Me Against The World

Bah 2Pac, c'est pas ouf en fait.

Proper hip-hop, as the kids say

Good ol' 2Pac

Good album, might just be 2Pac's best, not as bloated as All Eyez On Me

- I'm not much of a rap person - a lot of n-words - i guess melody, rhythm ain't so bad

A great album as a whole. Even better after learning the context behind it. I found this album very relaxing which is strange considering the intense themes in the lyrics. But the instrumentals are consistently smooth and have a calming effect for me.

Surprising fun!

Hot take: 2Pac was... Pretty good. I don't think I'd call him one of the greatest rappers of all time, but he had some great raps and was massively influential. A lot of those great and influential tracks on this exact album. Dear Mama is a great song and probably my favorite here. And it's interesting that this album was released right before he went to prison. (It's just a bit hard to ignore what he went to prison for, but still). If you want a really good example of 90s hip hop, give this a listen.

There are some great songs on here. I do love this album. But, I have always felt it was too long, it could be 15 mins shorter. And maybe put these songs in a different order. Get some cohesion and flow to it. I also feel like I could echo another reviewer who said something about the songs picking a lane and staying in that said lane. Maybe that's the problem. If every song starts one way and has no changes or breakdowns/buildups, then I'm bored after 3 minutes. Switch the beat or the flow occasionally and I'm with you for that 4 and a half minutes. And then maybe the whole hour of the album.

Hyvää räpändeerosta. Siinon palaset kohillaan. Sopivasti niganigaa, passeli tempo, hyvät rytmitykset.

Viihdyttävää länsirannikon räppiä. Bängäävät biitit, Tupacin flouta, mitä kaikkee. Ysäriräppi vaan tuntuu yleensä omalla kohdalla rupeavan puuduttamaan, niin ei oikein motivaatio pysynyt koko levyn ajan.

Pac was pretty undeniable even though, as a New Yorker, it took me a long time to give him his proper due. But he gives credit to NYC and its pioneers on Old School, lest we forget this is where he grew up. The last third of the album has some filler, outside of Outlaw.

Рік тому переслухав всі притомні альбоми Тупака (приклад артиста, де після смерті видавали переважно кал). При всій повазі до артиста та легендарності у нього на мою думку не має видатного альбому. Цей один з двох претендентів. Тут є хороші пісні і драматургія тримається, плюс ще остаточно не пішов в параною та thug life. Достатньо соціально-орієнтованих пісень, які раніше домінували на його попередніх альбомах. На мій смак продакшн не дуже рівний альбомі, є філери, які для альбому з класичним статусом трохи псують загальне враження. Цьому та наступному можна ставити чесні 4.

Не скажу що я колись сильно фанатів по тупаку, чомусь ніколи не подобався його флоу. Але в цій музиці є якась дуже приємна ностальгія, біти і семпли мені дуже подобаються якраз. Є звісно і філери і все таке, я б поставив десь 3.5. Слухав з задоволенням, тому округлю до 4.

A very personal reflection on life and death, this album follows a failed execution attempt that put Pac in the hospital w/ gunshot wounds. It’s good but not great. The raps are interesting — he’s got flow— and there are some exceptional tracks, but this is basically a hip-hop infused R&B album. It’s a crowd pleaser, but the smooth delivery & production kills some of the gravity & grit that should come with this material. “Young Niggaz” & Dear Mama” are tracks where the man’s wisdom is well-supported by the music — elsewhere the experiment is less successful. A 3.

Not for me.

#268 - 2pac on this record is a little more reflective, and the lyrics are better than the beats the support it. I think that's thing that keeps me from rating it higher. That said, the hits are still hits, but the rest kinda falls flat and feels very 90's in that way. Biggest Hit - Dear Mama Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - Heavy In The Game Hidden Gem - Temptations

2Pac is a massive part of the genre but also someone I never dug into. I don't know why, I just never did, despite being the right age group... I have a mixed relationship with rap/hip hop. Some of it I love. Some of it I hate. This is closer to the latter, and I've been trying to think what it is... And there are a few things. Firstly, the beats. They sound like something you'd download from a free beats site to practice your bars on. None of them grabbed me. None of them stood out. Secondly, the delivery. I like rap that has dynamism to it - Kendrik using tone, timbre and volume, or Nas varying his delivery speed and using alliteration to amplify the feeling. This all feels at the same level. 2Pac just emphasises or drags syllables but is otherwise sitting in the same place through the whole song. I think the issue is, all the songs feel like they get into a lane and they stay there. There is no build up, escalation, release. Some people love it when an artist gets into the pocket, is one with the flow. I'm not one of them. I want to feel the journey, feel the story. I want the beats to pull me into the scene, not just sit in the chair nodding my head. So I can get why some people love this, but I'm not one of them. Indeed, I was quite disappointed. Maybe I built it up too much in anticipation.

First time listening to a 2Pac album, and I quite enjoyed it. No crazy standouts, but I like the smooth flow and slightly funky production, and it's consistently good from start to finish (if slightly samey). Lyrically it's a step above most hip hop from the time, and it's interesting to hear him genuinely contemplating his death (with good reason). Shame the gangster culture/lifestyle means we didn't get to hear what he could've done if he had matured further.

Always wanted to get into Tupac, I wanted to understand his legacy. I understand it now. The flow went too hard i couldn't focus on my amongus game. Instantly captured me and I knew it needed my full attention. He's telling stories with his raps and the lyrical flow is so tight. a wordsmith at work. dear mama hurt. if this isn't considered some of his best work I really need to listen to more of his stuff BEATS. CLEAN. yeah this is fucking good. i need to watch a tupac doc now

This was so eerie. I had a listening spree of 90s rap in like 2017 and it got me familiarized with artists like Tupac. That being said, I haven’t dug into his discography. It felt like he fully understood something bad was going to happen to him and you could feel that anxiety throughout. I had a pretty severe brockhampton phase as well. Hearing this really made me think of like 8 different songs they have. Such an inspiration decades later. Favs: it ain’t easy & me against the world

it’s alright

I don't get Tupac. Beats straight off Michael Jackson's 'dangerous'. Cringe subject matter. I don't like the vocal. Rapping isn't up to much. Such a poor hip hop album by a supposed genius.

Liked it. Bonus that there weren't any skits, so this has aged better than a lot of the stuff on this list.

Hoy jueves y vamos con el capo de 2Pac, que creo es la primera vez que aparece en este reto. Tremendo disco. Arriba. Levantador de mañanas y bueno para una juntada. Encantome. Gracias y hasta el lunes, gente

2pac era muito bonito. meu deus.

I read a bit about it. This is probably better than it sounds. But I so not enjoy the sound.

Lord Knows what you think about this album. It’s pretty Old School if you ask me.

as a gen z first time listener, this sounds like ice cube unhurried LA beats meets freddie gibbs voice and hot FUCK is it good

When it comes to the Biggie vs 2Pac debate from forever ago, I’ve always preferred Biggie personally. I find that especially true when it comes to Me Against The World and how repetitive it is. I’m not going to say it hasn’t deserved its reputation as the album released while 2Pac was incarcerated, but I also personally don’t find it to be all that good. Every single song is the exact same sentimentality, with zero switch ups in cadence or an attempt to say something different. “I got shot, I shoot people, my life is so hard, man my life is so hard, did I mention my life is hard??”. There, now you’ve listened to over an hour of 2Pac. He has much better music than what’s on this album. The circumstances of when it was released are more important to people than the album itself, and I find the album itself to be particularly uninteresting and bland. It makes it even more ironic he’s talking about the world being against him when ultimately he was incarcerated for supposedly having non consensual sex with a 20 year old. But I won’t bring that little tidbit up any more than that, I’ve just always found 2Pac adoration a bit creepy. Anyway, my favorite song on this album was “Fuck The World”, as I feel like it has the best beat. If there’s one aspect this album has over Biggie, it’s that besides the intro, which makes sense, there aren’t any annoying skits on this album, which is uncommon for the time, especially in the mid 90’s when every one of these albums were filled with them. If there’s Biggie album didn’t have skits, I’d have rated it a 4, and if this album was more interesting thematically, I’d also have rated it a 4. Alas, I think both of them are 3’s. This is the only 2Pac album on the list, and considering many people believe him to be the best of all time, I’m surprised it’s just not that good. Maybe if I listen to his greatest hits album I’ll appreciate him more. I didn’t even particularly enjoy my favorite song on the album. None of them are terrible, but none of them impress me either. It’s honestly a very low 3 out of 5, and that both surprises me and disappoints me. I expected to enjoy this one a lot more.

Overall: 8/10 I've never really been that big of a fan of 2Pac but this album might have converted me. The man had so much charisma and talent behind the mic, it's hard to deny just how much power the man had as a lyricist. I would have enjoyed some more interesting beats at times, but this was overall really great. Fav Song: If I Die 2Nite

Following the bar “I was raised in the city, real shitty, as a kiddy, sucking liquor out my mama’s tiddy,” my wife said, “Shakespeare who?”

