2pacalypse Now [PA] by 2Pac

Where can we possibly begin!? I'd like to introduce myself to ya as quite a newcomer to Rap and R&B. From the Bollywood Themes and Punjabi Bhangra that I was raised with, I can surely testify that the Rap game has its own appeal. About a year ago I was stumbling around the house and picked up an old CD mix my brother had lying around. Turns out I hit gold, because I found 2pac. Over a year the man has developed into one of three heroes, the others being Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Jordan. His outstanding lyricism, superb storytelling, and raw emotion compelled me to get each and every single one of his records (still working on the complete set!). So here we go, my very first review, on the totally raw, 2Pacalypse Now…

Track Listing
1) Young Black Male 4/5
2) Trapped (feat. Shock G) 5/5
3) Souljas Story 4/5/5
4) I Don't Give A F*** 4/5
5) Violent (feat. Money B) 4.5/5
6) Words of Wisdom 5/5
7) Something Wicked 2/5
8) Crooked A** N***a 3/5
9) If My Homie Calls 4/5
10) Brendas Got A Baby 4/5
11) The Lunatic (feat. Stretch) 2.5/5
12) Rebel Of The Underground (feat. Ray Love) 2.5/5
13) Part Time Mutha (feat. Angelique) 4.5/5

We kick off with the funky Young Black Male. Backed with a soft piano touch in the background and a bass drum beat, Tupac unleashes his first ever song done independently. With a couple of men shouting the background "Go N***a, Young Black Male!", Tupac displays his rapping talent with an extremely fast paced flow. He hardly seems to break a sweat as he raps about busting sluts, and hoes, while addressing his critics (trying to ban his previous songs with Shock G). This song, while not great for subject matter, is more noteworthy for the fast paced flow Tupac puts on display. Great song to debut with.

We move on to some of Tupac's finest work, in Trapped. Here Tupac addresses the central theme running through his album: that of oppression to the Young Black Male, particularly by police brutality. Having seen police brutality with my own eyes, I can totally relate to what Tupac's rapping about here. Here we really get to see Tupac's lyrical skill:

Sweated me, hunted me, Trapped in my own community,
One day i'm gonna bust
Blow up on this society
Why did ya lie to me ?
I couldn't find a trace of equality

Brilliant song to really kick off Tupac's career. The video is also superbly done. Tupac not only tackles the police here, but also addresses the racism dealt out to his brothers.


Souljah's Story shows Tupac's creative side. With a synthesizer meant to disguise his voice as an older brother, Pac splits himself into two people in this song. Rather, two brothers: Souljah- A straight up gangsta, who's family tree is messed up. Everyone's on his case, from his mother to the cops for a murder case. Out of rage, he kills a cop, turns to hustling on the street, and makes a living. But as Pac says, all good things don't last, and he's busted. He speaks of his younger brother ,Tupac , wanting to following in his footsteps. Who duly does, becoming the new Don of the block.

Walkin through the streets on the black tip
Packed with several gats, cause I'm on some "pay 'em back" s*it
N***az don't wanna try me, brother you'll get shot down
Now I'm king of the block, since my bigger brother's locked down

Tupac's last mission is to break his brother out of jail. He vividly describes his every move; holding the cop hostage, and ultimately, dying for his bravery. A brilliantly told tale, with outstanding lyrics. A facet, separating Tupac from others (especially in rap today), is his effectiveness in using emotion to depict a tale. Not a man that can do it better then Tupac himself

We get more angry with the aptly titled I Don't Give A Fu*k. The theme runs back to the Young Black Male. Tupac's a lot more raw and angry on this track then he was on Trapped. The track starts with Tupac's homies calling him and complaining about cops jacking them for doing virtually nothing. Pac then starts into his verse about oppression and racism. Also, while not mentioning any names, he pokes fun at old white men who don't appreciate rap and think it's a disgrace to society. An excerpt of quite a humorous line here:

They wanna jack me like some kind of crack fiend
I wonder if knows that my income is more than
His pension, salary and then some
Your daughter is my number one fan
And your trife a*s wife wants a life with a black man

He ends the song with his f*ck off's. Simply giving the finger to racist Amerikka, FBI and CIA. Although his lyrics aren't what they could be in this track (Money B chips in with an interesting verse), he makes up for it with his crisp delivery and raw anger.

