The only rival that Tupac has in the lineup of greatness is Biggie, that conversation alone has tended to spark heated debates. Pac’s death elevated his name in the street hall of fame and thus he became “immortal” (alongside The Notorious B.I.G. of course). Pac was busy enough while he was alive that he has released more material posthumously than when he was breathing, and showing no signs of slowing down with releases slated for next year. In the most recent release “Better Dayz”, Executive Produced by CEO of Tha Row Records, Suge Knight, and Tupac’s own mother Afeni Shakur, we have another double disc on our hands which will reveal whether Pac could handle the problem of mass amounts of music and sustaining quality.
Our double disc adventure opens with an intro of a news journalist reporting live at sunset boulevard for the release of this very CD, and questions where all the material is coming from, basically echoing what we are all wondering. The intro rolls right into “Still Ballin”, a bangin beat which is easily identified as West Coast, a guest appearance by Trick Daddy as he delivers the 2nd verse surprisingly unnoticed.
“when We Ride on our Enemies” delivers a very noteworthy Tupac track, and as the title would indicate, it’s about everyone Pac considered against him, attacking many of the same individuals as on Makaveli. The chorus is mostly instrumental with Pac chanting the title but it comes extremely strong despite its simplicity. Jazze Pha produces and stars in “Changed Man”, along with T.I. & Johnta’ Austin, great feel and flow fits right at home in this track where Pac talks about being different yet the same since he’s come out the street. “F*** Em All” & “Never B Peace” both flow nicely, while the latter (mixed by Nitty) cameos the Outlawz at their best.
On “Mama’s Just A Little Girl” the mood is incredibly set by a spanish guitar assisted by the usual laid back snare, kick and bassline, a very smooth and gentle reflective track assisted by Kimmy Hill that tells the story of a young lady left alone since her parents are killed, she gets pregnant and watches her child (Tupac) suffer the same fate. “Late Night” is produced by DJ Quik who also features on the track, along with The OUTLAWZ, makes a nice appearance on this laid back west coast joint.
Disc One ends on “Thugz Mansion”, guaranteed to make you question the sanity of our executive producers during the opening seconds, until the acoustic guitar instrumental sets in and the beat majestically flows with Tupac’s verses, Nas makes a grand appearance and rips a heartfelt verse not to be forgotten anytime soon. This is a must-listen for everyone, Pac drops some open-hearted flow, “I cry at times, I once contemplated suicide / and would’ve tried / but when I held that nine / all I could see was my mama’s eyes”, remaining all the time relatable, “not knowin it’s hard to carry on when noone loves you / picture me inside the misery of poverty / no man alive has ever witnessed struggles I’ve survived”. The chorus settles perfectly, sung by J. Phoenix, helping you envision a heavenly resting place away from struggles, strife and worry.
Disc Two opens where the first disc left off, with “My Block (remix)” which still aims for our central ventricle, effectively touching down with a combination of Tupac’s famed reality lyrics, but adding a chorus sung by kids singing “Living life is but a dream / hard times is all we’ve seen”, a beautiful chorus and beat to match. Following is the familiar radio version of “Thugz Mansion” which brings such a brand new feel from the acoustic version, it’s amazing how huge a difference the music/beat plays in a song. The chorus is also switched up by Anthony Hamilton to spell out a more ghetto persona for the same song (minus Nas and J. Phoenix”), another future classic track chalked up.
Tyrese makes an appearance on “Never Call U B**** Again” singing a beautiful hook. Pac relates a story of him and his girl, the good times and bad while apologizing for the things he says and the way he acts. “Better Dayz” brings another laid back west coast bump talking about looking ahead for a hope of better days yet to come, a simple hook but backed up by Mr. Biggs creates an extremely effective track. Jazze Pha produces another track on “U Can Call” and sets a great chorus and laces another hot song. “Military Minds” suffers from poor production, the vocals are mixed too low to fully appreciate, and the chorus struggles also. “Fame” throws a catchy hook from the get-go, and Pac brings another fire laced verse, accompanied by Kadafi, Kastro, Napoleon, and Young Noble from the Outlawz, they each hold their own in memorable spit.
In “Fair Xchange remix” & “There U Go” Pac spits about females, the former including Mya singing the chorus, a forgettable track, while the latter will deserve a few spins now and again due to its relaxed easy feel. “This Life I Lead” has Tupac spitting “I want money in large amounts / my garage full of cars that bounce” which is basically par for the course once you calculate in his flame bringing down his enemies, Pac himself leads the chorus which undoubtedly leaves yet another track that sparks flame to add to this fireball.
Most artists struggle with putting out a strong double disc (Jay-z anyone?), and in fact it would be easy to assume that anyone who made ridiculous amount of tracks would suffer a great deal from lack of quality. Yet stunningly, even after several released discs, that is still not the case with Pac’s “Better Dayz”. From time to time a track will be forgettable “Military Minds” comes to…mind), but the rest fit perfectly into one of the top releases Pac has had competing even with his Makaveli release and “Me Against the World”. Shakur was not renowned for his ability to put complex word couplets together, it’s his remarkable skill of using a pen and one of a kind voice to relate woes (“Thugz Mansion”), street and cultural views (“They Don’t Give A F*** About Us”), and God (“Who Do U Believe In”) to anyone who has a set of ears and a heart. An amazing collection of material remixed for our enjoyment, a must have for any avid Pac fan, and even the ones who only want the Prime-choice of Tupac. An outstanding 4 out of 5 stars.
TRACK LISTING:
DISC ONE
1. INTRO
2. STILL BALLIN
3. WHEN WE RIDE ON OUR ENEMIES
4. CHANGED MAN
5. F*** EM ALL
6. NEVER B PEACE
7. MAMA’S JUST A LITTLE GIRL
8. STREET FAME
9. WHATCHA GONNA DO
10. FAIR XCHANGE
11. LATE NIGHT
12. GHETTO STAR
13. THUGZ MANSION – NAS ACOUSTIC
DISC TWO
1. MY BLOCK REMIX
2. THUZ MANSION
3. NEVER CALL U B**** AGAIN
4. BETTER DAYZ
5. U CAN CALL
6. MILITARY MINDS
7. FAME
8. FAIR XCHANGE REMIX
9. CATCHIN FEELINS
10. THERE U GO
11. THIS LIFE I LEAD
12. WHO DO U BELIEVE IN
13. THEY DON’T GIVE A F*** ABOUT US
4 out of 5