The Best of 2Pac's Posthumous Albums: Celebrating 2Pac 20 Years after his death

Since the passing of 2Pac 20 years ago we've had tons of albums come out in his name. At least 6 of which were compilations of his greatest hits. While I love that more of his music is being released, I've found that in order to squeeze more money out of his vocals they've done worse and worse jobs of presenting his poetry. Some of the best posthumous albums don't distort the music but instead they just remaster it. Many songs have the verses stripped, after all, if you only care about profits, then why keep a three stanza song all together when you can break it up and make 3 separate songs, then hire a no name artist to join on the song.

Most of this bullshit I blame on this bitch:

But fact is many of these albums are either compilations of old songs, remixes of old songs, live performances, or rereleases of stuff that's already come out. Seriously they released some albums twice with a different name!

STOP!!! Stop destroying this man's music.

While some people have argued they should just stop messing with his music I actually offer that some of his best stuff has come out since he died. While I prefer his living albums, there have been individual songs on these albums that are pure genius, and they need to be heard by the people and not rotting away in a vault.

Anyway, as someone who's listened to all of these I'll offer my experience as a guide so you guys know what to buy, what to avoid, and what is a must listen.

I'm only talking about his posthumous albums here. If you want to see a guide for the stuff that came out while he was alive check this out.  The Legacy of Tupac Shakur 

*All complilation albums are in blue

What To Pick Up

R U Still Down? (Remember Me)  (1997)

This album feels more like a Pac album than any of the other ones released since his death. Just one year after he died and Death Row had already put together a bunch of his work and created this album. 1997 was a good year for Hip-Hop, and a sad one as this was the year Biggie Smalls was murdered. The music on this album was recorded from '93 - '95. Some of the songs were actually released on the B-sides of single records. I highly recommend this one, not only because it was one of the first Pac Albums I listened to, but because it's really true to his music before he died. I never knew the man but I think he'd be pretty happy with this album as they didn't distort his music or chop it up as they do with later titles. Many of the producers on this are people who he actually worked with while he was still alive. People like Warren G, Johnny J, QDIII. Not many other artists on this album, but that's okay, we came for Pac and that's who we want to hear. Being from different eras the tracks here form sort of a mixed bag. But it all flows really well together, telling a story about prison and the system. I love the song 'I'm Gettin' Money' because the song doesn't praise chasing money as most rappers do, it actually seems to condemn it as it goes on about the violence that surrounds the drug trade. However it's actually a remix of an earlier song 'St8 Ballin'' On top of that it's a double disk with 23 friggen tracks. A very impressive album.

Stand Out Songs: Hellrazor, Thug Style, I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto, Nothing to Lose, I'm Gettin' Money, Fuck All Y'all, Definition of a Thug Nigga, Hold on Be Strong, Do for Love, 16 on Death Row, When I Get Free II, Only Fear of Death

Greatest Hits (1998) 

Greatest Hit's was the next album released after he died. This didn't include anything from last years album but it has a great sampling of his biggest songs and then some. I think they did a good job picking up and remastering much of his older work as well as his new stuff. This was also a double disk set with 25 tracks. It included Hit 'em Up, what I consider to be the most vicious battle rap of all time with Ether as a close second. That track was only released as a single so if you were collecting Pac's work by the album you may not have owned it. It also includes 4 tracks that had never been released. The first being God Bless the Dead, a powerful song that commemorates lost soldiers in the endless and pointless wars on the streets. I'd say it's a pretty underappreciated song. It includes a verse from Stretch has also died. Secondly is Unconditional Love, a beautiful song that Pac actually wrote for MC Hammer. He rapped it to show how he thought it should be sung. Even though it was meant for someone else you can hear the soul in Pac's delivery. Troublesome '96 is the third one. This song is really classic Pac. It could have easily slid onto the 7 Day Theory and it would have fit right in perfectly. Lastly and probably one of his most famous posthumous songs, Changes. Changes isn't just an uplifting sounding song, it's lyrics are constantly overlooked despite their brilliance. Pac again pulls no punches as to how hard it is but says we have to be stronger and better not just despite what we came from but specifically because of what we came from. Overall it's great if you don't have this music already. It's made even better because all 5 of the new tracks are great. if you already own all these albums you may want to consider buying the individual songs on itunes.

