Reason for Listening:
#57 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20200613).
Last Week: 85 | Peak: 3 | Weeks on Chart: 327
Released 19981124.
12 & 13 songs. 55:24 & 59:14. Greatest Hits (1998)
Wikipedia
Notes:
--20200610--
First listen.
Unfamiliar with the works of 2Pac, I decided to mainly listen to the flow.
~Disc 1~
After "Hail Mary," I listened to "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and The Range.
After "Me Against the World," I listened to "Dear Mama."
Paused after "How Do U Want It."
--20200622--
I listened to more of the album passively over the past few days, and the last song I rated was "Unconditional Love." Today I decided to listen to the album with the lyrics pulled up. I wanted to make a short comment as I listened to each song - about 10 words or less.
Moved "Keep Ya Head Up" from a "1" to a "2"
2Pac shows a different set of skills in "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" when compared to "Keep Ya Head Up"
Moved "Hail Mary" from a "0" to a "1"
I like the following set of lines from "Me Against the World":
I took a break from the album after listening to "So Many Tears."
--20200623--
I continued with the album.
The other day I read about layering and I wasn't sure if what I heard in "Unconditional Love" is considered layering. Regardless of terminology, I frequently heard a doubling up on vocals which emphasized certain words or phrases. In addition, there was also heavy use of stereo - a choice of emitting the vocals in the left ear, right ear, or both.
Moved "Unconditional Love" from a "0" to a "2."
I noticed he rhymed "buried" (sounds like "bear"+"reed") with "worried" (sounds like "wore"+"reed") by pronouncing "buried" more like "bore"+"reed." I'm not sure if I ever took that sort of artistic licence in my lyrics. ("Life Goes On")
I recall in a different song that 2Pac asked if there's heaven for a G, but in this song, "Life Goes On," he sings "Rest in peace, young n****, there's heaven for a G."
3: "So Many Tears" (ft. Thug Life, Digital Underground, and Stretch);
2: "Keep Ya Head Up" (Ft. Dave Hollister); "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg*); "God Bless The Dead" (ft. Stretch) (previously unreleased); "Unconditional Love" (previously unreleased); "Trapped" (ft. Shock G) (**); "Life Goes On"; "Hit 'Em Up" (Single Version) (ft. Outlawz);
1: "Hail Mary" (ft. Outlawz and Prince Ital Joe); "Me Against the World" (ft. Dramacydal and Puff Johnson); "How Do U Want It" (ft. K-Ci & JoJo) (**);
0: "Temptations";
*Currently known as Snoop Dogg.
**According to Wikipedia, some lyrics are censored from the original album version.
~Disc 2~
I recognized this beat in "I Ain't Mad At Cha." I know it from "Don't Leave Me" by Blackstreet. The beat is actually a sample from "A Dream" by DeBarge.
--20200624--
I had listened up to "All About You" and rated up to "How Long Will They Mourn Me?", but only made summaries up to "Brenda's Got A Baby," so today I started back at "I Ain't Mad At Cha."
Moved "I Ain't Mad At Cha" from a "1" to a "2"
I didn't know "California Love" was by 2Pac. I'm guessing that - out of all the songs on this greatest hits album - this song is the one which I recognize the most.
Moved "Picture Me Rollin" from a "0" to a "2"
I like the intro of "To Live & Die in L.A."
--20200626--
Tying up some loose ends. Added a summary to "All About U" and "To Live & Die In L.A." Moved "To Live & Die In L.A." from a "0" to a "1."
5: "Dear Mama";
4: "Brenda's Got A Baby" (ft. Roniece Levias);
3: "Changes" (ft. Talent) (previously unreleased);
2: "California Love" (Original Version) (ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman); "I Ain't Mad At Cha" (ft. Danny Boy); "Picture Me Rollin" (ft. Danny Boy, CPO, and Big Syke); "All About U" (ft. Nate Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Hussein Fatal, Yaki Kadafi, and Dru Down);
1: "Troublesome '96" (previously unreleased); "I Get Around" (ft. Digital Underground); "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" (with Thug Life ft. Nate Dogg); "To Live & Die In L.A." (ft. Val Young);
0: "Toss It Up"; "Heartz of Men";
Summary:
If not for 2Pac's reputation as one of the greatest rappers of all time (some would argue *the* greatest), I probably would have listened to the album once through without pulling up the lyrics and rated the double album a 3.0 (along with a lower rating for all the songs). However, to give this behavior some context, whenever I listen to a new album, I will typically have neutral feelings about it due to my unfamiliarity with it. I may even dislike certain songs. However, there are some rare instances where I immediately take interest in some beats and/or tracks. In any case, there are times where the first impression is not enough to prompt a second listen (and even with a second listen, I would rarely pull up lyrics). In any case, I'm glad I listened to this album several times including at least one listen with lyrics pulled up. As indicated by various articles, 2Pac's music has an authenticity to it and often pertains to real issues which artistically share an experience. It's almost like listening to a biography.
Overall Rating: 4.0/5
Favorite Song (Disc 1): "So Many Tears" (ft. Thug Life, Digital Underground, and Stretch)
Favorite Song (Disc 2): "Dear Mama"
Honorable Mentions (Disc 1): "Hit 'Em Up" (ft. Outlawz)
Honorable Mentions (Disc 2): "Brenda's Got A Baby" (ft. Roniece Levias), "Changes" (ft. Talent), "California Love" (ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman)
Short Summaries / Song Structure / Other:
~Disc 1~
"Keep Ya Head Up": hardships faced by various points of view; despite these, just stay positive / Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse; the verses are long / -
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted": Tupac and Snoop Dogg / - / -
"Temptations": sexual song / Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Outro / -
"God Bless the Dead": a bleak depiction, possibly some irony in the chorus ("God Bless the Dead") / - / -
"Hail Mary": biblical references but with a modern spin / - / -
"Me Against The World": shares various social problems / - / -
"How Do U Want It": half the song is sexual and the other half is about money / - / the title line slash chorus is a reference to both halves
"So Many Tears": an emotionally heavy song / - / -
"Unconditional Love": there's a juxtaposition between hard times and unconditional love / - / I'd have to listen several times to figure out if the unconditional love is coming from a particular person or multiple persons.
"Trapped": various social themes affecting the black community (e.g., inequality, police brutality)
"Life Goes On": - / - / -
"Hit 'Em Up": a diss track targeting East Coast rappers and Bad Boy Records (East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry) / - / -
~Disc 2~
"Troublesome '96": - / - / -
"Brenda's Got A Baby": a dark narrative about a young girl who has a baby / a single long verse capped by the hook/chorus / -
"I Ain't Mad At Cha": people grow apart and sometimes there's animosity, but 2Pac isn't mad about it / - / -
"I Get Around": 2Pac gets around instead of having just one woman in his life / - / -
"Changes": (thematically the same as "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and The Range:) an acceptance of the present conditions with a simultaneous look toward the future / - / -
"California Love": California is a great place / - / -
"Picture Me Rollin": placing an image of 2Pac rolling in a Benz in the minds of certain persons / - / -
"How Long Will They Mourn Me?": a tribute to Big Kato / - / -
"Toss It Up": sexual song / - / -
"Dear Mama": appreciation for mother / - / -
"All About U": they tell their groupies "It's All About You" which is an obvious lie / - / -
"To Live & Die In L.A.": (as indicated by the outro) "'California Love' part mothafuckin' two" / begins with a reference to "Hit 'Em Up" / -
"Heartz Of Men": 2Pac tells it like it is: what's what when it comes to / - / -
#57 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20200613).
Last Week: 85 | Peak: 3 | Weeks on Chart: 327
Released 19981124.
12 & 13 songs. 55:24 & 59:14. Greatest Hits (1998)
Wikipedia
Notes:
--20200610--
First listen.
