This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (August 2011)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
MVRemixReview	(9/10) [1]
RapReviews	(7.5/10) link
RS Album Guide	link
XXL	[2]

The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (Meaning Makaveli The Don - Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory and commonly shortened to The 7 Day Theory) is the fifth and final studio album by Tupac Shakur, under the new stage name Makaveli, finished before his death and his first studio album to be posthumously released.^[3] The album was completely finished in a total of seven days during the month of August 1996.^[4] The lyrics were written and recorded in only three days and mixing took an additional four days. These are among the very last songs he recorded before his fatal shooting on September 7, 1996.

In 2005, MTV.com ranked Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory at #9 on their greatest hip hop albums of all time list^[5] and, in 2006, recognized it as a classic.^[6] The emotion and anger showcased on the album has been admired by a large part of the hip-hop community, including other rappers.^[7] Ronald "Riskie" Brent is the creator of the Makaveli Don Killuminati cover painting.^[8] George "Papa G" Pryce, Former Head of Publicity for Death Row, claimed that "Makaveli which we did was a sort of tongue-in-cheek, and it was not really to come out, [but] after Tupac was murdered, it did come out... Before that, it was going to be a sort of an underground."^[9] The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and the Billboard 200.^[10] The album generated the second-highest debut-week sales total of any album that year,^[11] selling 664,000 copies on the first week. This album was certified 4X Platinum on June 15, 1999.^[12]

Concept [link]

Though Shakur had been using the name Makaveli as far back as All Eyez On Me, the Makaveli album was conceived as a sort of introduction for Shakur's alternate stage name. Thus, the album’s sleeve contains the text, "Exit 2Pac, Enter Makaveli", referring to the exit of the Shakur of the past and the new person, Makaveli.

The album cover, which features Shakur on the cross in an attempt to convey his crucifixion by the media, is intended to imply an artistic resurrection and according to some of his fans a literal one after his death.

On "Bomb First", which serves as the album’s introduction, seven shots are heard on the track. The first six are fired during Shakur’s speech and the seventh as he begins to rap the verse, therefore^{[original research?]} literally marking the end of 2Pac and the start of Makaveli, which happens to be the first word following the shot.

While All Eyez on Me was considered by Shakur "a celebration of life"^{[citation needed]}, he claims that Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is a much darker album^{[citation needed]} telling how bad the music will get in the future without him. Makaveli's style of rapping is still emotional, but is intensified throughout this album. Some songs on the album contain both subtle and direct insults to Shakur's rivals at the height of the East Coast-West Coast feud. Rappers insulted on the album include Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Xzibit, Jay-Z & Dr. Dre . Although Shakur insulted rapper Nas on "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and "Against All Odds", rapper Young Noble, who appeared on several songs on The 7 Day Theory, stated in an interview that the Nas song "I Gave You Power" served as a main inspiration for Shakur's "Me and My Girlfriend".^[13] Nas was to appear on Makaveli: 7 day theory, due to his and Shakur's reconciliation in 1996, sadly Shakur was murdered before any collaboration could occur. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was recorded and mixed in a mere 7 days in August 1996. It was released November 5, 1996 and debuted at number one on both the pop album and R&B/Hip-Hop album charts, with 663,000 albums sold in its first week.

Recording sessions [link]

Only six months after the release of his successful double-opus, All Eyez on Me, Shakur began work on Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. The album was written and recorded at the Can-Am Studios in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California over 3 days in the month of August 1996.^{[citation needed]} During those three days 20 songs were completed, 12 of which made the final product. The album did not feature the star-studded guest list that All Eyez on Me did. Most of the guest verses are supplied by Shakur's group The Outlawz. The only verse that was not from one of the Outlawz was from Bad Azz. Young Noble of the Outlawz recalled:

We had started writing the shit and we was taking long. 'Pac was like, "Who got something? Bad Azz you got something?" and it fit perfect, so it was meant for Bad Azz to be on that song. We had already been on a million 'Pac songs. That was his way of motivating us like, "If y'all ain't ready, then you don't make the song."^[14]

Production [link]

Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory has also gained praise for its production. Although many of Shakur's usual producers were not involved in the project, the producers still managed to come through for the project. The only producer Shakur had worked with prior to this album was QD3, the son of Quincy Jones and brother of Shakur's girlfriend Kidada Jones. Shakur also co-produces three tracks on the album. The other two producers were Hurt-M-Badd and Darryl “Big D” Harper. E.D.I. Mean of the Outlawz recalls:

At the time Hurt-M-Badd, who was just an up-and-coming producer at Death Row, and Darryl Harper, who was an R&B producer - Suge had him working on all the R&B projects - they had a green room up in Can-Am [Studios] which everybody around Death Row called the "wack room" because they said "Ain't nothing but wack shit come out of there." But we was up in the studio one day and we trying to get music done - ain't none of us producers - we see them two niggas in the "Wack room" and 'Pac like, "Go get them niggas." So niggas go bring them, 'Pac just putting niggas to work like, "I need a beat here, I need y'all to do this, do that." And these are niggas that nobody at Death Row was fucking with. They'll tell you themselves.^[15]

Track listing [link]

* = Co-Producer

The 3 Day Theory (Original Version)

Unused tracks

• Killuminati
• Black Jesus
• The World Iz Mine (Nas Diss)
• Watch Yo Mouth

Engineering [link]

• Tommy "D" Daugherty – Chief Engineer/Mixer
• Lance Pierre – Assistant engineer/Engineer/Mixer
• Justin Isham – Digital editing
• Troy Staton - Engineer/Mixer (Toss It Up Only)
• Guy Snider – Engineer/Mixer (Toss It Up Only)
• John Morris – Assistant engineer
• Scott Gutierrez – Assistant engineer
• Mastered by: Eddy Schreyer at Oasis Mastering
• Studios- Can Am Recording, Track Record Inc., Ameraycan Studio, and The Music Grinder

Chart positions [link]

See also [link]

• List of number-one albums of 1996 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1996 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1997 (U.S.)

References [link]

Makaveli Forum