Things are moving fast this morning. Hip-hop isn't music. 1/5

Really great album. Not my favorite by him, but 2Pac is an amazing lyricist and the songs all have meaning.

Yeah I think I get it now. amazing beats, super recognizable flow and great lyrics

Semi-poetic & good flow. Lyrics aged like milk.

I don't like him... sry

I really liked this, quite a mood creatied.

Eh…yeah yeah.

Good hip hop record

We’re not at home to Mr Potty Mouth

Better than Kanye. But still not really my thing. Could have been better had it not been so cliche-ridden. Why don’t rappers know what a Thesaurus is?

I can appreciate some of the grooves but really not my thing.

More braggadocio musings from another rap titan. Starts off with a theatrical intro recounting a shooting of our protagonist and his miraculous recovery. "If I die 2nite" is the first track proper and hits all the clichés of modern rap within the first few bars. Misogyny, guns, drugs and gangs. He has a hypnotic, alliterative style that draws you in, spitting out lines like he's angry at you for listening to him. The chorus seems like an afterthought with a half sung refrain that is neither insightful or pleasant. Particular highlights for English pedants are the tautology "murdered to death" and the use of "conversating". "Me against the world" highlights the victim complex (or paranoia) that seems to affect quite a few rappers. More laid back, I felt it grated after a while and lacked the punch of the first track. Did like the line "Everyday theres mo death plus I'm doughless" Act III. Enter God, stage right. Fuck me this is awful. Performative religion to sell records. "Temptations" Tupac just got horny and is telling us how conflicted he is about banging her. Must be all that religion he has. Ends with the line "give them the finger" and I'm not sure who he's giving it to and why. Track 5 is a plodding tale of Tupacs youth and how you should not be a gangster, instead be a lawyer or accountant or something. Well done Tupac, you've just solved inner city deprivation at one insightful stroke. More bars about the futility of gangster life although this feels more genuine and insightful. Funky backing track and a nice tempo. One of the better tracks. Tupac raps about the ever present threat of death. "Dear mama" not sure i can listen to this clichéd pile of sentimental horseshit but the underlying message is that his mum is great. "It ain't easy" curious mix of booze, name dropping and ruing the thug life again. Unexceptional without being awful. "Can u get away" Tupac isn't horny, he just wants to talk to the young lady without his girlfriend knowing. "Old school" Everyone knows its spelt Old Skool, what was he thinking? "Fuck the world" All these tracks are surpringly low energy. I'm getting bored now. Starts off with the line "who you callin rapist? Ain't that a bitch". Odious. Next track, and he's got an AK now. "Outlaw" For a brief moment i thought he was rapping a social commentary on the futility of life being constantly under threat of murder. But them 2 lines later he's bragging about snitches get killed. It doesn't play, this isn't clever, its just bragging. Oh and thr chorus is out of tune. Ffs. Nothing grabbed me in this album, save perhaps the first song, with its rhetorical stylings. I expected more anger, more to say and much less cliché. What a fucking disappointment.

Der Amerikaner 2Pac nahm Me Against the World zwischen September 1993 und November 1994 in zehn Studios auf, darunter Quad und Unique in New York sowie Soundcastle und Westlake in Los Angeles. Das Hip-Hop-Album mit Westküstenwurzeln erschien am 14. März 1995 auf Interscope und Tupacs eigenem Label Out da Gutta, vertrieben von Atlantic. Tupac saß da im Gefängnis. Trotzdem stieg die Platte auf Platz eins der Billboard 200 ein, als erstes Album eines Inhaftierten. Das Album beginnt mit einem Intro aus nachgestellten Nachrichtenmeldungen über seine Prozesse und die Schüsse vom November 1994. Pac macht seine Lage selbst zum Material. „Dear Mama” ist der bekannteste Song, eine Liebeserklärung an Afeni Shakur, die deren schwere Jahre nicht ausspart. Es wurde sein erster Top-10-Hit in den Pop-Charts, Platz 9. Ähnlich stark sind „So Many Tears” und „Temptations”. Der Titelsong stammt von Soulshock & Karlin, „Fuck the World” von Shock G. Getragen wird die Platte vom Ton. Pac klingt müde, wütend und gelegentlich witzig, oft im selben Song, und die gedämpften, dunklen Produktionen lassen ihm Raum, statt ihn zuzudecken. Ein paar Stücke in der zweiten Hälfte bleiben hinter den Höhepunkten zurück. Aber auch sie halten die Stimmung, und das ist bei fünfzehn Tracks keine Selbstverständlichkeit.