Stand out songs: God Bless the Dead, Unconditional Love, Hit Em Up, Troublesome, Changes

Still I Rise (1999)

Still I Rise is a group album. It contains some great work from Pac and his group the Outlawz (shortened from Outlaw Immortalz) While I like the Outlawz, like most people I really just wanted to hear more from Pac. Still they manage to produce some amazing tracks. 15 tracks total and 2pac is on 14 of them. I think the Outlawz work well with Pac in songs like Teardrops and Closed Caskets where they interweave different artists into each verse. It starts out with Letter to the President, a perfect political rap aimed at President Bush. The next track, Still I Rise, has one of the  most powerful and amazing first verses of any 2Pac song ever. The song begins with 2Pac describing his mother being raped by his father. Then it goes on to explain how he saw through his father as a drunken loser. And how that set him on this path, feeling like a mistake and feeling abandoned by his father, his government, and even by God. The verse ends with "I was born not to make it but I did, the tribulations of a ghetto kid. Still I rise." It's only single is 'Baby Don't Cry' a lesser sequel song to Keep Ya Head up. Some songs with notable verses are The Good Die Young, Hell 4 a Hustler, and Secretz of War. One of my favorite songs is Killuminati. It's oddly upbeat compared to the rest of the music and seems to focus on being a celebration of 2Pac's life instead of another song mourning his death. Overall it's a good album but not a great one. It's not really anyone in particular's fault, it's just riding on the coat tails of a few amazing double disk albums. I'd love to have had more Pac in this album but as it stands is has some of the best verses and most powerful lyrics that he's ever released. I recommend picking it up but not until after checking out his other posthumous albums. 

Stand Out Songs: Letter 2 the President, Still I Rise, Secrets of War, Baby Don't Cry, Hell 4 a Hustler, Good Die Young, Killuminati

Until The End of Time (2001)

This was the first album to begin to step away from the sound of his first albums. However it sounds familiar enough where the listener can see how Pac's style would eventually lead to this sort of production. Personally I think that they did a great job finding producers who knew how to make modern beats that enhanced Pac's lyrics instead of covering them up. Some of the later albums seem to water down his lyrics with a dance beat. These tracks are some of the best examples of building on his words. The album isn't without its filler of a few remixed songs. And some of the songs have hardly any Pac in them. World Wide Mob Figgaz is a 4 minute 37 second song that only has 25 or so seconds of 2Pac. Still this has some of his most powerful work. Everything They Owe seems to discuss reparations for slavery and the struggle of being black itself. Words 2 My First Born is a powerful Pro-Choice song. It doesn't seem that way at first but trust me, I've done an entire thesis on this song. He talks about abortion as a tragedy but still it's sometimes the best option. He does so while apologizing to God and showing great remorse yet he firmly asserts that abortions are sometimes necessary. On the same album he also has the track Letter 2 My Unborn, a song specifically written to his kids in case he dies before they're born. There are a few dance songs that actually work pretty well. From Niggaz Nature, to Let Em Have it, and Fuck Friendz. It has a good mix of his different styles. It's almost as if All Eyez on Me and 7 Day Theory had a baby mixing his harsh tracks with his party ones.  Another double disk, this album has 29 tracks, though to be fair 3 of them are remixes. When I get Free is remixed again on this album. Breathin' has only one verse from Pac but the song is unforgettable in the way it mixes it's haunting production with his fierce delivery. One of my favorite 2Pac songs ever is This Ain't Livin' A song that could easily fit right onto Me Against the World. I like the song When Thugz Cry but they changed the chorus from the original song. I personally prefer that version because the chorus itself has such powerful lyrics. Happy Home shows his hope for a better life. Overall this is one of the best albums released since he died. A must have if you're a fan of the music.

Stand Out Songs: Ballad of a Dead Soulja, Fuck Friendz, Lil' Homies, Letter 2 My Unborn, Breathin', Happy Home, Everything They Owe, Until the End of Time, My Closest Roaddogz, Nigga Nature, When Thugz Cry, This Ain't Livin, Words 2 My First Born, When I Get Free

Better Dayz (2002)

