Me Against the World
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| Me Against the World | ||
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| Studio album by 2Pac | ||
| Released | February 27, 1995 | |
| Recorded | 1994 | |
| Genre | Rap | |
| Length | 65:57 | |
| Label | Amaru Entertainment | |
| Producer(s) | Easy Mo Bee, Johnny "J", SoulShock, Tony Pizarro | |
| 2Pac chronology | ||
|---|---|---|
 Thug Life Vol. 1 (1994) |
 Me Against the World (1995) |
 All Eyez on Me (1996) |
Me Against the World is a rap album by Tupac Shakur, released on February 27, 1995 (see 1995 in music). The album was recorded before and while Shakur was recovering from his November 1994 shooting, and released while imprisoned for sexual assault. Perhaps as a result of these circumstances, Me Against the World has become known to many as the most incendiary of Shakur's releases, expressing an intensely personal mix of emotions and reactions to the events of his life. The album was originally released by Shakur's label Out Da Gutta Records. While maybe listeners found the frequent digressions into the dangers of paranoia, organized crime and the moral repercussions of violence extremely refreshing in the mid-1990s world of hard-edged, nearly cartoonish thug rap albums.
This album, has been credited as setting the 'nothing to lose' persona adopted by many rappers since Shakur's death. The album is generally regarded as a classic album by the hip hop community due to its soulful and emotional content, claiming that Pac could make you feel as if you were in his shoes throughout the album, thus making the album distinct from others. In one particular review it was said that Tupac's uncovered and raw humanity created a flow of inspiration and vibes through all who heard the album, and that it is a remarkable and somewhat insightful musical achievement.
Me Against the World topped the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts. Shakur thus became the first artist to have an album debut at #1 while incarcerated. In a late-1995 interview with MTV, Shakur expressed amazement over the fact that Me Against the World held the top spot on the Billboard charts, over artists as mainstream as Bruce Springsteen. In a different interview with MTV's Tabitha Soren, taped after Shakur was bailed out of the Clinton Correctional Facility, the rapper described Me Against the World as his favorite album, up to that point. The album debuted at number-one and stayed there for four weeks and first week sales of 240,000 copies which was the record for highest first week sales for a solo male rap artist at the time.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Performer(s) | Producers(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | Dan O'Leary, Debbie Hambrick, Jay Jensen, Jill Rose, Sarah Diamond | Tony Pizzaro, Jill Rose (co-producer) |
| 2 | "If I Die 2Nite" | 2Pac | Easy Mo Bee |
| 3 | "Me Against The World" | 2Pac, Dramacydal, Puff Johnson | SoulShock & Karlin |
| 4 | "So Many Tears" | 2Pac, Digital Underground, Stretch, Thug Life | Shock G |
| 5 | "Temptations" | 2Pac | Easy Mo Bee |
| 6 | "Young Niggaz" | 2Pac, Killa (backing vocals), Le-Morrious "Funky Drummer" Tyler (backing vocals), Milia (backing vocals), Moe ZMD (backing vocals) | Le-Morrious "Funky Drummer" Tyler, Moe Z.M.D. |
| 7 | "Heavy In The Game" | 2Pac, Eboni Foster (backing vocals), Lady Levi (backing vocals), Richie Rich | Mike Mosley, Sam Bostic |
| 8 | "Lord Knows" | 2Pac, G-Money (backing vocals), Kenyatta (backing vocals), Killa (backing vocals), Kim Armstrong (backing vocals), Natasha Walker (backing vocals) | Brian G, Moe ZMD (co-producer), Tony Pizarro co-producer) |
| 9 | "Dear Mama" | 2Pac, Reggie Green (backing vocals), Sweet Franklin (backing vocals) | Tony Pizarro, DF Master Tee (co-producer), Moses (co-producer) |
| 10 | "It Ain't Easy" | 2Pac | Tony Pizarro |
| 11 | "Can U Get Away" | 2Pac | Mike Mosley |
| 12 | "Old School" | 2Pac | SoulShock, Ezi Cut (co-producer) & Jay B (co-producer) |
| 13 | "Fuck the World" | 2Pac | Shock G |
| 14 | "Death Around the Corner" | 2Pac | Johnny J |
| 15 | "Outlaw" | 2Pac, Dramacydal, Rah Rah (backing vocals) | Moe Z.M.D. |
[edit] Samples
If I Die 2Nite
- "Tonight Is The Night" by Betty Wright
- "Deep Cover" by Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
- "Tonite" by DJ Quik
Me Against The World
- "Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes
- "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton
So Many Tears
- "That Girl" by Stevie Wonder
Temptations
- "Sing A Simple Song" by Sly & The Family Stone
- "Computer Love" by Zapp
Young Niggaz
- "Sing A Simple Song" by Sly & The Family Stone
- "Strange" by Cameo
Heavy In The Game
- "Just Be Good To Me" by S.O.S. Band
Lord Knows
- "All I Ask" by Blackbyrds
Dear Mama
- "In All My Wildest Dreams" by Joe Sample
Can U Get Away
- "Happy Feelin's" by Maze & Frankie Beverly
Old School
- "We Share" by Soul Searchers
[edit] Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
 |
"Dear Mama"
|
 |
"So Many Tears" |
 |
"Temptations" |
- The A-Side of "Dear Mama" features the song "Thug Life's Bury Me A G" with Natasha Walker
[edit] Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1995 | Me Against The World | #1 | #1 |
[edit] Singles Chart Positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||||
| The Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Rhythmic Top 40 | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1995 | "Dear Mama/Old School" | #9 | #3 | #1 | #16 | #1 |
| 1995 | "So Many Tears" | #44 | #21 | #6 | - | #41 |
| 1995 | "Temptations" | #68 | #35 | #13 | - | - |
[edit] Personnel
- 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) - Main Performer
- Yaki Kadafi (Yafeu Fula) (as Dramacydal) - Performer
- Malcom Greenridge (Big Malc)(as Dramacydal) - Performer
- Richard Serrel (Richie Rich) - Performer
- Kim Armstrong - Performer (bckgr)
- Paul Arnold - Engineer, Mixing
- Reggie Green - Performer (bckgr)
- Jeff Griffin - Mixing
- Simon "Sickhead" Hardman - Engineer, Mixing
- Puff Johnson - Performer (bckgr)
- Jay Lean - Engineer, Mixing
- Eric Lynch - Engineer
- Bob Morris - Engineer
- Gawthaman Gobinath - Engineer
- Ronnie Vann - Guitar
- Kevin Davis - Engineer, Mixing
- Tony Pizarro - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Eric Altenburger - Art Direction, Design
- Tim Nitz - Engineer
- Eboni Foster - Performer (bckgr)
- Sam Bostic - Producer
- Jill Rose - Performer
- Natasha Walker - Performer(bckgr)
- Dramacydal - Performers
- Richard Serrell - Performer (bckgr)
[edit] References
- ^ "Timeline: 25 Years of Rap Records". BBC News. Oct. 11, 2004. Retrieved on Apr. 10, 2006, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3734910.stm
