After revisiting Pac's three double disc posthumous albums, this one will feel like a cup of coffee.
"During an interview with MTV, Eminem stated he was so moved by Tupac's life and work that he wrote a letter to Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, asking her to consider letting him produce his next album. Shakur agreed, allowing Eminem to produce three new songs for the 2003 soundtrack album, Tupac: Resurrection, and the entirety of Loyal to the Game, bar bonus content." - Wikipedia
A cup of coffee, but not a tasty one. The opener is weak, with Eminem's singing on the chorus, and just the chorus in general, leaving something to be desired and the beat not being great either. 'The Uppercut' is better, but the production could change up for the hook more to make it stand out. Without any change up it gets boring. Without writing a track by track review, the only tracks that stand out much are the ones Em got his Stan collaborators back for with Elton John and Dido on 'Ghetto Gospel' and 'Don't You Trust Me' respectively. Bubbling under those are songs like 'Out on Bail' and 'Thug 4 Life', (but I prefer the '90s originals of those), plus 'N.I.G.G.A.' that has a likeable dark beat and 'Black Cotton' is okay as well.
The remixes, produced by Scott Storch, Red Spyda, Raphael Saadiq and DJ Quik, say a lot about this album, with all of them being among the best songs. The remix of 'Hennessey' is just so funky and soulful and completely outshines Em's version.
Eminem isn't a bad producer, who handles the first 13 songs collaboratively with Luis Resto, but there just aren't enough good or diverse moments on the boards and a lot doesn't sound authentic with 2pac's vocals. This is the first posthumous album of Pac's that isn't worthwhile. Between a 2.5 and 3 out of 5.
Beats: ★★☆
Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆
Hooks: ★★☆
Best Tracks: Ghetto Gospel, Don't You Trust Me, Po Nigga Blues (Scott Storch Remix), Hennessey (Red Spyda Remix), Loyal to the Game (DJ Quik Remix)
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