All Eyez on Me (1996)

All Eyez on Me

• Shortly after being released from prison in 1995, Tupac Shakur was given a mandate from his label: two albums before they would let him leave the label. What manifested from this was 1996’s "All Eyez On Me", a double album showcasing Tupac’s illustrious life of fame and fortune as well as his connection to his “Thug Life”. We know in hindsight that much of his “Thug Life” was exaggerated for his image, but what he left us with was two hours of 90's west coast rap dripping in “Alize, Cristal, and weed” (lyrics from the song “No More Pain”). Seriously, I’m not sure I’ve heard the term ‘Alize and Cristal’ (a combination of liquor) more in my life than I did listening to this album. Tupac clearly had a drink of choice. Executively produced by super-producer Dr. Dre and hardcore label head Suge Knight (if you don’t know about Suge Knight, do some research, he was a wild guy), Tupac floats his way through twenty-seven tracks with rapturous bravado and his tongue in his cheek. Twenty-seven tracks is a lot and the album does feel very bloated, especially when listening front to back. Aiding this is the fact that Tupac, while immensely talented and popular, was not as great a rapper as everyone seems to claim, although this is just my opinion. For every great song on the album, there’s one or two songs that are just ‘meh’. That’s not to say the album isn’t good, though, because the good songs aren’t just good. They are GREAT. Led off by the Dre-produced “Ambitionz As A Ridah”, Tupac spends some time addressing his legal issues, specifically taking shots at the LAPD and the Los Angeles DA’s office (a sentiment he repeats on the later track, “Picture Me Rollin”). Released at a time when tension between civilians and police was at an all time high, just years after the Rodney King acquittals, many found themselves rooting for the ‘Outlaw’ Tupac against his lawful foes. Teaming up with Snoop Dogg on the west coast anthem “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted”, Tupac continues to detail his life of money, fame, and law-breaking, seemingly taking verbal shots at his "enemies" on the east coast. One thing is for sure with this album; Tupac had a lot of confidence, some might have even called him cocky, and he loved to run his mouth (it did make him a lot of money to be fair). Sadly, those traits may have hurt him in the long run, as just a few short months after this album was released, Tupac was shot and killed by a drive-by shooter in Las Vegas, Nevada. Motives still remain unclear to this day, but many speculate that Tupac’s routine cockiness and attitude towards those he didn’t like may have gotten him killed. Whatever the case, I hope he’s resting peacefully, drinking him some Alize and Cristal in the great beyond.