Better Dayz is the first Album I remember hearing that didn't quite sound like normal Pac. And I'm not taking a shot at the album. It's a great album, but the music is very modern. It also has lots of guest appearances from T.I. to Trick Daddy, DJ Quik,  Ron Isley, Anthony Hamilton Mya, Jazze Pha, Tyrese and even Nas. It's a great album and it shows that you can make 2Pac's vocals work with modern music if you truly care about what you're doing. While Until the End of Time sounded like an expansion of what he'd already done and was made with people who worked with him in the 90's, this album brought Pac into the 2000's. It gave him modern music, modern rappers, and still it didn't feel like a betrayal of what he was. Like Until the End of Time this was a double disk with 25 tracks in total. This album was again a great mix of more laid back tracks about life in the streets, but also included some pretty vicious attacks on beef's that have been long since over. Those tracks sound like the eccos of an angry spirit still giving still living people the middle finger. Some of his angriest work appears here in songs like When we Ride on Our Enemies, Never B Peace, and They Don't Give  Fuck About Us.  Songs like Still Ballin, Fair Xchange, and changed man are great upbeat dance songs. But it slows down with many of it's tracks like, My Block, Who Do You Believe in, Fame, the Late Night. In Never B Peace and They Don't Give a Fuck About Us, he basically says fuck the world giving in to his frustration with everything. One brilliant track, Mama's Just a Little Girl, is the natural progression of a song like Brenda's Got a Baby on his first album. This song shows the progression that he'd made as a poet and artist. Side by side you can see how he changed his style and how intricate his poetry became in his later years. Thugz Mansion is probably the most famous track from this album. Nas, who's album Illmatic was just as influential to 90's hip hop as 2Pac's, joins him for this track. They may have briefly had beef while he was alive but now that he's dead Nas sings sort of a tribute to the man. It's a powerful moment and a powerful song. People love it because of it's sound but he sheds some very powerful lyrics here. Tupac has always been a bit of  a hot head, even in this album. He is a rebel and he's proud, yet in the song Thugz Mansion he seems like he's forgiving all past wrongs. The song describes a heaven of sorts, a place without judgement where none of the fighting or bickering on earthly matters. In the verse he even forgives Soon Ja Du, the Korean liquor store owner who shot 15 year old Latasha Harlins in the back of the head. "Little Latasha sho' grown; tell the lady in the liquor store that she's forgiven, so come home" It's a great mix of different styles and feelings. While I can't say that production wise it sounds like the 2Pac we know and love, it's truly a testament that great producers and artists can add his vocals and words to modern music if they just take the time to do it right. If you want to hear some of his Music but can't quite get into the dated production of the 90's (which by the way is the golden era of hip hop) then you should check this album out first. 

Stand out Songs: Still Ballin', When We Ride on Our Enemeies, Changed Man, Fuck Em All, Never B Peace, Mama's Just a Little Girl, Street Fame, Thugz Mansion, My Block, Never Call U Bitch Again, Better Dayz, Military Minds, This Life I Lead, Who Do U Believe In?, They Don't Give a Fuck About Us. 

Tupac Resurrection (2003)

Yes, another greatest hits album. This one mixes things that came out while he was alive and after he died. What I like about this album is it almost takes you on a journey through his different styles of music. I also appreciate that they didn't choose any of the songs on his previous Greatest Hits album. They made all new choices and on top of that they allowed Eminem to produce a few new tracks to go on the album. There are a total of 4 brand new tracks on this album. It also has some tracks that weren't on a standard album and you may have had to search to find. That includes the track Starin' Through My Rear View, a song about seeing you life flash before your eyes. That song was on the soundtrack to Gang Related, the last film he ever did. It also has Same Song, the first major studio release that featured Pac. The song was from Digital Underground who actually performed the song in a Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy movie, Nothing But Trouble 

This movie

Hey, who's that next to Humpty?

Yep, that's a 19 year old Tupac Shakur

It also has Panther Power a song that he sang as a teenager where he expressed his pride in being related to the Black Panthers. You can see how this style evolved into his first solo album. While I don't necessarily play that track all the time, it's a great history lesson.

The new songs are Ghost, Runnin' One Day at a Time, and Realist Killaz. Ghost feels like a song from beyond the grave. With creepy music and everything Pac sounds like a vengeful spirit that haunts the streets. Runnin was a beautiful mix of verses and interviews from Biggie and 2Pac. What I love about it is you get to hear their different styles. Tupac is about the impact and the passion in his voice. He's like a double barrell shotgun hitting you with heavy words. Biggie is about the rhymes,  rhythm and flow of his words. He's like a constant flow of lyrics spilling out into the song. One Day at a Time, seems to directly point out the pointlessness of all this beefing and fighting and how the only people it beats is each other. Very powerful words. And Realist Killaz is a hardcore rap with 50 Cent. There is so much energy and fire on this track you can almost feel it as it comes through your speakers. Overall it's a great find you'll get some hard to find tracks and some great new ones. If you've decided to collect Pac albums like I have, then you really need to pick this one up. 

Stand out songs: Ghost, Runnin, One Day at a Time, Realist Killaz, Same Song

Loyal to the Game (2004)

Almost never has there been an album that left Pac fans as divided as Loyal to The Game. This Posthumous album was mostly produced by Eminem. At the time most people either loved him or hated him and those feelings spread onto this album. The production sounded very similar to the types of production you might hear in an Eminem album. So some sounded a bit strange with Pac on them. There are a few tracks at the end that weren't produced by Eminem, all of them great. While this is not a bad album it's not quite as impressive as some of the other entries. After R U Still Down, Until the End of Time, and Better Dayz, most people expected these albums to be double disk with over 20 tracks. this is single disk and its 17 tracks. Perfectly respectable but most people were upset that it wasn't as long. Also to make his voice fit the song he sped up or slowed down his voice in a few places. I''d like to note that it was only a few songs but people were in quite the uproar. There are a few really great tracks and while I can admit there were a few missteps, I still think this is one to check out. But I'd say do it last. It's the weakest of all the albums I'd recommend buying because sorry to say it all goes downhill from here. 

