794. 2Pac - Me Against The World (1995)

Track Listing

1. Intro
2. If I Die 2nite
3. Me Against The World
4. So Many Tears
5. Temptations
6. Young Niggaz
7. Heavy In The Game
8. Lord Knows
9. Dear Mama
10. It Ain't Easy
11. Can U Get Away
12. Old School
13. Fuck The World
14. Death Around The Corner
15. Outlaw

Review

The album list is so uncool that despite the album cover having 2PAC written on it they choose to list it under Tupac. Boo hiss. That said this is quite a mellow album. It is strange to picture 2Pac as such a mellow artist, particularly taking into account his private life.

There is also an element of paranoia in the album that now seems justified taking into account the fact that he was shot dead, and that does add some poignancy to the album. However, I do like my hip-hop either harder (Public Enemy) or more artistic (Tribe Called Quest). This just sounds like G-Funk in a soulful mood. Which isn't particularly attractive.

This soulfulness comes from 2Pac's love of Stevie Wonder, which I love as well, but in the medium of hip-hop it does little for me. So it is a good album, but definitely not my cup of tea, the production is faultless and the lyrics are actually quite good.

Track Highlights

1. Old School
2. Dear Mama
3. So Many Tears
4. Death Around the Corner

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

This album has been credited as setting the "nothing to lose" persona adopted by many rappers since 2Pac's death. Me Against the World is generally regarded as a classic album by the hip hop community due to its soulful and emotional content, claiming that Pac could make you feel as if you were in his shoes throughout the album, thus making the album distinct from others. In one particular review it was said that 2Pac's uncovered and raw humanity created a flow of inspiration and vibes through all who heard the album, and that it is a remarkable and somewhat insightful musical achievement.


Dear Mama: