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Me Against the World

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Me Against the World is a hip hop album by Tupac Shakur, released on March 14 1995 (see 1995 in music). The album was recorded before and while Shakur was recovering from his November 1994 shooting, and released while he was incarcerated. 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 consists of frequent digressions into the dangers of paranoia, organized crime, and the moral repercussions of violence. Although the album was originally released on Shakur's label Out Da Gutta, Amaru Entertainment, the label owned by Shakur's mother, has since gained the rights to it.

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. 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 longest time at the top of the charts for a solo male rap artist at the time.[1]

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 2 Nite" 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/Humpty Hump (chorus and background vocals) Shock G
14 "Death Around the Corner" 2Pac Johnny J
15 "Outlaw" 2Pac, Dramacydal, Rah Rah (backing vocals) Moe Z.M.D.

Samples

"If I Die 2Nite"

"Me Against the World"

"So Many Tears"

"Temptations"

"Young Niggaz"

  • "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & The Family Stone
  • "She's Strange" by Cameo

"Heavy in the Game"

"Lord Knows"

"Dear Mama

"Can U Get Away"

"Old School"

  • "We Share" by Soul Searchers
  • "Dedication" by Brand Nubian

Album singles

Album chart positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1995 Me Against the World 1 1

Singles chart positions

Year Song Chart positions
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 - -

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)

References

  1. ^ Timeline: 25 Years of Rap Records. BBC News (October 11 2004). Retrieved on April 10 2006, from
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