2Pac - 2Pacalypse Now (25th Anniversary)

All the elements that made 2Pac great are already in place on his authoritative 1991 debut album 2Pacalypse Now, released when he was not even yet of drinking age. It features the singles "Trapped", "Brenda's Got a Baby" and "If My Homie Calls".

"Young Black Male" and "Trapped" exemplify his more overtly political style, later abandoned when he signed up with the Death Row label; "Crooked Ass Nigga" is the kind of violent gangsta-rap tune that made 2Pac a bogeyman to the genre's foes. On "I Don't Give a Fuck," Shakur keeps his humor up while conveying the oppressive reaction a young black male encounters while performing the most mundane of tasks: buying some chips.

"Brenda's Got a Baby" is a cautionary tale that shows Shakur at his poetic best: evocative and sympathetic, never condescending. The energetic production by 2Pac's Digital Underground pals is fully focused on unleashing his strengths rather than simply rehashing the successful DU sound.

This 25th Anniversary 2LP vinyl edition produced by Interscope Records in 2024.

TRACKLISTING:

SIDE A:

1. Young Black Male
2. Trapped
3. Soulja's Story

SIDE B

1. I Don't Give A Fuck
2. Violent
3. Words Of Wisdom

SIDE C

1. Something Wicked...
2. Crooked Ass Nigga
3. If My Homie Calls
4. Brenda's Got A Baby

SIDE D

1. Tha' Lunatic
2. Rebel Of The Underground
3. Part Time Mutha