Stand out Songs: Soldier Like Me, Out On Bail, Ghetto Gospel, Black Cotton, Thugs Get Lonley Too, Who Do You Love?, Thug 4 Life, Po Nigga blues, Hennessey (Red Spyda Remix), Crooked Nigga Too(Raphael Saadiq Remix), Loyal to the Game (DJ Quik Remix)

What to Give a Listen

What happens here is you begin to get really watered down 2Pac albums. I don't think you should buy these albums because of a few possible reasons. Some are just re-releases of other things, some are nothing but remixes or songs that have hardly any 2Pac on them, some are just not 2Pac albums. Here are the CD's you should maybe listen to on Youtube if you're interested but I really don't recommend spending your hard earned money on them. 

Tupac the Lost Tapes (2000)/Tupac: Beginnings (2007)

Now this was an interesting choice for an album. They found some of Pac's earlier recordings, from before he joined Digital Underground. They decided to take these tracks from a 17, 18, or 19 year old Pac and release them. It's pretty cool to hear what he sounded like before he got his solo album. What's really interesting is how his style progressed in just that short time. Listen to this then go back to 2Pacalypse now and you can hear the difference. Anyway I put these together because they're the SAME FUCKING ALBUM! Seriously they released the "Lost Tapes" in 2000. then seven years later they decided Hey! Let's release the same album again with a a different cover and a different name. I saw this in stores and was so excited to buy it that I didn't notice that they were the same exact songs. I mean they didn't even change the tracks. They basically printed a new label for the CD and a new CD box cover and released it. Anyway, it's worth a listen but unless you're a collector, it's not worth a buy. And even then certainly don't buy both of them!

The Rose that Grew From Concrete (2000)

I was actually pretty conflicted about what to do with this album. For most people this is a complete skip. However if you are really into poetry you may appreciate it. So this is NOT a 2Pac Album. 2Pac does not rap anywhere on this CD. This is a spoken word album of fans, friends, and artists reading 2Pac's poetry. Not singing, not rapping, just reading the poetry. Still, i think it's really cool that they attracted such big names to take part. There are parts read by Mos Def, Jasmine Guy, Reverend Run, Danny Glover, Afeni Shakur, the cast of the Lion King, Q-Tip, Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons, Malcolm-Jamal Warner,  and Cheif Okena Littlehawk. I mean damn. It's a hell of an art project but, it's really not for most people. If you are into poetry, I'd say see if you can stream it online. I do think it's worth a listen but I wouldn't recommend buying it unless of course you are a collector. 

Live at the House of Blues (2005)

This was both an album and a DVD. This was Tupac's last performance live at the House of Blues. It was actually a Snoop Dogg concert but the opening act couldn't do it. So 2Pac stepped in and opened for Snoop Dogg. Of the Album's 25 tracks only 10 of them are Pac songs. Again this was a Snoop Concert. I was also on the fence about this one as well. I could very well justify buying this album. But only if you enjoy listening to live recordings of songs you already own. If so then it's well worth the money, especially as it comes with a DVD with a few music videos on it. But if not, then it's really only worth a listen. I like to listen to this and get lost in the mid 90's when Pac and Snoop were on top of the world. You'll hear some of their biggest hits of the time. And the truth is, Snoop really does put on one hell of s a show. 


Stand Out Songs: Ambitionz as a Ridah, Troublesome, Hit Em Up, How Do U Want it, Who Am I?, Me in Your World, Gin and Juice, 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.

The Rose Vol. 2 (2005)

5 years after the backlash that followed the first Rose that Grew From Concrete album they released this one. Shortened now to "The Rose", Vol. 2 offers instead of spoken words, songs based on 2Pac's poetry. First of all, 2Pac is not on this album. this is music he inspired but don't expect to hear any Pac on this album. That aside personally I thought this was a nice mix of different artists. I personally loved the first song by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony that mixes influences from two different poems Power of a Smile and "And Tomorrow" There are a few great artists here such as Bone Thugs, Talib Kweli, Ludacris, Memphis Bleek, Shock G, Dead Prez, and two girls who attend the Amaru center for the arts. Not every track is great and considering that Pac isn't heard outside of a sound bite on one track, I would recommend checking it out and maybe downloading the songs that you like the most instead of dropping money on the whole album. 

Tracks to listen to: Intro (yeah the fucking into), Power of a Smile, Fallen Star, When Your Hero Falls, And 2morrow, Poetry

Rap Phenomenon II (2006)

Ooookay so I know this is not an official release. It's actually a mixtape from DJ Vlad, DJ Dirty Harry and DJ Green Lantern. However it was somehow the best Pac Album that I'd heard in a while at that point. This was around when Pac's Life came out. And at this point the music was being watered down to nothing. While you could accuse this of being more of the same, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The premise of the album was to take some old Pac vocals and put it on some modern music (mostly Dr. Dre) and add in some modern artists. It actually is pretty cool and even though I knew the music, and I knew the verses, I thought they did a great job mixing them. It also includes some interviews from artists talking about Pac. The whole thing plays like a celebration of the man as well as the myths around him. I know it isn't for everyone but I'd definitely recommend giving it a listen. I don't recommend doing that with many of these remix albums. Many of them are bad and really not worth your time. But I really enjoyed this one. 

Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 (2007)

Nu Mixx Klazzics was an attempt to remix some of Tupac's greatest hits. It failed miserably as it should have. You can't improve on what's already great by putting half assed new production on old great songs. Nobody wants to hear Off The Wall in autotune. Nobody wants to hear Frank Sinatra turned into a dubstep. So I think learning from that lesson they decided this time to take lesser known songs and remix those. Or take songs and just remaster them and have the outlawz record new verses. It's better that the first attempt, but it's still not so great. Some are decent, like the Pain remix and the Lost Souls remix. But some are really bad like the How Do You Want it remix or the Hail Mary Rock version. I mean Pac has been mixed into rock songs before like Fuck Em All, but that was terrible. Overall, it may be worth a listen but unless you are really impressed by steaming it, I can't recommend buying the album. 

Best of 2Pac, Part 1: Thug (2007)

Another greatest hits album.... This time we get to hear some songs that came out after he died as well as from when he was alive. However while I endorse the other Greatest Hit's Albums as solid, I don't endorse this one for a few reasons.
1. Most of these songs are on the last greatest hits album. 

2. It includes only 2 new tracks. 1 of them is a remix of Dear Mama that no one wanted. The other is Resist the Temptation and song from when he was a teenager. 

3. They split it into 2 disks.... 2 fucking disks. Talk about milking your cash cow death row. Remember when these albums were double disk? Well not anymore. They want you to pay full price for the first disk then full price for the second one. It's bullshit. 

Anyway it's really not worth buying and barely worth listening to. 

Best of 2pac, Part 2: Life (2007)

So everything I said for the first one also goes for this one. Fuck this album. The only cool thing about it if anything is that it also has 2 kinda new tracks. Firstly it has the acoustic version of Thugz Mansion, but with all 3 verses. Nas had to take one out to insert his. It also has Dopefiends Diner with I wouldn't really recommend. It's interesting to hear, as it's Pac as a teenager singing, yes singing, not rapping but singing. But not worth your money. Give it a listen but then skip it.

What to Completely Avoid

So we've reached it the worst of the worst. These albums aren't really even worth the listen. Even if you're a collector I wouldn't recommend these albums based on principal. 

The Prophet: The Best of the works (2003)

Blatant cash grab from Death Row. No new music. No new tracks. It's just another Greatest Hits Album even though we've already had so many from Pac and this one offers nothing new. Skip it  and skip it hard!

Nu-Mixx Klazzics (2003)

If I may steal a quote from another reviewer. "You may not be able to polish shit into gold, however this album proves that you can polish gold into shit."

This.

Who the fuck thought it would be a good idea to take classic songs and remix them!?! Why!!! I'm guessing because at this point Death Row had nothing else going for them so they slapped 2Pac's face on anything they could. This album is a disgrace to the legacy of Tupac Shakur. He's even looking like "Wha the fuck am I doing here!?!"

2Pac: Live (2004)

This album isn't bad, but it's the same one as the Live at the House of Blues album. The only difference is this one didn't have any of Snoop's songs.

That's it.

 So there's really no point in buying it when you can just get the full concert from the other CD as well as a DVD with 5 music videos. 

The Prophet Returns (2005)

Another fucking Greatest hits CD??? As if the first few weren't enough. And again this one has nothing new to add. No new tracks just another cash grab from Suge (punk ass) Knight. No reason to buy this, just get the better greatest hits albums. 

Pac's Life (2006)

And finally the album that probably hurts my heart the most. Pac's Life. How they tricked Snoop, Ashanti, and TI to be on this album is beyond me. At this point it was pretty clear that they had just about run out of verses from Pac to release. In fact they had said the last album was going to be Better Dayz back in 2002. Man those were better days. But anyway here they do sort of a duets thing. Instead of giving Pac a single song on this album every song is just him with and guest appearances from whoever they could excite by telling them they'd be on a 2Pac album. I mean, they call this album Pac's Life. A terrible choice because, Pac is barely in this album. If you played out the whole album and listened to hear how much he's actually rapping, it's probably about 25 - 30% total. This is the most watered down he's ever been. And also Pac's life is the song you name the album after??? There are better songs names. Why not Untouchable? Why not Don't Stop? Oddly enough while I implore you not to buy this and add money to the terrible job they did there are a few stand out tracks. Untouchable is fun, but maybe I'm just happy to hear him with Krayzie Bone. Dumpin' is a solid song. He has a great opening verse in Don't Sleep but I fall asleep after Pac's verse is over. Soon as I get home is great and unedited. Just Pac and Kadafi going at it. And the song Pac's Life is just okay. I say stay away from this album. It represents everything wrong that they did with his music. He has a specific message and when you break it up it distorts it and destroys it. They used possibly the greatest Rapper of our era, a man who could not be silenced, who always fought for equality, and turned his words into a cheap 2 dollar truck stop gas station album. It makes me sad. Check out the songs I mentioned above but stay away from this shit album.

