For the project’s lead single “Runnin’ (Dying to Live,” he recreated one of Tupac’s scrapped collaborations with the Notorious B.I.G. He earned his executive position on Loyal to the Game with a 3-song contribution to the Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack. Notorious B.I.Gīefore he was producing an entire album, Eminem was still ambitious when it came to getting Tupac songs out into the world. He ended up crafting what might be Pac and Nate Dogg’s most beloved song.Ģ2: Runnin’ (Dying to Live) Feat. Eminem’s career would explode shortly after Tupac’s death, and his own association with the same artists, coupled with his brashness, really did make it feel like he was almost stepping into Pac’s role. The two had worked on a handful of songs before Pac’s death, and collaborated with many of the same producers. “I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto” was initially released as B-side in 1993, but took on a new meaning when it was released on R U Still Down?, the rapper’s first posthumous album.Īnother cut off Loyal to the Game, “Thugs Get Lonely Too” was a success not just because of Eminem’s shepherding, but because Eminem (like Tupac) had a working relationship with Nate Dogg. The titular question is, of course, metaphorical, but the earnestness in 2pac’s voice almost makes the question sound literal. He was venomous one moment and disarmingly earnest the next. He might be the first rapper people associate with the word “poet,” even to this day. Tupac was brash, bombastic, and headstrong, but he was also one of the most introspective rappers of his age. Somehow, all of this came together on Loyal to the Game’s lead single “Ghetto Gospel,” making it one of the definite singles of 2004. The documentary Tupac: Resurrection had been in theaters just a year earlier Eminem, a lifelong Tupac devotee, was a global superpower and had defiantly performed “Stan” at the Grammys with Elton John, and thanks to Kanye, sampling was bigger than ever. “Ghetto Gospel” is another cut from Loyal to the Game, and despite being a posthumous release, it’s an incredibly of-the-era song and a few factors led to its success. It wouldn’t get a proper release until 2004’s Eminem-produced Loyal to the Game. Adding to the song’s reputation was the fact that Pac performed “Out on Bail” at the first Source Awards before Interscope pulled it from Thug Life’s debut album. This was before his longer prison stint – earlier in life when a 15-day stint cost him a role in Menace II Society. The Library of Congress added “Dear Mama” to the National Recording Registry in 2009, and even the Vatican featured “Changes” on its official playlist.Hip-hop has always involved a degree of self-mythologizing, so for better or worse, it helped 2pac’s credibility that he’d actually been to jail.
His story was told in 2003’s Academy Award-nominated documentary Tupac: Resurrection. Nearly a decade after his final album, appreciation has only deepened for the lasting impact of Tupac’s music. He recorded at a relentless pace, eventually amassing enough music for an additional seven studio albums, including the multi-platinum releases R U Still Down?, Until the End of Time, and the double-disc Better Dayz. Things got even bigger in 1996 with All Eyez on Me, Tupac’s best-selling album, which spawned five singles, including two Number One hits, “California Love” and “How Do U Want It.” At the height of his phenomenal success, Tupac’s life was cut short on Septemwhen he was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas at the age of 25.ĭespite the tragedy, Tupac’s music catalog continued to grow thanks to a significant cache of unreleased songs. Two years later, following the release of the Thug Life: Volume 1 album (recorded with Thug Life, his group of five MCs), the more somber and reflective Me Against the World reached Number One on the album charts and was nominated for two Grammys. In 1993, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., including the hits “Keep Ya Head Up” and “I Get Around,” became his first platinum release. This tension would continue to play out over the next five years, as Tupac’s life grew increasingly tumultuous and his popularity escalated.
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