I only gave this a two out of five when I listened to it many moons ago, but upon revisiting it, I don't dislike anything. Yes, you can argue the posthumous albums should have well and truly stopped by now, and that these types of albums, with copy and paste verses and lots of features, were damaging 2Pac's legacy, and I understand that argument, but I don't think the music is bad at all here. For one, it feels more authentic than Eminem's 'Loyal to the Game', most of the features bring their A-game, from the rappers to the singers, like Keyshia Cole, who sings her backside off on 'Playa Cardz Right (Female)', and there is lots of respect put on Pac's name throughout the verses. There is a line in 'Pac's Life (Remix)' where Snoop seems to give himself credit for Pac's fame that to me doesn't fit in with the paying homage theme - "Cause I took the focus off of me to put 'All Eyez On you'."
The producers did a decent job too with most of the production being likeable. The worst thing here is 'International' with its very '06-ish instrumentation. 'Whatz Next' kind of falls into that category as well and so does 'Pac's Life' with its electronic kind of elements that were so common in the mid-'00s. Elsewhere though, most don't sound dated.
The bonus tracks 'Dear Mama (Frank Nitty Remix)' offers a more soulful slant on the hip hop classic with Anthony Hamilton adding his amazing crooning. And then a song from young Pac, 'Scared Straight', is hard as nails and sounds like an outtake from 2Pacalypse Now. Both only have Pac rapping, so they are worthy additions for that aspect as well.
If you press play on this album expecting to hear 2Pac most of the time, stay away. Most songs only have one Pac verse, with a couple having two of them, but he's often on the hook in some way. When he is rapping though, his voice still "carries" as he says on 'Don’t Sleep'.
Beats: ★★★
Rapping/Bars: ★★★★
Hooks: ★★★☆
Best Tracks: Dumpin', Playa Cardz Right (Female), Sleep, Playa Cardz Right (Male), Don't Stop, Dear Mama (Frank Nitty Remix)
Comments