Unfamiliar with the works of 2Pac, I decided to mainly listen to the flow.
~Disc 1~
After "Hail Mary," I listened to "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and The Range.
After "Me Against the World," I listened to "Dear Mama."
Paused after "How Do U Want It."
--20200622--
I listened to more of the album passively over the past few days, and the last song I rated was "Unconditional Love." Today I decided to listen to the album with the lyrics pulled up. I wanted to make a short comment as I listened to each song - about 10 words or less.
Moved "Keep Ya Head Up" from a "1" to a "2"
2Pac shows a different set of skills in "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" when compared to "Keep Ya Head Up"
Moved "Hail Mary" from a "0" to a "1"
I like the following set of lines from "Me Against the World":
"When will I finally get to rest through this oppression?In other words, the have's are oppressing the have-not's. Consequently, there are those who think that the "smart" decision is to stay quiet (e.g., just keep the people in power happy). But 2Pac's point of view is that truly smart people educate themselves and speak up.
They punish the people that's askin' questions
And those that possess steal from the ones without possessions
The message I stress: to make it stop, study your lessons
Don't settle for less, even the genius asks his questions"
I took a break from the album after listening to "So Many Tears."
--20200623--
I continued with the album.
The other day I read about layering and I wasn't sure if what I heard in "Unconditional Love" is considered layering. Regardless of terminology, I frequently heard a doubling up on vocals which emphasized certain words or phrases. In addition, there was also heavy use of stereo - a choice of emitting the vocals in the left ear, right ear, or both.
Moved "Unconditional Love" from a "0" to a "2."
I noticed he rhymed "buried" (sounds like "bear"+"reed") with "worried" (sounds like "wore"+"reed") by pronouncing "buried" more like "bore"+"reed." I'm not sure if I ever took that sort of artistic licence in my lyrics. ("Life Goes On")
I recall in a different song that 2Pac asked if there's heaven for a G, but in this song, "Life Goes On," he sings "Rest in peace, young n****, there's heaven for a G."
3: "So Many Tears" (ft. Thug Life, Digital Underground, and Stretch);
2: "Keep Ya Head Up" (Ft. Dave Hollister); "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg*); "God Bless The Dead" (ft. Stretch) (previously unreleased); "Unconditional Love" (previously unreleased); "Trapped" (ft. Shock G) (**); "Life Goes On"; "Hit 'Em Up" (Single Version) (ft. Outlawz);
1: "Hail Mary" (ft. Outlawz and Prince Ital Joe); "Me Against the World" (ft. Dramacydal and Puff Johnson); "How Do U Want It" (ft. K-Ci & JoJo) (**);
0: "Temptations";
*Currently known as Snoop Dogg.
**According to Wikipedia, some lyrics are censored from the original album version.
~Disc 2~
I recognized this beat in "I Ain't Mad At Cha." I know it from "Don't Leave Me" by Blackstreet. The beat is actually a sample from "A Dream" by DeBarge.
--20200624--
I had listened up to "All About You" and rated up to "How Long Will They Mourn Me?", but only made summaries up to "Brenda's Got A Baby," so today I started back at "I Ain't Mad At Cha."
Moved "I Ain't Mad At Cha" from a "1" to a "2"
I didn't know "California Love" was by 2Pac. I'm guessing that - out of all the songs on this greatest hits album - this song is the one which I recognize the most.
Moved "Picture Me Rollin" from a "0" to a "2"
I like the intro of "To Live & Die in L.A."
--20200626--
Tying up some loose ends. Added a summary to "All About U" and "To Live & Die In L.A." Moved "To Live & Die In L.A." from a "0" to a "1."
