All Eyez on Me
Encyclopedia
All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by American rapper 2Pac
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

, released February 13, 1996 on Death Row Records
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...

 and Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...

.

The album is frequently recognized as one of the crowning achievements of 1990s rap music. It has been said that "despite some undeniable filler, it is easily the best production 2Pac's ever had on record". It was certified
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 5× Platinum after just 2 months in April 1996 and 9× platinum in 1998. The album featured the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 number one singles "How Do U Want It" and "California Love". It featured 5 singles in all, the most of any 2Pac album. Moreover, All Eyez On Me (which was the only Death Row release to be distributed through PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...

 by way of Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...

) made history as the first double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption(the first hip-hop double album was the Down South Hustlers compilation released in 1995 on No Limit/Priority Records , it was issued on two compact discs and a record four vinyl discs.

Chartwise, All Eyez on Me was the second album from 2Pac to hit number-one on both the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

 charts. It sold 566,000 copies on the first week of it's release, and was charted at number 89 on the top 100 with the top one-week Soundscan sales since 1991. The album won the 1997 Soul Train R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year Award. Shakur also won the Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at the 24th Annual American Music Awards.

Recording

All Eyez On Me was released after Suge Knight
Suge Knight
Marion "Suge" Knight, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including...

, CEO of Death Row Records
Death Row Records
Death Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...

, bailed 2Pac out of jail in exchange for signing to Death Row, fulfilling part of 2Pac's brand new contract. This double-album served as the first two albums of his three album contract.

The songs on All Eyez On Me are, in general, unapologetic celebrations of living the "Thug Lifestyle". Though there is the occasional reminiscence about past and present friends, it is a definite move away from the social and political consciousness of 2Pacalypse Now
2Pacalypse Now
- Unused Tracks :* "Crooked Nigga Too" * "Tears Of A Clown" * "Scared Straight '91"...

. The hit single "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted" is a collaboration with Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...

.

The album features occasional guest spots from 2Pac's regulars, such as former-Thug Life
Thug Life
Thug Life: Volume 1 is the debut album by the group Thug Life, started by rapper Tupac Shakur, and was released on September 26, 1994. The album was originally released by Shakur's label Out Da Gutta Records. Due to heavy criticism on gangsta rap at the time, the original version of the album was...

 members and the Outlawz
Outlawz
Outlawz, formally known as Outlaw Immortalz, is an American hip hop group founded by Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they are probably best known for appearing in the video "Hit 'Em Up", in a diss track aimed at Biggie Smalls and other New York...

, as well as Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...

, George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...

, Method Man
Method Man
Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...

, Redman
Redman
Reginald "Reggie" Noble , better known by his stage name Redman, is an American MC, rapper, DJ, record producer and actor. He came to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label. He is also well known for his collaborations with Method Man, including their starring roles in films and...

, and other guests. The song "Heartz of Men" samples a portion of Richard Pryor's comedy album "That Nigger's Crazy
That Nigger's Crazy
That Nigger's Crazy is the third official album release by Richard Pryor. It was recorded live at Don Cornelius' Soul Train nightclub in early 1974. This album won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album for 1974....

". Most of the album was produced by Johnny "J"
Johnny "J"
Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

 and Daz Dillinger
Daz Dillinger
Delmar Drew Arnaud , better known by his stage name Daz Dillinger is an American hip hop producer and rapper mostly known for his membership in the rap duo Tha Dogg Pound, with Kurupt, and his work with Death Row Records.-The Chronic, Tha Dogg Pound and Dogg Food:Daz began his career on Death Row...

, with help from Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...

 on the songs California Love
California Love
"California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single upon his release from prison in 1995. A popular remix version of the song appeared on his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me...

, which he himself appeared in also as an album guest spot, and "Can't C Me", which was Clinton's appearance.

Along with his Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (2Pac album)
Greatest Hits is a double disc greatest hits album for late rapper 2Pac, released by Amaru/Death Row Records in 1998. The album's non-chronological sequence highlights 2Pac's career; the 21 popular hits, some slightly re-edited for legal reasons, are accompanied by four previously unreleased songs:...

 album, All Eyez On Me is 2Pac's best selling album. The album was certified 5x Platinum in the United States after just 2 months and was later certified 9x platinum. It was re-released in 2001 as enhanced CDs containing the "California Love" music video. Both discs contained the same data track. It was also re-released as a Dual-Disc in 2005.

