2pacalypse Now [PA] by 2Pac

September 13th, 2003 came and went and there is still no Tupac Shakur Ressurection. Im sure fanboys all over were extremely dissapointed that 2pac did not make his return, thus signifying the fact that he is truly dead, or at least i believe so now. Its now been 7 years since his death and the apparent "7 Day Theory" was indeed just hype. So in order to address this the right way, ive decided to pay a tribute to one of the most influential artists in hip-hop. Flashback to 1992, when 2pac released his debut album 2pacalypse Now. At the time, 2pac was young, angry, and full of pride and anger that he wanted to unleash on wax. Besides the obvious political hunger 2pac contained, his eye for introspection, street poetry, and storytelling are also showcased. So now, here is my review for his debut... may he rest in peace.



Track List & Rating

1. Young Black Male (****)
2. Trapped (******)
3. Soulja's Story (******)
4. I Don't Give A F*ck (***)
5. Violent (***)
6. Words Of Wisdom (*****)
7. Something Wicked (***)
8. Crooked Ass Nigga f/ Stretch (***)
9. If My Homie Calls (****)
10. Brenda's Got A Baby (******)
11. Tha' Lunatic (****)
12. Rebel Of The Underground (***)
13. Part Time Mutha (****)



2pacalypse Now kicks off with a perfectly acceptable introductory track entitled "Young Black Male", which is a perfect introduction as to the pride that one Tupac Shakur encompasses. His prideful and powerful vocals on the track allow even the deepest of heads to look past his simple lyrics to his true energy and somewhat political and anti-racial lyrics that he is spitting at us. Very dope intro track, but this is just the beginning.

The famous 2pac single "Trapped" is the real song that kicks 2pacalypse Now into high-gear.

Taking a page out of the book of such acts before him as N.W.A., Boogie Down Productions, and Public Enemy, 2pac goes on a one-man rampage attacking the Los Angeles Police Department with furious lyrics, at times questioning his own sanity in the streets. 2pac gives us a gripping street narrative about the exact racism and oppression shown by the law towards not only himself, but African American people himself, asking if slavery is truly over, or if it continues in the form of racist police officers. The lyrics and rhymes aren't exactly mind-boggling, but then again Chuck D was never that mind-boggling either, but both artists speak loudly about real political issues and are thought-provokimg. Its amazing that 2pac was much more introspective in his youthful days than in his late adulthood with Death Row Records: "They got me trapped, Can barely walk tha city streets, Without a cop harrassing me, searching me then asking my identity, Hands up, throw me up against tha wall, Didn't do a thing at all, I'm tellin you one day these suckers gotta fall, Cuffed up throw me on tha concrete, Coppers try to kill me, But they didn't know this was tha wrong street, Bang bang, down another casualty, But it's a cop who's shot there's brutality".

2pac shows off his creativity on the classic "Soulja's Story". Basically, 2pac slows his voice down to play the part of a man named "Soulja", who has completely fallen into the deadly street life, storytelling the dangers of the police officers and how he has no fear. Featuring some slow, and soft violins, pianos, and an old-school drum loop, the track has a beautiful sound to it, with a nice slow-tempo for 2pac to spit on. Soon after playing the part of "Soulja", 2pac comes on the track to spit his simple, yet extremely politically lyrics as himself: "Buck, buck - n*ggaz get f*cked, don't step to this, Quiet as kept I'm blessed on a quest with a death wish, Tell 'em to come and test, and arrest, n*gga it's hectic, Here's the anorexic, I'm makin it to an exit, Walkin through the streets on the black tip, Packed with several gats, cause I'm on some "pay 'em back" sh*t. In my opinion, this is the track that inspired DMX's Damien and Ras Kass' Interview with the Vampire.

"Words of Wisdom" finds 2pac straying away from attacking just the police department, and points the finger at this very country and the morales it was founded on. Over some decent production, 2pac spat, as the title implies, words of wisdom: "Pledge a legiance to a flag that neglects us, Honour a man that who refuses to respect us, Emmancipation, proclamation, Please!, N*gga just said that to save the nation, These are lies that we all accepted, Say no to drugs but the governments' keep it, Running through our community, killing the unity, The war on drugs is a war on you and me". As you can see, the political lyricism is strikingly similar to that of Chuck D himself.

2pacalypse Now continues with tracks like "Somethin Wicked", "Crooked A** N*gga", and "If My Homie Calls", which are all extremely similar. The three tracks take three similar, yet different directions. All three songs are fast-tempod, with quick raspy old-school beats, easily head-noddable but nothing special. The three songs feature a blend of west coast gangsta lyrics, introspection, politics, and pure braggadiocio. 2pac comes right out of the streets with a huge fury, and its easy to see why due to all of the drama that he has been through.

Moving on, we get to one of the most memorable songs of Mr. Shakur's career, the classic "Brenda's Got a Baby", the most memorable song from 2pacalypse Now.

Of course, most rap fans all over the planet instantly realize this introspective, saddening, and storytelling track about a young black female named Brenda who went down the wrong path. Basically, the story goes from Brenda having tons of aspirations, but ends up having molested sex with her cousin, getting pregnant, and being left alone. She has the baby, and soon decides to dump the baby, before realizing her responsibility to keep her kid. Brenda finds herself in a hole and decides to ask her family for money, to no avail, and resorts to selling drugs and prostitution, which finds her deceased. If the subject matter itself isn't tear-jerking enough, the production and lyrics themselves are enough to finish the job. Featuring an R&B influenced hook, along with some background R&B singers, adding a new texture to the sadness of 2pac's thought-provoking, poetic and sad vocals. This track is an undeniable classic, and one of the greatest songs that 2pac recorded in his allustrious life.

Skipping ahead we get to the last true highlight of 2pacalypse Now, that being the introspective close: "Part Time Mutha". I like to consider this track sort of like the prelude to "Dear Mama". However, instead of focusing on his real mother, that being Afeni Shakur, 2pac focuses on a fictional, yet realistic mother named Cindy. Over fast-tempo, R&Bish production, the song covers the deadly affliction of drugs in her life, which completely changed the way she raised 2pac. The second verse features an unnamed female rapper to play a piece in the drama, as her aspiritations to get her mother off weed are shown. The song features amazing introspective lyrics, and an incredible ending where 2pac realizes the striking similarities between himself and his mother, as he seemingly follows her path. Even though 2pac doesn't direct this at his own mother, the similarities between the two women are too close to ignore. Regardless, this is a great close to the album.

2pacalypse Now is possibly the most forgotten 2pac album of them all. Even though a lot of the lyrics are far more simplistic than some of the stuff 2pac spat later in his career, the album itself isn't bad at all. Its got a nice collection of classics, a few good songs, and a couple of average tracks, but not really anything bad. Its definetely listenable, but nowhere near as good as some of his later work in his career. I suggest purchasing this album for collections or if you can get a good price for it...

3 1/2 Stars.... Rounded down to 3