We then come to one of my favorite tracks on this album : Violent. Again, the storytelling Tupac Shakur comes to the fore here, telling a story of how him and his friend get jacked by the cops for absolutely nothing. He fights back, eventually getting killed, but that's not the point. Tupac conveys a sense of pride here: namely, the will to fight back against oppression. It is this quality that makes him my hero. He always gives you hope with these kinds of songs, and here he unveils his acronym for the word Ni*ga.
Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished:

I told em fight back, attack on society
If this is violence, then violent's what I gotta be
If you investigate you'll find out where it's comin from
Look through our history, America's the violent one
Unlock my brain, break the chains of your misery
This time the payback for evil s*it you did to me
They call me militant, racist cause I will resist
You wanna censor somethin, motherf***er censor this!
My words are weapons, and I'm steppin to the silent
Wakin up the masses, but you, claim that I'm violent

We then come to the classic Words of Wisdom. Tupac calls out to all his brothers, especially to the ghettos. He reminds us that America is carrying on it's racism, and nows time to fight back. For those who think that Tupac isn't an outstanding lyricist, they probably haven't checked out this track.

AMERIKA, AMERIKA, AMERIKKKA
I charge you with the crime of rape, murder, and assault
For suppressing and punishing my people
I charge you with robery for robbing me of my history

Outstanding track this, rapped on a very jazzy beat. Pretty intelligent for a 21 year old? I think so!

I'm not sure why Something Wicked was actually put on this album. It's beats, for me, just don't flow. Although Pac rips a great flow, he really doesn't talk about too much. He did this in the Young Black Male track, so it's redundant. Add to the fact that it's only about two and a half minutes long, and half of the track is Tupac yelling out, Something Wicked this Way Comes….well, I'd say it puts a damper on the album.

Stretch joins Pac on Crooked A*s N***a. Pac jumps into the verse, describing a N***a that he really does not like. When he rushes him, a cop jumps out to stop him. No problem, he guns both of them down. Tupac's flow is simply amazing in this song, although it would be a classic song if his lyrics were a bit better, and redundant cries of "suddenly I see, a N***a that I don't like", but a damper on it. All in all, a very good track that could have been superb. As I said before, the wordplay and flow betray the fact that Tupac's just 21 when he released this!

Tupac gives a shoutout to his homies in If My Homie Calls. He describes his life as a new rap star in the game, with the riches and bit*hes. More importantly, he reaches out to his homeboys and reminds him that no matter who he is, he'll always be there for them.

And I, hear that you made a few enemies
But when you need a friend you can depend on me, call
If you need my assistance there'll be no resistance
I'll be there in an instant

Backed by a very 80ish beat, Tupac flows very nicely to the song, putting plenty of emotion into it. Superb track.

Back to story telling Shakur. This is the song that first made him famous, Brenda's Got A Baby. Here, Tupac breaks from rapping about racism, and instead, focuses on communal problems. He constructs a tale of a girl who gets pregnant at a young age. Her family doesn't care, and the father also couldn't care less. Brenda's got to support her baby, so she turns to prostitution. Eventually she gets killed, and there ends the story. As much as I like this track, it would have been helpful if Tupac pointed out a few solutions to the problems, like he did in Keep Ya Head Up. Lyricism is top notch, however:

Cause I bet Brenda doesn't even know
Just cause your in tha ghetto doesn't mean ya can't grow
But oh, that's a thought, my own revelation
Do whatever it takes ta resist tha temptation

Tupac tries his hand at a pimpin' song with Tha Lunatic. He doesn't quite pull it off here, with his voice not flowing to the beat, which is not sexy in the slightest. And just what is Stretch, the man who spits Thug Life lyrics from his huge baritone voice, doing on a track like this? This song goes nowhere, unfortunately. It's strange though, how Stretch's voice really changed, if you listen to Thug Life. He sounds lighter here….almost as if he's trying to be soft.

Tupac turns rebellious in The Rebel Of The Underground. This is an interesting one. On one hand, we have some good lyrics, as we've seen throughout this album. But the beat is so wack…..it sounds like something out of Ronald McDonald's playlist. The song just does not flow together. With some better production, this album could have been a real classic, ranking up there with Me Against The World and Strictly For My N***az. Not to be though.

Tupac finishes off with a superb track, and the production is finally at par here. Part Time Mutha is a story about a girl named Cindi, who plays Tupac mother as a dope fiend. Cindi then comes on the track herself, explaining her side of the story. A story of how she was sexually abused by her step father. Tupac then comes back with a superb verse about realization. He busts a girl, thinking nothing will happen, but she gets pregnant. Although he curses himself for his luck, he tends to the baby. He realizes the struggle women have to go through, and in essence, becomes A Part Time Mutha: Superb lyrics, and wonderful story telling.

Cuz she came back with the kid and yo
I been payin ever since
The clothes the food the cars and oh the rent
All of my time gets spent at the workplace
No time to kiss her got me list in the first place



Tupac starts off his career with just a mind blowing debut. Although this track is not a "classic" classic, it does come extremely close. Tupac's outstanding storytelling is the highlight of this track, along with his outstanding lyricism. A must have for a true hip hop fan, you'll enjoy!

Shehezaada