Originally branding himself MC New York, 2Pac incorporated influences from the East and West Coasts, not to mention the South, to create a universalist message and sound that explains why murals of him can be found all the way to Sub-Saharan Africa. And as Death Row Records’ strain of gangsta rap defined the middle years of the decade, he became the label’s avatar. 2Pac and Snoop Doggy Dogg perform in the music video '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted' from the album 'All Eyez on Me' recorded for Death Row and Interscope Records. But there was also the funkadelic player (“I Get Around”), the insular loner (“Me Against the World”), the savage warlord (“Hit ’Em Up”) and the sensitive poet (“Brenda’s Got a Baby”). For much of his career, he embodied this revolutionary, fight-the-power ethos on songs like “Trapped” and “Keep Ya Head Up”, befitting the Afrocentric, conscious-minded milieu of the early ’90s. He was born Lesane Parish Crooks in 1971, but his mother (a Black Panther leader) swiftly changed his name to Tupac Amaru Shakur in honour of the last Incan emperor to perish while resisting Spanish rule. Even if his legend has become a tall tale, his music remains an indelible testament to the multitudes he contained. In fact, his closest analogue may not be late rival The Notorious B.I.G., but rather dorm-room icons of the mythologized past: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and James Dean. Erratic though it may be, All Eyez on Me is nonetheless carried off with the assurance of a legend in his own time, and it stands as 2Pac's magnum opus.2Pac is arguably the most influential rapper of all-time.
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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. Both hits are on the front-loaded first disc, which would be a gangsta classic in itself other highlights include the anthemic Snoop Dogg duet "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted," "All About U" (with the required Nate Dogg-sung hook), and "I Ain't Mad at Cha," a tribute to old friends who've gotten off the streets. Dre also contributes another surefire single in "California Love" (which, unfortunately, is present only as a remix, not the original hit version). On the plus side, this is easily the best production he's ever had on record, handled mostly by Johnny J (notably on the smash "How Do U Want It") and Dat Nigga Daz Dr.
In that sense, it's an accurate depiction of what made him such a volatile and compelling personality, despite some undeniable filler.
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. Sure, there are a few reflective numbers and dead-homiez tributes, but they're much more romanticized this time around. But more than that, it's also an unabashed embrace of the gangsta lifestyle, backing off the sober self-recognition of Me Against the World. With all the controversy surrounding him, 2Pac seemingly wanted to throw down a monumental epic whose sheer scope would make it an achievement of itself. Whatever the case, 2Pac re-emerged hardened and hungry with All Eyez on Me, the first double-disc album of original material in hip-hop history. Maybe it was his time in prison, or maybe it was simply his signing with Suge Knight's Death Row label.
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