Well I was pretty hard on those last albums but that's only because I love his music and his message so much. They took a huge shit on everythign that he stood for and I hate it. 2Pac is one of the biggest inspirations in my life. His music challenged me to be stronger, and to think harder, and reach higher. His story is a fascinating tale of the dangers present in the streets, that a bullet doesn't discriminate and it will kill a drug fiend, a police officer, a gang banger, a civil rights leader, or the biggest name in rap music in hip hop without a second thought.


The bright light of Tupac Shakur will never be replaced. But his music, and his message will last forever. He has had an immeasurable change not just in America, but around the world and he will never be forgotten. 2Pac now to infinity.

Please everybody Keep ya Head Up!

The Legacy of Tupac Shakur 20 Years After His Death

This September I want to celebrate the life of 2Pac the poet, the rapper, the activist, the actor, the songwriter, and the icon. His lyrics, his passion, his attitude made him the voice of a generation of young people who had to navigate the violent turbulence of 90's Los Angeles.

His music helped people of different backgrounds, from different places, and of different colors deal with the harshest of realities that they could not escape. 

Since his death on September 13th, 1996 we've seen movies, books, and more albums released than came out while he was still alive. And sadly so many of the things he was saying still are completely relevant today. 

If we're going to start anywhere it should be with his music. Technically he had 5 but most people attribute 6 albums to Pac before his passing. If you're new to Pac and looking for what album to buy first.... honestly, it's a bit of a cop out answer, but I'd recommend....

OR

Greatest Hits or the 2Pac Resurrection Soundtrack. It's a really nice all around sampling of his music. What's great about them is that you get to hear his sound from different stages in his career. Which sounds strange to say about someone with a 5 year career in music, but he had mood shifts with each album. If you got those two and want more, I'd recommend All Eyez on Me, then Me Against the World, then Strictly 4 My Niggaz. Or you could just take a look at my comments below and deciding what you'd be most interested in. 

But I'm guessing you want to know what his best albums are. Just fair warning this is totally my opinion. I'm not hiding that. But here are the rankings for the discography of Tupac Shakur. 

1990 - 1996 2Pac/Makaveli Discography

#6 Thug Life: Volume 1  (1994)

So this isn't actually a 2Pac album. It was from a group very briefly formed called Thug Life. The short lived group was comprised of 6 members, one of them being Pac. Their message was simple:
T he
H ate
U you
G ive
L il'
I nfants
F ucks
E verybody

 In this album 2Pac expresses his frustrations with police and the album openly celebrates being from the streets. Still many of the songs take a sobering look at facing mortality. Personally I though this album was the weakest of albums released while 2Pac was alive, some of that due to the studio not letting them release all of the songs. However, it's still heads and tails above most other albums that come out nowadays. Some of the guys on the album (Big Syke, Mopreme, Stretch) became regular collaborators with 2Pac afterward. At 10 tracks, and Pac being on 8 of them, it's a solid little album but probably the one I revisit the least.

Stand Out Songs: Pour Out a Little Liquor, How Long Will They Mourn Me?, Under Pressure, Cradle to the Grave, Str8 Ballin'

#5 2Pacalypse Now (1991)

2Pacalypse was Pac's first album. Many artists nowadays peak with their first album. *cough* *cough* 50 Cent *cough*

But Pac kept getting better with each album. His style started out very political and rebellious. There isn't much that's very "gangsta" (as white people call it)  about this album. It's very poetic and sounds very much like any of the political raps of the 80's. I'd say its in the vein of KRS One or Public Enemy. He spends much of this album telling stories, instead of making dance hits. Overall, I think he learned a lot from this album and it informed his later styles. He was still idealistic at this point and this album didn't share the pessimism or nihilism of some his later records. While I don't think it's as good as some of his later entries, this was a benchmark for his career and reflects his views as a 19 year old who saw the horror of the streets and wanted to change it using the power of speech. 

