch einmal ein paar Lieder einzuspeichern.
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Tue Jul 19 2022
5
This album sees Tupac expand his lyrical content to the philosophical. This is not to say that Tupac leaves behind the g-funk, but to say that he looks at the violence with a sense of maturity that seems to conclude that the lifestyle is part of him, and is glorified, but that he can look at it critically and understand how desensitized to it he has become. He muses on the devastating consequences of poverty and being exposed to so much death and chillingly discusses his own death. There's a tension here between the lure and necessity of life on the streets and the desire for things to be better. In the closing track, Tupac seems to recognize that something is wrong here, and the death is too much.
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Wed Aug 03 2022
5
Love that we are finally getting a Tupac album. This is one of his records that I didn't listen to too extensively but he's so prolific that I know I can go into it with high expectations.
It's got everything you want from a rap hip hop album and everything you would expect from one of the greatest if not the greatest to ever do it. Lyrics are on point and touch upon many varied and interesting themes as Tupac introspects his life, music, relationships. This album is so good to just put on and enjoy track to track. It's so EASY to listen to.
Love Tupac. Love Tupac as not only a rapper and artist but also an actor.
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Wed Aug 03 2022
5
Wowow equally heartbreaking and artful. I never gave this a full listen-through before today, and I'm glad I did.
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Wed Aug 03 2022
5
2Pac has such a great, distinct voice and his bouncing flow is so much fun to listen to. I love these funky beats too. Occasionally, the musical style pushes toward G-funk but I wouldn’t call most of this gangsta rap. 2Pac generally avoids glamorizing violence. He’s more soulful and introspective. He describes the awfulness he sees around him and tries to promote positivity at every turn.
“Old School” is a personal favorite. I used to love putting that one on party playlists.
This is one of those albums that’s talked about as a classic and I think it holds up really well. It’s over an hour long but there’s no filler, which is rare for a 90’s rap album. Even some of the classics will have a dud track here or there. This is solid.
(Side note: I always love finding connections between albums on this list. On “It Ain’t Easy,” 2Pac raps about not wanting to get locked up in San Quentin, the prison Johnny Cash sings at for his second live prison album.)
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Sun Aug 07 2022
5
Great classic album. Still prevalent.
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Tue Aug 16 2022
5
Hey this guy is pretty talented
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Fri Sep 09 2022
5
WOW! Rap perfected. The lyrics just keep rolling so smooth. Beats you can bob your head to.
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Tue Sep 13 2022
5
2/pac rip
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Wed Sep 21 2022
5
I didn’t expect to see this album on the list, but overjoyed to have gotten to listen in full. It’s crazy how many lines 2Pac seems to predict misfortune for himself, still calling out men for trying to be hypermasculine, still criticizing his own choices on his rise to stardom. I wish I could’ve seen what rap would’ve been like if he’d been able to stick around.
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Wed Sep 28 2022
5
Really got into this one.
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Sun Oct 16 2022
5
Love 2Pac, and this is my favorite album from him. Love the less aggressive sounds from this versus his next album.
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Thu Nov 03 2022
5
Great album. Lord knows
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Fri Nov 11 2022
5
Love this voice, love the lyrics. Dear Mama the best
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Sun Nov 13 2022
5
Ground breaking!
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Wed Dec 28 2022
5
Fucking awesome album. Every song was a great listening experience that focuses on an incredibly foreign life to me. The song intro was cold as all hell. Opening an album bragging about surviving an assassination attempt is darkly ironic and badass.
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Wed Jan 11 2023
5
What should I say? That album is just fucking great. Cool beats, more on the dark side of the mood, minimalistic music support and outstanding texts as well as melodies.
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Thu Feb 09 2023
5
90s gangster rap isn’t in my wheelhouse. I was starting to resent having to listen to bombastic denigration over catchy beats. It’s tiresome. I’ve run out of giving passes to horrific lyrics because they are delivered with great talent. Being unfamiliar with 2Pac’s music, I was bracing for another endurance session that couldn’t end soon enough.
Instead what I found is an incredible moving, vulnerable, introspective album by a rapper of great talent. Here is a rap album that was illuminating, moving, and real. Totally unexpected, it has made me reconsider a sub-genre I was ready to walk away from. This is an unflinching, hard hitting slice of life that respects its subjects. What an incredible album!