Reception

All Eyez on Me received critical acclaim from music critics.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

(5/13/99, p. 74) – Included in Rolling Stones Essential Recordings of the 90's.

Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

(5/96, p. 106) – 7 (out of 10) – "As long as you don't expect philanthropy from him, you'll find honesty and some pleasurably twisted scenarios."

Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

(12/27/96-1/3/97, p. 146) – Ranked #3 on Entertainment Weekly
s list of the Top 10 Albums And Singles Of 1996.

Q magazine (12/99, p. 90) – Included in Q magazine's 90 Best Albums Of The 1990s.

Musician
Musician (magazine)
Musician was a monthly magazine that covered news and information about American popular music. Initially called "Music America", it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in Colorado...

(6/96, p. 90) – "...gangsta rappers pretty much share the values of their Republican detractors: the emphasis on making money, the righteousness of bearing arms, the wonderfulness of consumption, respect for hierarchy and loyalty to one's own as overriding principles..."

Rap Pages (5/96, p. 30) – 7 (out of 10) – "Backed by 'everything we push goes platinum' Death Row Records and a new crew of comrades...the lyrical Jesse James is back to expound on his lengthy dogmas within the infrastructure of his music....[T]his album conveys sudden gleams of brilliance and thick and chunky hits, radio-friendly or not."

NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

(3/2/96, p. 47) – 9 (out of 10) – "All Eyez is his angry, end-of-tether, couldn't-give-a-shit meditation....an immense spewing of indignation and provocation, set to a brilliantly varied range of G-funk grooves....Tupac blasts out his non-PC opinions...with a competition-eliminating relentlessness."

Book 1

{|class="wikitable"

Book 2

The 1996 UK release includes the original version of "California Love" as track 14 on disc 2.

Unused tracks

  • All About U (Solo 'Pac version with 3 'Pac verses) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Don't Go To Sleep (Original version ft. The Outlawz) (Remixed on Pac's Life as "Sleep") (Produced by Dat Niggaz Daz)
  • When I Get Free (Remixed on Until The End Of Time
    Until the End of Time
    -Disc Two:Unused TracksKomradz - by Johnny J, unused original from "All Eyez On Me".Watch Ya Mouth- By Q.D.III, unused original from "The Don Killumiinati: The 7Day Theory".-Album chart positions:-Samples:*"Ballad of a Dead Soulja"...

    ) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Come With Me (Interlude) (Possibly produced by Dat Nigga Daz)
  • Secretz of War (Original, ft. The Outlawz, remixed on Still I Rise
    Still I Rise
    Still I Rise is an album by American hip hop group The Outlawz which is released as the third posthumous studio album of 2Pac, and the first album by the Outlawz as a group...

    ) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Still I Rise (Original, ft. The Outlawz, remixed on Still I Rise
    Still I Rise
    Still I Rise is an album by American hip hop group The Outlawz which is released as the third posthumous studio album of 2Pac, and the first album by the Outlawz as a group...

    ) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Better Dayz (Original ft. Big Syke, OFTB & Solo Version, Solo version remixed on Better Dayz
    Better Dayz
    -Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...

    ) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • The Struggle Continues (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Give Me Love
  • There U Go, remixed on Better Dayz
    Better Dayz
    -Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...

  • M.O.B. (Original) (Produced by Kurt Couthan), remixed on Until The End Of Time
    Until the End of Time
    -Disc Two:Unused TracksKomradz - by Johnny J, unused original from "All Eyez On Me".Watch Ya Mouth- By Q.D.III, unused original from "The Don Killumiinati: The 7Day Theory".-Album chart positions:-Samples:*"Ballad of a Dead Soulja"...

  • Komradz (ft. The Outlawz) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Smile
    Smile
    A smile is a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouth. The smile can also be found around the eyes . Among humans, it is an expression denoting pleasure, joy, happiness, or amusement, but can also be an involuntary expression of anxiety, in which case it is known...