Stand Out Songs: Trapped, Soulja's Story, Violent, Word's Of Wisdom, Brenda's Got a Baby, Part Time Mutha

#4 All Eyez on Me (1996)

I know, I know, this is the highest selling Pac Album of all time, how can it be number 4. All I can say is personally, I like Pac's poetry, more than I like Pac's dance music. And that's what this album mostly is as Snoop says in 2 of America's Most Wanted "It ain't nuthin but a gangsta paaaarty" This album has many of the biggest names in Hip hop at the time including Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Daz, Nate Dogg, Method Man, Redman, Kurupt, K-Ci & JoJo, Outlawz, E-40, and tons more. It was also the first double disk album in hip hop. It's a great party album and it has many of 2Pac's most popular songs like How Do You Want it and California Love. What's incredible is just about every song on this album is a hit. The reason it isn't #1 is because it has less powerful songs than other albums and actually has a few filler songs, including Whatz Ya Phone Number, which I personally think is the wackest song that came out while Pac was still alive. It even has a straight up advertisement for Thug Passion a drink Suge was trying to push. Still this album has some truly great music and is essential to every true hip hop fan. I Ain't Mad at Cha is one of Pac's best and most personal songs. Also lyrically songs like Only God Can Judge Me and Heartz of Men still blow me away. This album was made because 2Pac promised Suge Knight that he'd make a multi Platinum album if he got him out of jail.  So Suge signed Pac to Death Row records and then he bailed him out. Pac was only a free man for 2 weeks when he dropped this album on Knight's lap and the rest is history. The album went quadruple platinum and broke records selling more than any other rapper in history. A record that would not be broken till over decade after his death by Eminem and then Jay-Z. Still this album was just further proof that this at that time 24 year old artist could do anything. 

Stand out Songs: Ambitionz Az a Ridah, All About U, How Do You Want It, 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, Heartz of Men, Life Goes On, Only God Can Judge Me, California Love, I Ain't Mad at Cha, Shorty Wanna Be a Thug, Holla at Me, When We Ride

#3 The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory(1996)

If you want to get technical this was actually his first posthumous album. But I have always paired it with his living albums because he put it together while he was still alive, unlike the latter albums that were compiled without his input. This album came out 2 months after he died and was reportedly recorded in just 7 days. It's a masterful blend of his political raps, as well as his frustrations with the media, and other rappers in general. 'White Man's World' lyrically sounds like a throwback to his politically charged early albums. Overall it's easily his most violent album, where he openly disses many of his enemies. But the album also included songs like Blasphemy in which he outlines his issues with the major church's. The opening track and the closing one are both vicious battle raps where he rips into lots of big named rappers like Biggie, Jay-Z, Nas and Puffy. While tracks in the middle are more thoughtful, he puts his most violent songs on the ends creating a rough exterior to the other works. Hail Mary is one of his master works, a song that unapologetically chastises the rap game or at least what he considers to be it's weaker elements. A brief respite from the frustration and anger is To Live and Die in LA forms a small oasis where he proclaims his love for his new home of Los Angeles. In this very album he exemplifies what he talks about in the songs Life of an Outlaw and Hold Ya Head, both songs that talk about the dangers of living life as a thug, but openly admits to being addicted to the lifestyle and unable to stop. What's fantastic about this album is almost every track is a stand out. It's more than a powerful message, it stands as a warning about what this lifestyle can do to someone. It adds meaning to the cover, depicting him crucified. His death was a warning to everyone else about the danger as he says explicitly in the song White Man's World "It ain't them that's killin' us, it's us that's killin' us" He raps from the perspective of a man on a derailed train, but he's the only one on board who's realized that it's crashing. It's tragic, it's beautiful, and it's an amazing album. 

Stand Out Songs: Hail Mary, To Live and Die in LA, Blasphemy, Life of an Outlaw, Krazy, White Man'z World, Me and My Girlfriend, Hold Ya Head, Against All Odds

#2 Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993)

Tupac's Sophomore album still stands as one of his best. He was young, angry, energetic, intelligent, and out for blood. On this album Pac speaks with a beautiful mix of political raps, poetry, and an incendiary contempt for the system. Unlike his first album that focused solely on political raps, this album took a page out of Rakim's book and focused on more complex rhymes, rhythms, and themes. He begins with two high energy raps about the music industry and our society. 'Holla if Ya Hear Me 'and 'Point The Finger' chastise the media for looking for someone to blame for gang violence instead of actually trying to solve the problem. He takes a quote from Dan Quayle who blamed the real death of a cop on 2Pac's last album and mixes the sound bite into a song. And Pac retorts to that quote by saying "Dan Quayle don't ya know you need ya ass kicked? Where was you when it was niggas in them caskets?" Another theme that runs through the whole album is the theme of abandonment. Pac has songs about young kids in the ghetto being abandoned by their government, their society, and even their own fathers. In 'Papa's Song' Pac shares no love for any "man" who would abandon their baby. Continuing on with this theme his song 'Keep Ya Head Up' illustrates how as bad as things are for men in the ghetto, they're even worse for women. He implores them to do as the title says "Please don't cry dry your eye's never let up. Forgive but don't forget, girl keep ya head up" Unlike his first album 2Pac also mixes in a dance song with I Get Around, where he is joined by Digital Underground the group who brought him into the mainstream hip hop scene.  He also mixes in more popular productions from the time. He brings back the character of the Soulja in a sequel to 'Souljah's Song' called 'Soulja's Revenge'. Looking at those two songs you can see how his style has progressed. The former being the telling of a tragic story about the streets, and the latter being a high octane song that accuses the police of just being another gang in the city. He get's Ice Cube and Ice-T to jump into his song Last Wordz. And in his darkest song on the album the 'Streetz R Deathrow', he truly has to use his skills as a poet to so beautifully say that we're fucked. This album was a mix of his older styles and his younger style. Still politically charged, but now furious at a system that fails to get any better. A huge turning point and this was in one of the overall greatest years for hip hop in general. 