Taken from us too soon. This is definitely my favourite 2pac album, but I really wish he had the chance to do more, as none of his albums quite live up to the potential they had. He's easily one of the most talented rappers and lyricists of the 90s, which really comes through on this album especially. I just really wish he could have proved himself more, because he clearly had so much more still in him.

Another rap album that I just can't give a shit about, but also don't hate.

Love his style and flow. It definitely captures west coast hip hop of the era. Plenty of tropes I don't get into and I know the narcissism was/is part of the form, but still.

Various things I dislike about this, but he did have some things to say.

3/5 - Old School, So Many Tears, and If I Die 2Nite all stood out for me. Wasn't familiar at all and wasn't expecting much, but I thought this was alright.

solid 90's hip hop album for sure. the lead single is my personal favourite track which probably makes me a sheep or something. again though, the fact that Illmatic was my first hip hop album on the list means that everything else gets rated vs the best of the best

Sound: G(eneric)-funk Lyrics: Introspective, fatalistic Highs: "Death Around the Corner" best exemplifies the album's themes Lows: Although he exhibits commendable self-awareness, watching 2Pac hurtle toward an inevitable end is tedious and grim

2pac's discography is a gaping hole in my catalogue of hip hop albums i've listened to, so i went into this with no prior dedicated listening experience. it's got some great standout performances, but it does have a few awkward hooks and odd production choices, which mildly weighs it down for me.

I forgot that the people on this site have the worst opinions on rap music across the entire web, so I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected.

This is definitely more melodic gangsta rap than it is traditional rap. Recorded amid intense legal turmoil, it captures Tupac's raw vulnerability. I can see where modern artists such as Eminem or 50 Cent get their core style from. The flow and the poppiness have all carried over to the modern day. It's interesting to see how much of this album is still relevant to modern life over three decades later. I think I like my rap a bit more hip-hop and a little less poppy, which is why this album sounds a little bit cheesy to me in parts. Overall, the songs were okay, but nothing really struck a chord with me. 6.5/10

This was great. Don't know that I feel super strongly for it, but one has to respect the writing and the legacy

Solid rap. Wonder that Kendrick modelled a lot after him and still comes out rapping like a nancy boy. Heavy on the trauma dissection, self medication, but reasonably so I guess.

Honestly not terrible, but not my favorite rap album of this project. Lyrically honest with a good flow.

3.5 there’s a lot of yearning and meditation on death in this one, masked by masculine energy and a gruff voice

I really enjoyed this album and would listen again, although I have mixed feelings about Tupac since l tend to believe Ayanna Jackson.

somehow my first 2pac album. i get the hype

pretty fun listen.

6/10… old school hip hop / *1995

?? c

The backing tracks are pretty good. His voice and flow are solid. It is a chronicle of his experience and probably pretty important to capture that. However, I don't think I'd listen to this on the regular as there are too many songs about gang violence and I can't relate.

Just...rap

Okay, I can't lie, I never know "how to listen to hip hop." I might like an album, but I'm not really sure why. When it comes to other hip hop albums that I've already heard and already like, it usually comes down to the beats. I know lyrics are the main focus of rap, but to be honest I don't often pay attention to lyrics in music at all. Unless they're really bad, that is. Also important to note is that I'm just not a huge fan of hip hop in general. With that being said, I think this album was pretty boring. The songs all kinda sounded the same, and it felt like he was repeating the same stories and topics over and over throughout them. It also just kinda went on longer than I think it should have. Is this worth a listen? Ask a hip hop fan, not me. ----- #0015 Heard on: 1 Oct. 2026 Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ (239 / 335) Favorite track: Me Against the World Least favorite track: Can U Get Away

I kind of think I'm not really a big hip hop person, so take it with that in mind. The narrative story of "thug life" is a cliché and somewhat of a drag to rehash twelve times on a record. Clever production and rhymes, strong beats, and Tupac's singular baritone voice gives the record some lift and heft, but I get bored with it by the end.

my ears against this dogwater album

should be 4.5

Classic hip hop album that I listened to many times when I was young. This album was super popular when I was in high school. There were several music videos made and 2Pac was extremely popular. His flow was and maybe still is unrivaled, it's really incredible to listen to. The vocals really flow and then change to a jerky style that works perfectly. I will be listening to this one many more times.