     (Original), remixed on Scarface
    Scarface (rapper)
    Brad Terrence Jordan , better known by his stage name Scarface, is an American rapper, and recording artist from Houston, Texas and a member of the Geto Boys. He is originally from South Park, Houston.-Life and career:...

     album The Untouchable
    The Untouchable
    The Untouchable is the fourth album from Houston hip hop artist Scarface. Scarface debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time in his career with the album; in addition it peaked at the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for two weeks, giving Scarface his second #1...

  • Hit 'Em Up
    Hit 'Em Up
    "Hit 'Em Up" is a diss song by rap artist 2Pac , featuring his group the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996, from the album All Eyez on Me. The song’s lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly among them, Shakur's former...

     (Demo, ft The Outlawz, Storm and Prince Ital Joe) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Where U Been
  • Fair Xchange remixed twice on Better Dayz
    Better Dayz
    -Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...

    (Produced by Johnny J)
  • Late Night (Original, ft. AMG, DJ Quik
    DJ Quik
    David Martin Blake , better known by his stage name DJ Quik, is an MC and record producer. According to Quik himself, his stage name reflects his ability to produce records in short time....

    , and Outlawz Version ft. Hussein Fatal, Yaki Kadafi & extra 2Pac verse, the latter was released on Better Dayz
    Better Dayz
    -Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...

    ) (Produced by DJ Quik
    DJ Quik
    David Martin Blake , better known by his stage name DJ Quik, is an MC and record producer. According to Quik himself, his stage name reflects his ability to produce records in short time....

    )
  • What's Next?, remixed on Pac's Life (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • U Can't Fade Me
  • Penitentiary Bound (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Don't Stop the Music, remixed on Pac's Life as "Don't Stop" (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

  • Letter to My Unborn (Remixed on Until the End of Time
    Until the End of Time
    -Disc Two:Unused TracksKomradz - by Johnny J, unused original from "All Eyez On Me".Watch Ya Mouth- By Q.D.III, unused original from "The Don Killumiinati: The 7Day Theory".-Album chart positions:-Samples:*"Ballad of a Dead Soulja"...

    ) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • 6 Or 12
  • Fuck em All (ft. The Outlawz, Remixed on Better Dayz
    Better Dayz
    -Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...

    ) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Ambitions As a Fighta (Let's Get Ready to Rumble)
  • Still Ballin' (Remixed on Better Dayz
    Better Dayz
    -Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...

    ) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • Initiated (remixed on Daz Dillinger
    Daz Dillinger
    Delmar Drew Arnaud , better known by his stage name Daz Dillinger is an American hip hop producer and rapper mostly known for his membership in the rap duo Tha Dogg Pound, with Kurupt, and his work with Death Row Records.-The Chronic, Tha Dogg Pound and Dogg Food:Daz began his career on Death Row...

     album Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back) (Produced by Dat Nigga Daz)
  • U Can Call (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    ), remixed on Better Dayz
    Better Dayz
    -Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...

  • Outlaw Immortal (ft. The Outlawz) (Produced by Sam Sneed
    Sam Sneed
    Sam Sneed is a producer and rapper. He originally got his start working as a producer for K-Solo and the Hit Squad.-Death Row Records:...

    )
  • Without Ya Homeboyz (ft. The Outlawz, Remixed on Still I Rise
    Still I Rise
    Still I Rise is an album by American hip hop group The Outlawz which is released as the third posthumous studio album of 2Pac, and the first album by the Outlawz as a group...

    )
  • Playa Cardz Right (ft. Big Syke, E.D.I. Mean, Kadafi, Michel'le & Mopreme, remixed on Pac's Life) (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • If They Love Their Kids (Produced by Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    )
  • He vs. She (aka 4 My Niggaz) (Feat. Storm) (Produced by Johnny "J")
  • All Eyez on Me Demo/Snippets/Intro

Personnel

Information taken from Allmusic and CD booklet.
  • Art Director: George Pryce
  • Assistant Engineers: Michael Geiser, Alvin McGill, Mike Mosley, Patrick Shevelin
  • Assistant Producers: Larry Chatman, 2Pac
    Tupac Shakur
    Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...