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Thu Feb 09 2023
5
I was quite well-taken with this one. It was thoughtful and poignant, emotionally deep. Well done.
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Thu Feb 09 2023
5
Having listened to what feels like a lot of hip hop/rap in this project, I hadn't yet (or ever, really) listened to Tupac Shakur. I haven't every really known much about him, beyond his being killed violently.
A lot of the violent gangsta rap is distressing to me for many reasons. This felt a little like someone was finally explaining it all to me—the background and the context and the emotions of someone finally trying to process his life experience as he reached adulthood. It goes beyond the protective bravado to, for me, a more interesting place.
Beyond being interesting lyrically, a good album has to be good musically, and I think this is high up there in the hip hop genre. Good beats that make your body move. This one made quite an impression on me overall.
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Sat Feb 11 2023
5
I'm a simple west coaster. I hear Tupac, I like.
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Sat Feb 11 2023
5
I think I get 2pac now. The man really knew how to put words together.
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Tue Feb 21 2023
5
Tremendo disco, muchos classi pac, el disco lo termino justo antes de que le disparan y se nota la diferencia de como encaraba sus letras respecto a all eyez on me. Back to back classic,
9/10
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Tue Mar 07 2023
5
He just like me fr
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Wed Mar 08 2023
5
Just great, flows easy and sweet (“Dear Mama,” “Old School”) and melancholic enough (“It Ain’t Easy,” “Young N’z”) to add resonant depth and poignance. One must look up samples. Distinct vocal tone and excellent use of backing vocals. Oh, does the g-funk work wonders.
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Tue Apr 25 2023
5
Amazing!!!
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Thu Apr 27 2023
5
I have to say, I thought this was pretty good. The lyricism, the emotion, the catchy bangers. Really one of the better 90s rap albums I've heard so far, with some real funk, soul and R&B moments. I don't really think my opinion on Hip-Hop has flipped yet, I still don't care that much for it in general, especially not the state of it nowadays, but this classic 90s Hip-Hop album is great.
Favourite: Me Against The World
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Wed May 03 2023
5
One of the best poet rappers to do it.
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Thu May 04 2023
5
Buttery smooth production and performance. Social commentary. Expressing his perspective on the life he lived up to this point. I'm into it.
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Fri May 26 2023
5
five brilliant stars
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Fri May 26 2023
5
yo! some old school bangers on here!
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Sun May 16 2021
4
The ballads get a lot of attention, and for good reason, but for me the angry braggadocio is where Tupac shines. Best track: Death Around The Corner
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Sat Jun 12 2021
4
Very great.
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Sat Jun 12 2021
4
When rap was good!
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Sat May 01 2021
4
Obvious genius within it's genre but I find it difficult to look past the sadness of his pointless violent young end, so confidently predicted in these lyrics.
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Thu May 13 2021
4
a classic that doesn't age
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Thu Jul 01 2021
4
Incredible
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Mon May 31 2021
4
A strong badass rap album. I'm better with his use of colorful language than Sly & the family stone. It has gut, authenticity and Dear Mama is a great song.
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Fri Apr 23 2021
4
Sehr nice
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Wed Jul 07 2021
4
Groovier than expected. Emoji Monday: 🤴🏿
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Tue May 25 2021
4
always enjoyed 2-pac, but never went beyond radio/MTV hits. Darker than I expected. Lots of talk of suicide and depression. Good listen from start to finish.
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Wed Jul 07 2021
4
Tuesday Haiku:
The rhythm is there ###
Flowing prescient proven words ###
Many will follow ###
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Tue May 11 2021
4
Enjoyed it
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Wed May 26 2021
4
very cool
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Mon May 17 2021
4
Great shit but not 5/5 because its not an album I'd just throw on
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Fri May 28 2021
4
Incredible how relevant the lyrical work still is today. This 2Pac album is impeccably written by one of raps greatest writers. It's solid production is the only thing holding it back from being a 5 for me. It's fine production, but nothing jumped out to me to really elevate that part of the album. The writing and 2Pac's flows though almost get it there on their own. That's how great of a writer he was.
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Mon Jul 05 2021
4
Standard Tupac - lovely beats, often heartfelt lyrics with the odd bit of rubbish thrown in.
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