2Pacalypse Now

by 2Pac

Overview

When 2Pac's full-length debut, 2Pacalypse Now, came out in 1991, it didn't have the same immediate impact, didn't instantly throw him into the upper echelons of rap's elite, as Nas', Jay-Z's, or even his biggest rival, Notorious B.I.G.'s did, but the album certainly set him up for his illustrious and sadly short-lived career. Part of its initial problem, what held it back from extensive radio play, is that there's not an obvious single. The closest thing to it, and what ended up being the best-known track from 2Pacalypse Now, is "Brenda's Got a Baby," which discusses teenage pregnancy in true Pac fashion, sympathetically explaining a situation without condoning it, but it doesn't even have a hook, and most of the other pieces follow suit, more poetry than song. The album is significantly more political than the rapper's subsequent releases, showing an intelligent, talented, and angry young man (he was only 20 when it came out) who wanted desperately to express and reveal the problems in the urban black community, from racism to police brutality to the seemingly near impossibility of escaping from the ghetto. He pays tribute to artists like KRS-One, N.W.A, and Public Enemy, all of whom he also considered to be provoking discussion and reaction, but he also has cleanly carved out an image for himself: articulate and smart, not overtly boastful, and concerned about societal problems, both small and large (and though he discusses these less and less as career progresses, he never leaves them behind). Yes, the edges of 2Pacalypse Now can be a bit rough, yes the beats aren't always outstanding, and yes, the MC's flow can be a little choppy, even for him, but it's still a great look at what 2Pac could offer, and a must-have for any fan of his, or hip-hop in general. ~ Marisa Brown

Product Details

Release Date:	03/10/1998
Label:	Interscope
UPC:	0012414163325

Tracks

1. Young Black Male
2. Trapped
3. Soulja's Story
4. I Don't Give a Fuck
5. Violent
6. Words of Wisdom
7. Something Wicked
8. Crooked Ass Nigga
9. If My Homie Calls
10. Brenda's Got a Baby
11. Tha' Lunatic
12. Rebel of the Underground
13. Part Time Mutha

Album Credits

Performance Credits

2Pac   Primary Artist
Gold Money   Guest Artist
Raw Fusion   Guest Artist
Stretch   Guest Artist,Rap
Shock G   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background),Vocals
Mac-Mone   Vocals (Background)
The Piano Man   Keyboards
Pogo   Voices
Ydnni   Vocals (Background)
Angelique   Vocals (Background)
Ramone "Pee Wee" Gooden   Vocals (Background)
Money-B   Vocals (Background)
Didi   Vocals (Background)
Mike Cooley   Voices
DJ Fuze   Vocals (Background)
Ray Love   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

R. Tyson   Composer
Live Squad   Producer
Deon Evans   Composer
Kenneth Lee   Mastering
Kevin Hosmann   Art Direction
Victor Hall   Photography
Leslie Gerard-Smith   Production Coordination
D.W. Evans   Composer
David Provost   Photography
Big D the Impossible   Producer
Darrin Harris   Engineer
Ronald Alfred Banks   Composer
Ramon Gooden   Composer
Gregory Jacobs   Composer
Tupac Shakur   Composer
S. Allen   Composer
Jeremy   Producer
Jeremy Jackson   Composer
Raw Fusion   Composer,Producer
Matt Kelley   Engineer
Ramone "Pee Wee" Gooden   Producer
George Clinton   Composer
C. Miller   Composer
Underground Railroad   Producer
Mark Senasac   Engineer
Arlester "Dyke" Christian   Composer
Steven Jordan   Composer
2Pac   Composer
Atron Gregory   Executive Producer
Shock G   Producer
Herbie Hancock   Composer
Steve Counter   Engineer