Me Against the World is a
gangsta rap album by
Tupac Shakur, released on
March 14,
1995 (see
1995 in music). The album was recorded while Shakur was recovering from a gunshot wound, and released while imprisoned for
sexual assault. Perhaps as a result of these circumstances,
Me Against the World has become known 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 has been labelled both optimistic and pessimistic in its outlook. While some observers were disgusted with the apparent
nihilistic apathy[?], others 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.
Especially after the mainstream success of Eminem's, Shakur's work in general, and this album in particular, has been scrutinized by onlookers. Shakur's hard-hitting blend of violent and intensely emotional rhymes (such as on the tribute "Dear Mama") made him an oddity in 1990s mainstream hip hop, and his subject matter could rarely be broached so directly in hip hop until Eminem made a career of emotionally charged lyrics of desperate violence and drug use. Many critics have pointed to the glaring race issue, of Shakur's virtual uniqueness in his mainstream success with emotional lyrics and Eminem's instant acclaim for the same from a white perspective. Others find Shakur's occasional denouncement of violence and introspective lyrics shallow and superficial, and argue that hip hop has since evolved a greater sense of social and personal responsibility.
Since Shakur's death soon after Me Agains the Worlds release, the lyrics have been scrutinized for clues to Shakur's mental state. Some believe he faked his own death, or was assassinated by any of a number of possible candidates.
Me Against the World topped the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts.
Track listing
- "Intro"
- "If I Die 2 Nite" (Clarke/Durham/Harvey/Two Pac/Wright)
- "Me Against the World" (with Dramacydal[?])
- "So Many Tears" (Baker/Jacobs/Two Pac/Walker/Wonder)
- "Temptations" (Clinton/Harvey/Murdock/Shider/Spradley/Troutman/Troutman/Two Pac)
- "Young Niggaz" (Blackmon/Jenkins/Leftenat/Moe Z/Singleton/Two Pac/Tyler)
- "Heavy in the Game" (with Ritchie Rich[?])
- "Lord Knows" (Two Pac)
- "Dear Mama" (Pizarro/Sample/Two Pac)
- "It Ain't Easy" (Pizarro/Two Pac)
- "Can U Get Away" (Beverly/Mosley/Two Pac)
- "Old School" (Buchanan/Tilery/Two Pac)
- "Fuck the World" (Jacobs/Two Pac)
- "Death Around the Corner" (Johnny J/Two Pac)
- "Outlaw" (with Dramacydal)
Personnel
- 2Pac - Vocals
- Kim Armstrong - Vocals (bckgr)
- Paul Arnold - Engineer, Mixing
- Reggie Green - Vocals (bckgr)
- Jeff Griffin - Mixing
- Puff Johnson - Vocals (bckgr)
- Jay Lean - Engineer, Mixing
- Eric Lynch - Engineer
- Bob Morris - Engineer
- Ronnie Vann - Guitar
- Kevin Davis - Engineer, Mixing
- Tony Pizarro - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Eric Altenburger - Art Direction, Design
- Tim Nitz - Engineer
- Eboni Foster - Vocals (bckgr)
- Sam Bostic - Producer
- Jill Rose - Vocals
- Natasha Walker - Vocals (bckgr)
- Dramacydal - Performer
- Richard Serrell - Vocals (bckgr)
Charting singles
Billboard - North America
1995 Dear Mama/Old School The Billboard Hot 100 No. 9
1995 So Many Tears The Billboard Hot 100 No. 44
1995 Dear Mama/Old School Hot Rap Singles No. 1
1995 So Many Tears Hot Rap Singles No. 6
1995 Temptations Hot Rap Singles No. 13
1995 So Many Tears Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 21
1995 Temptations Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 35
1995 Dear Mama Rhythmic Top 40 No. 16
1995 Dear Mama/Old School Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 1
1995 So Many Tears Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 41
1995 Dear Mama Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks No. 3
1995 Temptations The Billboard Hot 100 No. 68
External links
- lyrics (http://hem.passagen.se/deathrow/meagainst_lyrics.htm)
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is available under the
terms of the GNU Free Documentation License