5: "Dear Mama";
4: "Brenda's Got A Baby" (ft. Roniece Levias);
3: "Changes" (ft. Talent) (previously unreleased);
2: "California Love" (Original Version) (ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman); "I Ain't Mad At Cha" (ft. Danny Boy); "Picture Me Rollin" (ft. Danny Boy, CPO, and Big Syke); "All About U" (ft. Nate Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Hussein Fatal, Yaki Kadafi, and Dru Down);
1: "Troublesome '96" (previously unreleased); "I Get Around" (ft. Digital Underground); "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" (with Thug Life ft. Nate Dogg); "To Live & Die In L.A." (ft. Val Young);
0: "Toss It Up"; "Heartz of Men";
Summary:
If not for 2Pac's reputation as one of the greatest rappers of all time (some would argue *the* greatest), I probably would have listened to the album once through without pulling up the lyrics and rated the double album a 3.0 (along with a lower rating for all the songs). However, to give this behavior some context, whenever I listen to a new album, I will typically have neutral feelings about it due to my unfamiliarity with it. I may even dislike certain songs. However, there are some rare instances where I immediately take interest in some beats and/or tracks. In any case, there are times where the first impression is not enough to prompt a second listen (and even with a second listen, I would rarely pull up lyrics). In any case, I'm glad I listened to this album several times including at least one listen with lyrics pulled up. As indicated by various articles, 2Pac's music has an authenticity to it and often pertains to real issues which artistically share an experience. It's almost like listening to a biography.
Overall Rating: 4.0/5
Favorite Song (Disc 1): "So Many Tears" (ft. Thug Life, Digital Underground, and Stretch)
Favorite Song (Disc 2): "Dear Mama"
Honorable Mentions (Disc 1): "Hit 'Em Up" (ft. Outlawz)
Honorable Mentions (Disc 2): "Brenda's Got A Baby" (ft. Roniece Levias), "Changes" (ft. Talent), "California Love" (ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman)
Short Summaries / Song Structure / Other:
~Disc 1~
"Keep Ya Head Up": hardships faced by various points of view; despite these, just stay positive / Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse; the verses are long / -
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted": Tupac and Snoop Dogg / - / -
"Temptations": sexual song / Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Outro / -
"God Bless the Dead": a bleak depiction, possibly some irony in the chorus ("God Bless the Dead") / - / -
"Hail Mary": biblical references but with a modern spin / - / -
"Me Against The World": shares various social problems / - / -
"How Do U Want It": half the song is sexual and the other half is about money / - / the title line slash chorus is a reference to both halves
"So Many Tears": an emotionally heavy song / - / -
"Unconditional Love": there's a juxtaposition between hard times and unconditional love / - / I'd have to listen several times to figure out if the unconditional love is coming from a particular person or multiple persons.
"Trapped": various social themes affecting the black community (e.g., inequality, police brutality)
"Life Goes On": - / - / -
"Hit 'Em Up": a diss track targeting East Coast rappers and Bad Boy Records (East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry) / - / -
~Disc 2~
"Troublesome '96": - / - / -
"Brenda's Got A Baby": a dark narrative about a young girl who has a baby / a single long verse capped by the hook/chorus / -
"I Ain't Mad At Cha": people grow apart and sometimes there's animosity, but 2Pac isn't mad about it / - / -
"I Get Around": 2Pac gets around instead of having just one woman in his life / - / -
"Changes": (thematically the same as "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and The Range:) an acceptance of the present conditions with a simultaneous look toward the future / - / -
"California Love": California is a great place / - / -
"Picture Me Rollin": placing an image of 2Pac rolling in a Benz in the minds of certain persons / - / -
"How Long Will They Mourn Me?": a tribute to Big Kato / - / -
"Toss It Up": sexual song / - / -
"Dear Mama": appreciation for mother / - / -
"All About U": they tell their groupies "It's All About You" which is an obvious lie / - / -
"To Live & Die In L.A.": (as indicated by the outro) "'California Love' part mothafuckin' two" / begins with a reference to "Hit 'Em Up" / -
"Heartz Of Men": 2Pac tells it like it is: what's what when it comes to / - / -
Date/Time
Friday, June 26, 2020
@
8:05 AM
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