2pac A.K.A. Makaveli: The Don Killuminati (The 7 Day Theory) (1996)

 

The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, under the name of Makaveli, a pseudonym derived from the Italian politician Niccolo Machiavelli, who faked his own death and reappeared seven days later to take revenge on his enemies. Naturally, the appearance of Don Killuminati so shortly after Tupac's death led many conspiracy theorists to surmise the rapper was still alive, but it was all part of a calculated marketing strategy by Death Row. All Eyez on Me proved that Tupac was continuing to grow as a musician and a human being, but Don Killuminati doesn't improve upon that image; instead it concentrates on G-funk beats and East Coast/West Coast rivalries. If Tupac had survived to complete Don Killuminati, it is likely that the record would have been even better.

~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

1.	Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply) - E.D.I. / Makaveli / Young Noble
2.	Hail Mary - Makaveli / Outlawz
3.	Toss It Up - Makaveli
4.	To Live & Die in L.A. - Makaveli / Val Young
5.	Blasphemy - Makaveli
6.	Life of an Outlaw - Makaveli / Outlawz
7.	Just Like Daddy - Makaveli / Outlawz
8.	Krazy - Makaveli
9.	White Man'z World - Makaveli
10.	Me and My Girlfriend - Makaveli
11.	Hold Ya Head - Makaveli / Tyrone Wrice
12.	Against All Odds - Makaveli

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2pac: Me Against The World (1998)

 

Recorded following his near-fatal shooting in New York, and released while he was in prison, Me Against the World is the point where 2Pac really became a legendary figure. Having stared death in the face and survived, he was a changed man on record, displaying a new confessional bent and a consistent emotional depth. By and large, this isn't the sort of material that made him a gangsta icon; this is 2Pac the soul-baring artist, the foundation of the immense respect he commanded in the hip-hop community. It's his most thematically consistent, least-self-contradicting work, full of genuine reflection about how he's gotten where he is -- and dread of the consequences. Even the more combative tracks ("Me Against the World," "Fuck the World") acknowledge the high-risk life he's living, and pause to wonder how things ever went this far. He battles occasional self-loathing, is haunted by the friends he's already lost to violence, and can't escape the desperate paranoia that his own death isn't far in the future. These tracks -- most notably "So Many Tears," "Lord Knows," and "Death Around the Corner" -- are all the more powerful in hindsight with the chilling knowledge that he was right. Even romance takes on a new meaning as an escape from the hellish pressure of everyday life ("Temptations," "Can U Get Away"), and when that's not available, getting high or drunk is almost a necessity. He longs for the innocence of childhood ("Young Niggaz," "Old School"), and remembers how quickly it disappeared, yet he still pays loving, clear-eyed tribute to his drug-addicted mother on the touching "Dear Mama." Overall, Me Against the World paints a bleak, nihilistic picture, but there's such an honest, self-revealing quality to it that it can't help conveying a certain hope simply through its humanity. It's the best place to go to understand why 2Pac is so revered; it may not be his definitive album, but it just might be his best.

~Steve Huey, All Music Guide

1.	Intro - 2Pac
2.	If I Die 2 Nite - 2Pac
3.	Me Against the World - Dramacydal / 2Pac
4.	So Many Tears - 2Pac
5.	Temptations - 2Pac
6.	Young Niggaz - 2Pac
7.	Heavy in the Game - Richie Rich / 2Pac
8.	Lord Knows - 2Pac
9.	Dear Mama - 2Pac
10.	It Ain't Easy - 2Pac
11.	Can U Get Away - 2Pac
12.	Old School - 2Pac
13.	Fuck the World - 2Pac
14.	Death Around the Corner - 2Pac
15.	Outlaw - Dramacydal / 2Pac

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Me Against the World $13.99