Classic

Not in this life

God damn do we ever need more West Coast hip hop on this list

Putting out a chart-topping album while in jail is wild I liked this better than a lot of the other hip-hop albums in the book. Not sure why

It's disappointing to see All Eyez On Me's G-funk/West Coast bangers get snubbed on this list, but this album might indeed be a more focused and concise demonstration of what made Tupac such an icon. He gets personal, emotional and introspective in his lyricism without totally rejecting the gangsta rap genre, and that presentation might be the very reason it connected with people who wouldn't have otherwise gravitated towards a Tribe or a De La Soul (two groups that I adore, mind you!). Listening today, you realize how big of a blueprint this album is for any contemporary "conscious" rapper. Great stuff! Standouts: Young Niggaz • Lord Knows • Dear Mama • It Ain't Easy • Can U Get Away • Old School

3/5 not because it's a bad album, I would just probably never listen to this again. I like it more than All Eyez On Me and I enjoyed hearing Tupac get introspective. He covers a huge variety of topics on this album, but from a listening perspective many of these songs sound fairly similar unless you're paying very close attention to the lyrics, and it's easy to zone out. This is also an extremely long album at nearly an hour and it was a bit of struggle sometimes.

Classic hip hop... I do like 2Pac more than Biggie.

Pre Listen: Outside of the conspiratorial nature of 2Pacs death, I honestly don't know much about the guy. I haven't listened to any of his work, but from my understanding he's considered one of the original legendary 90's rappers who shaped the genre as we know it today. I'm really not a fan of post 90's rap, so expectations are a bit lower than usual. Notable Tracks: Post Listen: Tupac's voice is a lot deeper than I thought it was. The album though just about fell within expectations, if not just a tiny bit better than I thought it would be. Unlike other 'Gangster' rap albums I've listened to, this one had slightly more eloquent lyrics, with a decent message behind them every now and again. Despite that, the average song was still about the big 3 things every gangster rap album is about: - I'm tough - My ops suck - I got money and women it just gets boring after a while, especially if the back-tracks are nothing but smooth beats. Nothing necessarily wrong with smooth beats, just that again, it gets boring after a while. Get well soon, 2pac. 3/5 EDIT - I forgot to hit 'rate' on here, and forgot to put notable tracks on. I don't feel like relistening to this one, so I'll trust my judgement when I first wrote this out.

Way too smooth rap from the 90's. A few tracks I can stand, but as a whole this album is not for me.

Great. Another classic Rap / Hippity Hop / Gansta / Urban album. < sigh> So...Tupac/2Pac/ whatever. Really, I can't see what's exceptional about this. I almost made it to the 60 minute mark before bailing out. Not bad, not unlistenable, but unexceptional.

It’s not bad, I just don’t get it. Not as catchy as I had hoped for

I mean, yep! Imagine if this G hadn’t been capped.

pretty good

Yeah, this is definitely some 90s music. The further we get from the 90s, the more I think, "What the hell were we doing, musically". I do like the 90s songs that are just a shoutout to moms, but that's really the only major highlight on the album for me. I was expecting something great, and I got something mediocre, which also kind of hurts how I end up seeing the album. Expectations matter! Favorite Song(s): Dear Mama

Poetry flows like butter. One of the best. The themes of the record are haunting considering how everything went. Wish it was funkier.

Honestly, I just skipped through this one. I like rap, RnB but I just got bored of the subject matter with no interest in his lifestyle choices.

Just cant get into itttt, maybe next time read the lyrics?

5/5

7.1/10

Jesus, a lot of aggrieved white guys gotta make their hurt feelings known about Tupac. It's okay, you know, you can skip it. I love this album. It's real, it's Tupac telling his story. Yeah, he's a killer, an asshole, he was always going to end up dead. Grow up like he did, how else would he turn out? I'm not making excuses but he raps about the world he was surrounded by. The beats and lyrics are fucking bangers and it sounds great blasting out of my car speakers. I'm a 57-year-old white dipshit who lives a billion miles from that life, but I still respect it and nod my head like a gangsta to "If I Die 2Nite". You rather listen to Ed Fucking Sheeran?

Great voice and storytelling. Like the warmer beats behind it as well.

First time listening to a 2Pac album in full! Really good!

guy was just really good at making music . no doubt about it

super chill.

This guy was not a good person and I cannot seperate the art from the artist

Far too dense like most “conscious” classic hip hop on a first listen, but this flew by, first Tupac I’ve ever really heard

Liked pretty much all of the songs, but didn’t really have any that stood out that much, kinda disappointing given how much I liked the last one 3

Prophecy or did he manifest his own destiny

Tupac Sahur 🪾🪾