  • Background Vocals: Nanci Fletcher (lead vocals), Dorothy Coleman, Danny Boy
    Danny Boy (singer)
    Daniel O’Connor, , best known as Danny Boy O’Connor, is an American rapper and a member of the hip-hop group, House of Pain. Danny Boy moved to California in the 80s where he masterminded House of Pain, one of the first all white hip-hop groups...

    , Ebony, Puff Johnson
    Puff Johnson
    Puff Johnson is an American singer-songwriter. She emerged on the music scene with the singles "Forever More", and "Over & Over" which appeared on the soundtrack of the film The First Wives Club, the single was a hit in Europe and Australia reaching the Top 20 in both continents...

    , Stacey Smallie, Natasha Walker, Danette Williams, Barbara Wilson
    Barbara Wilson
    Barbara Wilson is an African American singer, she is considered a "Hook Singer", singing the hooks on several classic West Coast hip hop songs. She was born in Hawthorne, California August 8, 1973. She is known best for her sensual soulful voice, most notably on the classic 1995 Dr.Dre song "Keep...

  • Designer: George Pryce
  • Engineers: Dave Aron
    Dave Aron
    David Royce Aron is a multi-platinum recording engineer, live and studio mixer, record producer and musician. He has worked with some of the most influential icons of the past decades including 2 Pac, Snoop Dogg, Sublime, Wu-Tang, Prince, Nate Dogg, Perry Farrell, Bobby Brown, Dr. Dre and U2...

    , Rick Clifford, Tommy "D" Daugherty, Alvin McGill, Troy Staton, Carlos Warlick, Keston Wright
  • Executive Producer: Suge Knight
    Suge Knight
    Marion "Suge" Knight, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including...

  • Illustrations: Henry "Hendogg" Smith
  • Keyboards: Sean "Barney" Thomas
  • Mastering: Brian Gardner
    Brian Gardner
    Brian Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner is a mastering engineer. He has worked on countless recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk, and dance pop. He is perhaps best known for his work on hip hop albums and in...

  • Mixers: Dave Aron, David Blake
    DJ Quik
    David Martin Blake , better known by his stage name DJ Quik, is an MC and record producer. According to Quik himself, his stage name reflects his ability to produce records in short time....

    , DJ Pooh
    DJ Pooh
    DJ Pooh is an American record producer, rapper, screenwriter and film director.-Biography:...

    , Dr. Dre
    Dr. Dre
    Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...

    , Johnny "J"
    Johnny "J"
    Johnny Lee Jackson , commonly known in the music industry as Johnny "J", was a Mexican multi-platinum songwriter, music producer and rapper who was perhaps best remembered for his production on Tupac Shakur's albums All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World, as well as many of Shakur's subsequent...

    , Mike Mosley, DeVanté Swing
    DeVante Swing
    Donald Earle DeGrate, Jr. , better known by his stage name DeVante Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. Swing rose to fame in the 1990s as the founding member of the trendsetting R&B group Jodeci, one of the more popular R&B acts of its time...

    , Carlos Warlick
  • Percussion: Carl "Butch" Small
  • Performers: 2Pac, Big Syke
    Big Syke
    Tyruss Himes, better known by his stage name Big Syke is an American rapper. His stage name is a revision of his childhood nickname, "Little Psycho"....

    , B-Legit
    B-Legit
    Brandt Jones, better known by his stage name B-Legit, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California.He is a member of The Click, a rap group formed by his cousin E-40. He was featured on the track "Aint Hard 2 Find" by 2Pac in All Eyez on Me. He has been on several independent labels such as...

    , C-Bo
    C-Bo
    Shawn Thomas, better known by his stage name C-Bo is an American rapper. He was born and raised in the south area of Sacramento, California. He has sold over 3.5 million albums independently since 1993...

    , George Clinton
    George Clinton (musician)
    George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...

    , CPO, Danny Boy, Dat Nigga Daz
    Daz Dillinger
    Delmar Drew Arnaud , better known by his stage name Daz Dillinger is an American hip hop producer and rapper mostly known for his membership in the rap duo Tha Dogg Pound, with Kurupt, and his work with Death Row Records.-The Chronic, Tha Dogg Pound and Dogg Food:Daz began his career on Death Row...

    , Dr. Dre
    Dr. Dre
    Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...

