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!
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| 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
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| This movie |
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| Hey, who's that next to Humpty? |
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| 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!
