All Eyez on Me |
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Released: February 13, 1996 Peak: 12 US, 13 RB, 32 UK, 11 CN, 19 AU Sales (in millions): 5.89 US, 0.30 UK, 8.90 world (includes US and UK), 24.66 EAS Genre: rap |
Tracks, Disc 1:Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts.
Tracks, Disc 2:
Total Running Time: 132:20 |
Rating: 4.286 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings)
Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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About the Album:2pac’s third album, Me Against the World, was released while he was serving a prison term for sexual abuse. It made him a superstar, reaching the pinnacle on the Billboard album chart and going double platinum. All Eyez on Me became the rapper’s second album to debut at #1 and sold even more copies than its predecessor.It was his first release after signing with Death Row, a label helmed by Suge Knight “that dealt exclusively in…gangsta rap.” TB Unlike some of his peers, 2pac “really did come from the background of bleak, inner-city violence he rapped about.” TB It showed him “hardened and hungry” AM as he “unleashed all his pent-up frustrations into creating a larger-than-life gangsta rap persona.” CQ “Nobody was going to rep the West Coast harder than he was, as demonstrated by the unadulterated aggression of Ambitionz Az a Ridah.” CQ Throughout the album, he rapped “about his experiences in poverty and in luxury.” WK He was eager “to throw down a monumental epic whose sheer scope would make it an achievement of itself.” AM It was “the first double-disc album of original material in hip-hop history.” AM This album finds him “backing off the sober self-recognition of Me Against the World. Sure, there are a few reflective numbers and dead-homiez tributes, but they’re much more romanticized this time around. All Eyez on Me is 2Pac the thug icon in all his brazen excess, throwing off all self-control and letting it all hang out – even if some of it would have been better kept to himself.” AM As implied by the title, 2pac’s fourth album reflects how “he’d been affected by several years of living in the spotlight. He sounds somewhat paranoid, quick to draw conclusions about people and their motives; on Only God Can Judge Me, he muses, ‘Perhaps I was blind to the facts, stabbed in the back / I couldn’t trust my own homies, just a bunch of dirty rats.’” TM “Among Shakur’s enduring contributions to hip-hop is his effective use of R&B-style hooks, repetitive and often sung catchphrases. These offset the brutality of the All Eyez raps with basic structure. Can’t C Me, one of several tightly wound Dr. Dre productions, features the sepulchral vocals of George Clinton doing a P-Funk thing; All About U contains a refrain sung by Nate Dogg over a beat that flirts with disco.” TM “The production of Dre, DJ Pooh, DJ Quik, and Johnny J round out All Eyez on Me by finally offering Pac a soundtrack that could fully match his talents.” CQ It is “easily the best production he’s ever had on record.” AM Johnny J’s work is most notable on the club smash How Do U Want It AM and Dr. Dre “contributes another surefire single in California Love (which, unfortunately, is present only as a remix, not the original hit version). Both hits are on the front-loaded first disc, which would be a gangsta classic in itself.” AM This is “an accurate depiction of what made him such a volatile and compelling personality.” AM “From the social commentary of the still-relevant Brenda’s Got a Baby to the unbridled rage of Hit ‘Em Up and everything in between, Tupac’s range as a rapper remains unparalleled.” CQ “Other highlights include the anthemic Snoop Dogg duet 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, All About U (with the required Nate Dogg-sung hook)” AM “and the introspection of I Ain’t Mad at Cha,” CQ “a tribute to old friends who’ve gotten off the streets.” AM There are also “showcases for his group The Outlawz like Thug Passion.” CQ The two-hour-plus “ode to the gangsta lifestyle isn’t without its warts.” CQ “Despite some good moments, the second disc is slowed by filler and countless guest appearances, plus a few too many thug-lovin’ divas crooning their loyalty. Erratic though it may be,” AM “Pac’s burning passion elevates the album to another level.” CQ All Eyez on Me is “carried off with the assurance of a legend in his own time, and it stands as 2Pac’s magnum opus.” AM Sadly, it was his last album (other than posthumous releases). He was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996. |
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First posted 4/17/2008; last updated 7/15/2025. |
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