    , Dramacydal
    Outlawz
    Outlawz, formally known as Outlaw Immortalz, is an American hip hop group founded by Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they are probably best known for appearing in the video "Hit 'Em Up", in a diss track aimed at Biggie Smalls and other New York...

    , Dru Down
    Dru Down
    Darnel Robinson, better known by his stage name Dru Down, is an American rapper and actor from Oakland, California...

    , E-40
    E-40
    Earl Stevens , better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and investor from Vallejo, California. He is also part of the rap group The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. His solo debut album, Federal, was released in November 1992, after The Click's debut...

    , Fatal
    Hussein Fatal
    Bruce Washington , better known by his stage name, Hussein Fatal, is an American rapper and a member of Outlawz.-Murder of Tupac Shakur:...

    , Yaki Kadafi, Kurupt
    Kurupt
    Ricardo Emmanuel Brown , better known by his stage name Kurupt, also known as Kurupt Tha Kingpin, Kurupt Young Gotti or Young Gotstra is an American rapper and former Executive Vice President of Death Row Records...

    , Method Man
    Method Man
    Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...

    , Michel'le
    Michel'le
    Michel'le Toussant better known as Michel'le, is an American R&B singer-songwriter known for her squeaky, child-like speaking voice, which is a startling contrast to her strong vocals.-Career:...

    , Nate Dogg
    Nate Dogg
    Nathaniel Dwayne Hale , better known by his stage name Nate Dogg, was an American musician. He is noted for his membership of rap trio 213 and his solo career in which he collaborated with Dr. Dre, Warren G, Tupac and Snoop Dogg on many hit releases. Nate Dogg released three solo albums, G-Funk...

    , Outlawz
    Outlawz
    Outlawz, formally known as Outlaw Immortalz, is an American hip hop group founded by Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they are probably best known for appearing in the video "Hit 'Em Up", in a diss track aimed at Biggie Smalls and other New York...

    , Rappin' 4-Tay
    Rappin' 4-Tay
    Anthony Forté , better known by his stage name Rappin' 4-Tay, is an American rapper from the Fillmore District of San Francisco, California.-Music career:...

    , Redman, Richie Rich
    Richie Rich (rapper)
    Richard Serrell, better known by his stage name Richie Rich, is a rapper from Oakland, California.He is currently signed to Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records.-Early years :His rapping style is an influence on Snoop Dogg. In Snoop's own words...

    , Snoop Doggy Dogg
    Snoop Dogg
    Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...

    , Storm, Roger Troutman
    Roger Troutman
    Roger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years...

  • Photography: Ken Nahoum
  • Producers: David Blake, Daz Dillinger, DJ Pooh, Dr. Dre, Bobby Ervin, Johnny "J", Mike Mosley, Doug Rasheed, Rick Rock
    Rick Rock
    Rick Rock is a hip-hop music producer from the Bay Area.-Albums with Rick Rock production:*1996: All Eyez on Me by 2Pac*1996: Tha Hall of Game by E-40*1996: Seasoned Veteran by Richie Rich...

    , DeVanté Swing, 2Pac
  • Production Assistant: Larry Chatman
  • Project Coordinator: Roy Tesfay
  • Project Supervisor: Norris Anderson
  • Stylist: Barbara Warren
  • Talk Box: David Blake, Roger Troutman
  • Vocals: George Clinton, Nate Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nanci Fletcher

Album chart positions

{| class="wikitable"
! Chart
! Peak positions
|-
|Australian Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...


|align="center"|19
|-
|Belgium Charts (Flanders)
|align="center"|44
|-
|Belgium Charts (Wallonia)
|align="center"|34
|-
|Deutsch Albums Chart
|align="center"|16
|-
|Dutch Albums Chart
|align="center"|11
|-
|French Albums Chart
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...


|align="center"|99
|-
|Irish Albums Chart
|align="center"|61
|-
|New Zealand Albums Chart
|align="center"|15
|-
|Norwegian Albums Chart
|align="center"|34
|-
|Swedish Albums Chart
|align="center"|5
|-
|Switzerland Albums Chart
|align="center"|15
|-
|UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...


|align="center"|32
|-
|U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...


|align="center"|1
|-
|U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...


|align="center"|1
|}

Singles
{|class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="11"| Peak positions
|-
!style="width:6em;font-size:90%;line-height:1.3"| U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...