Stand Out Songs: Holler if Ya Hear Me, Point The Finger, Last Wordz, Souljah's Revenge, Representin' 93, Keep Ya Head Up, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., The Streetz R Deathrow, I Get Around, Papa'z Song

#1 Me Against The World (1995)

For me this isn't just 2Pac's best album, it's my favorite album of all time. When people call 2Pac a poet, this is what they're talking about. This is an album that could be studied by people wanting to understand the mindset of a young black male in the 90's. The album steps away from the more popular music found in his last 2 albums and goes back to what he started with in the first album. Trying to change the world with his words. This album isn't about dance songs, or being a gangsta, this album is all about the poetry. It doesn't have very many guest appearances, this album is mostly just 2Pac with a mic just talking to us. More than most albums this one felt more like a conversation than it was him talking at us. Some songs he seems to beg us to understand like in 'Heavy in the Game' and 'If I Die 2Nite'. What's strange was I didn't get the brilliance of this album on my first listen. I slowly absorbed how good it was over time. Every track illustrates the hopelessness of living in the ghetto but it lacks the pessimism of the 7 Day Theory album. There is a fire in him for this entire album. He's broken down, he's is hurt, but he is not out. This also started his contemplation about death. He starts out with the song If I Die 2Nite, contemplating what would happen if he died running out here in the street. He asks the impossibly hard question to face of his audience; what if you died tonight, what would you have accomplished? What would your life be worth, and what would people say was your story? The songs are sprinkled with uplifting musings where he directly gives advice to his younger listeners. 'Me Against The World', and 'Young Niggaz' talk directly to his audicen as he gives them hopeful advice for a better life.  At the point of this album he still believes that we can do better and will do better. While songs like 'So Many Tears', 'It ain't Easy', and 'Lord Knows' he practically sings to the audience painting a picture of a young kid growing up rough. He also goes into the hazards of being a young charismatic man in 'Temptations'. A song that surprisingly doesn't come off as bragging when he describes how hard it is to be faithful when you're young horny and uncommitted. It's refreshingly honest song about relationships on a rap album. While most of his songs extend to the hood in general, 2 songs in particular 'Fuck the World' and 'Dear Mama' are incredibly personal. Fuck the World has Pac unload all of his frustration with his sexual assault accusation and the way it was being misrepresented in the media. While 'Dear Mama' is probably the most famous song on this album. 'Dear Mama' is a brutally honest love song to his mother. Where he talks about her virtues and her faults openly but expresses that he loves her unconditionally anyway. It's one of his best works ever. 'The Old School' is a love letter to the 80's and hip hop history. It expresses a love for days when life as just a bit simpler, and he had fewer worries. In 'Can U Get Away' he plays with the idea of being saved, or escaping the hand someone is dealt. The last 2 songs are 'Death Around the Corner' and 'Outlaw'. While some of this album had been hopeful these songs express a pretty deep doubt that there is any escape from this life. In 'Death Around the Corner' he goes into how fear turns men cruel. How it drives people crazy as they expect death to come from any angle. And finally 'Outlaw', a song that sums up so much about 2Pac at this stage in his life. A song that begins with a kid talking about how he's addicted to the hood lifestyle, then while laughing about it the kid tells the audience that he's only 11. The song screams "Outlaw, Outlaw, Outlaw" as a battle cry. Then after he cries this, celebrating being a thug, he says "Dear Lord, I wonder could ya save me?" He asks not if the lord will save him but can the lord actually save him. The song does a magical job of condemning the thug life and it celebrates its freedom at the same time. And somehow this all works. The Album Me Against the World is the pinnacle of 2Pac's career as he truly comes into his own as one of the Greatest of All Time. His rapping style is really one of a kind and use of vivid imagery, poetry, music make this one of the greatest Hip Hop Albums ever.

Stand Out Songs: All of them. There really isn't a wasted track on this album. 

I'll go into all the albums that came out after he died in a later entry. For now, drink a little Thugz Passion, and contemplate that even as bad as things may seem, we are truly lucky to be alive.