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.

Music for 20 year old boys who read New Yorker-approved short story collections on public transportation, and the 17 pick-me manic pixie dream girls who are young enough to still be enamored by them. As music – arrangements and guitar-work – I admire/respect this record. As poetry, I think, even in my late-20s, I’m much too old for this to hook me. Especially since I’ve always hated the indie Elliot Smiths/Belles and Sebastians this has gone on to inspire. Maybe if revisit this at 70, I’d find youthful longing to admire in it, but right now, I just find it a bit too self-involved to be impressed, even though I’d love to play like Drake.

I can’t wait ‘til Morrissey dies, and I’ve never been all that impressed by The Smiths aside from the obviously-great handful of classic singles...but I’m kinda shocked that I didn’t hate this. Still not something I’d revisit aside from a couple tracks in a playlist, but Johnny Marr’s airy, jangly, off-kilter, influenced-by-anything-obtuse arrangements got me wondering if I should revisit their most lauded classics. I still wouldn’t say I’m a *fan* of this style by any stretch, but I at least get why my Millennial, North Brooklyn , indie-minded peers all love them, and I don’t hate this record by any stretch. But also it’s far from a *must listen* before I die, more like, “maybe I was a pretentious hardcore kid who just wanted to hate The Smiths, and maybe their strange final album is just odd enough to be more my speed,” but that assessment doesn’t mean it’s essential for everyone, either, especially if you’re already more respective to 80s indie pop than me.

Good to know that Greta Van Fleet sucked even back when they were cosplaying as The Allman Brothers. I hate this type of “white dad blues,” but I definitely hate the reheated versions of it the most.

Certainly iconic, and a truly essential listen. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard this before, because the cultural references I now understand have increased 199-fold. Like all ‘70s funk, it’s tight as hell, groovy, vibey, and incredible fun, even though it’s drenched in social commentary. That said, also like all 70s funk, it’s so deep tied to its time, it almost feels too disconnected for modernity to latch on to, essentially as a white listener. That’s not a negative, of course, but it does make it harder for me to enjoy as purely as I’d like. It’s a record not made with me in mind, a soundtrack to a blacksplotation film about cocaine in black communities. I’m not the target audience. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy and respect it, and even groove along with it. Just that I need to sit with it a lot longer than one listen. That said, with an album this tied to cultural references even today, I think there’s enough for me to find on repeat listens.

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.