!style="width:6em;font-size:90%;line-height:1.3"| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...


!style="width:6em;font-size:90%;line-height:1.3"| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...


!style="width:6em;font-size:90%;line-height:1.3"| U.S. Hot Rap Singles
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...


!style="width:6em;font-size:90%;line-height:1.3"| U.S. Rhythmic Top 40
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...


!style="width:6em;font-size:90%;line-height:1.3"| U.S. Top 40 Mainstream
|-
|rowspan=5|1996
| "California Love (Remix)
California Love
"California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single upon his release from prison in 1995. A popular remix version of the song appeared on his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me...

"
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| 2
|align="center"| 34
|-
| "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted is a hip hop song written by 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger for 2Pac's 1996 double album All Eyez on Me. The song is a duet performed by 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" was released as promotional recording and was the album's second single, after...

"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
| "How Do U Want It
How Do U Want It
"How Do U Want It" is a hip-hop song performed by Tupac Shakur. It features K-Ci and JoJo and was the third single from his album All Eyez on Me. It was a Double A-side single to "California Love", and the song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. In the UK, the song peaked at #17.It...

"
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 23
|align="center"| —
|-
| "All Bout U"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
| "I Ain't Mad at Cha
I Ain't Mad at Cha
"I Ain't Mad at Cha" is the name of a song by rapper 2Pac released as the sixth single from his album All Eyez on Me. Although the album was released exactly 7 months before his death, the single was released shortly after his death. The song is a heartfelt tribute to his friend who had converted...

"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|}

End of decade charts

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (1990–1999)
!Position
|-
| U.S. Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"|97
|}

Chart precession and succession

Accolades

  • The information regarding accolades is adapted from Acclaimedmusic.net,except for lists that are sourced otherwise.
  • (*) signifies unordered lists

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Publication
! Country
! Accolade
! Year
! Rank
|-
|FNAC
|rowspan=2|France
|The 1000 Best Albums of All Time
|2008
|align="center"|461
|-
|Rock & Folk
Rock & Folk
Rock & Folk is a prominent French popular music magazine founded in 1966, and published in the Paris suburb of Clichy. Its current editor in chief in Philippe Manœuvre. Though the magazine's title includes the word "folk," it is in fact oriented strongly toward rock and roll, especially championing...


|The Best Albums from 1963 to 1999
|rowspan=2|1999
|align="center"|*
|-
|Babylon
|Greece
|The 50 Best Albums of the 1990s
|align="center"|7
|-
|Hip-Hop Connection
|rowspan=4|United Kingdom
|The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005
|rowspan=3|2005
|align="center"|35
|-
|The New Nation
|Top 100 Albums by Black Artists
|align="center"|64
|-
|rowspan=2|Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...


|The Ultimate Music Collection
|align="center"|*
|-
|90 Albums of the 90s
|1999
|align="center"|*
|-
|rowspan=2|About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....


|rowspan=6|United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...


|100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums
|rowspan=4|2008
|align="center"|80
|-
|Best Rap Albums of 1996
|align="center"|1
|-
|Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...


|The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008
|align="center"|87
|-
|Tom Moon
|1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
|align="center"|*
|-
|Ego Trip
Ego trip (magazine)
ego trip was the name of a hip hop magazine started in New York City in 1994. It lasted four years and 13 issues and distinguished itself based on its irreverence and defiant attitude, eventually adopting the tagline, "the arrogant voice of musical truth."-Description:The roots of the publication...


|Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98
|rowspan=2|1999
|align="center"|14
|-
|Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...


|The Essential Recordings of the 90s
|align="center"|*
|}

See also

  • Tupac Shakur discography
    Tupac Shakur discography
    This is the discography of Tupac Shakur, an American rapper. There have been ten studio albums released; four were released before Shakur's death on September 13, 1996 and six were posthumously released, the first being The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory released on November 5, 1996...

  • List of number-one albums of 1996 (U.S.)
  • List of number-one R&B albums of 1996 (U.S.)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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