#436 2Pac, 'All Eyez on Me' (1996)

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The mighty 2Pac! Anther glaring omission on the list last time. The final album to be released in Pac’s lifetime came out 7 months before his untimely murder. At 132 minutes over two CDs, this album really showcases the who’s who of ‘90s hip hop on production and features; Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Method Man, Redman, Warren G and George Clinton amongst mant others. It felt like I spent half the day listening to this one. Lyrics on the album explore police brutality, injustices, death and other socio-political themes. 2Pac’s music was as confronting and revolutionary as anything that came out in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Featuring ‘California Love,’ that song was one of the coolest I’d heard when I was 13. It really launched hip hop into the stratosphere. ‘Can’t C Me’ samples Snoop Dogg’s ‘What’s My Name,’ which in turn samples Funkadelic’s ‘(Not Just) Knee Deep.’ An interesting reinterpretation. And then there’s the title track, of course. I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected to. 2 hours of 2Pac seems too much in theory, but it turned out to be a very interesting and enjoyable 2 hours. The influence of this man is so far reaching. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, in fact, everyone in Hip Hop owes a debt of gratitude to 2Pac. Definitely worth a listen for anything with even a passing interest in hip hop. Seminal.

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