| All Eyez on Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 13, 1996 (1996-02-13) | |||
| Recorded | October 13 – December 18, 1995[1] | |||
| Studio | Can-Am Studios (Tarzana, Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 132:20 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| 2Pac chronology | ||||
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| Singles from All Eyez on Me | ||||
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All Eyez on Me is the fourthstudio album by American rapper2Pac and the final to be released during his lifetime. It was released on February 13, 1996 – just seven months before his death – byDeath Row andInterscope Records with distribution handled byPolygram. The album features guest appearances fromDr. Dre,Snoop Doggy Dogg,Redman,Method Man,Nate Dogg,Kurupt,Daz Dillinger,E-40,K-Ci & JoJo, and theOutlawz, among others. It was produced by Shakur alongside a variety of producers includingDJ Quik,Johnny "J",Dr. Dre,DJ Bobcat,Dat Nigga Daz,Mr. Dalvin,DJ Pooh,DeVante Swing, among others. The album was mixed by DJ Quik. It was the only Death Row/Interscope release that was distributed throughPolyGram in the United States.
Agangsta rap album, 2Pacraps about his experiences of living in poverty and in luxury; critics particularly note that 2Pac widely diverges from thesocial and political consciousness of2Pacalypse Now (1991),Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993) andMe Against The World (1995). The album includes theBillboard Hot 100 number-one singles "How Do U Want It" (featuring K-Ci and JoJo) and "California Love" (with Dr. Dre, featuring Roger Troutman) and thehip-hop ballad "I Ain't Mad at Cha", along with theSnoop Doggy Dogg collaboration "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" as apromotional single. It featured four singles in all, the most of any of Shakur's albums. Moreover,All Eyez on Me made history as the first ever double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption globally.
All Eyez on Me was the second album by 2Pac to chart at number one on both theBillboard 200 and theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 566,000 copies in the first week. Seven months later, 2Pac wasmurdered in adrive-by shooting. The album won the1997 Soul Train Music Award forRap Album of the Year posthumously, and was also posthumously nominated forBest Rap Album at the39th Grammy Awards in 1997.[6][7] Shakur also won the award forFavorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at theAmerican Music Awards of 1997. Upon release,All Eyez on Me received instant critical acclaim and was praised for its innovation in the rap genre; it has since been ranked by critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. It was certifiedDiamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2014,[8] with shipments of over 5 million copies (each disc in the double album counted as a separate unit for certification), and in 2020 was ranked 436th onRolling Stone's updated list of the500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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In October 1995,Suge Knight andJimmy Iovine paid the $1.4 million bail necessary to get Shakur released from Clinton Correctional Facility, on charges of sexual abuse. At the time, Shakur was broke and thus unable to make bail himself.All Eyez on Me was released following an agreement between Knight and Shakur which stated Shakur would make three albums underDeath Row Records in return for them paying his bail. Fulfilling part of Shakur's brand new contract, this double-album served as the first two albums of his three-album contract.[9][10]
Euthanasia was the initial title of the album until it was changed toAll Eyez on Me during the recording process. Shakur explained toMTV'sBill Bellamy in December 1995 saying:
It's calledAll Eyez on Me. That's how I feel it is. I got the police watching me, the Feds. I got the females that want to charge me with false charges and sue me and all that. I got the females that like me. I got the jealous homeboys and I got the homies that roll with me. Everybody's looking to see what I'mma do now soAll Eyez on Me.[11]
All Eyez on Me was originally intended for a Christmas 1995 release but was pushed back as Shakur continued to record music and shoot music videos for the album.[11]
The album features guest spots from 2Pac's regulars, such as former-Thug Life members andThe Outlawz, as well asDr. Dre,Snoop Doggy Dogg,Tha Dogg Pound,Nate Dogg,George Clinton,Rappin' 4-Tay,The Click,Method Man & Redman among others.[12] The song "Heartz of Men" samples a portion of Richard Pryor's comedy albumThat Nigger's Crazy. Most of the album was produced byJohnny "J" andDaz Dillinger, with help fromDr. Dre on the songs "California Love", which he himself appeared in also as an album guest spot, and "Can't C Me", which was Clinton's appearance.DJ Quik also produced, mixed and made an appearance on the album, but had to use his real name on the credits because his contract withProfile Records prevented him from using his stage name.
The songs onAll Eyez on Me are, in general, unapologetic celebrations of living the "Thug Lifestyle". Though there is the occasional reminiscence about past and present friends, it is a definite move away from the social and political consciousness of2Pacalypse Now andStrictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z....[13] The songs on the album along with the name of the album itself, allude to the feeling of being watched. With songs like "Can't C Me" and "All Eyez on Me", 2Pac makes it known that he feels the presence of surveillance, most notably by the police and those wishing to do him harm. The album also references the fact that 2Pac is under the attention of many fans, being his fourth studio album and his first after spending almost a year in jail.[14]
The first single, "California Love" featuringDr. Dre andRoger Troutman was released, December 3, 1995.[15] This is perhaps2Pac's best-known song and his most successful, reaching number one on theBillboard Hot 100 for eight weeks (as a doubleA-side single with "How Do U Want It") and 12 weeks at number one inNew Zealand. The song was nominated for aGrammy Award forBest Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) in 1997.[16] Aremix version also produced by Dr. Dre appeared on the album. The song has since been certified 2× platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.[17]
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" featuring rapperSnoop Doggy Dogg, was released as apromotional single on, May 7, 1996.[18] The video was directed by one of 2Pac's production partners, Gobi M. Rahimi and was filmed four months prior to theSeptember 1996 shooting of 2Pac. The prelude for the song shows a parody ofBiggie Smalls ("Piggie") andPuff Daddy ("Buff Daddy") in discussion with Shakur about theNovember 1994 shooting. The beginning of the scene where Tupac is speaking to Biggie is in reference to the scene in the filmScarface in whichTony Montana speaks to his alleged killer before shooting him.[19] The song peaked at number 46 on the USBillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.[20]
The second single, "How Do U Want It" featuringR&B duoK-Ci & JoJo, was released, June 4, 1996.[21] It was paired with "California Love" as a double A-side single, with2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted and the non-album track,Hit 'Em Up serving as the B-sides. The song reached number one on theBillboard Hot 100. There were three videos filmed for the song: two in the same set for the single in April 1996. The video was directed byRon Hightower and produced by Tracy D. Robinson. These two are distinguished byMPAA rating (one is certified adult material). The video portrays a wild sex party with Jacuzzi, mechanical bull riding, cage dancing and pole stripping. All actors and actresses are dressed inRenaissance-era costumes, though all clothes are removed for the nude clip. The adult-material video also features numerous porn stars, includingNina Hartley,Heather Hunter, andAngel Kelly.[22] The limousine segment seen in the clean version is the same except no nudity.[23] The third one is the concert version, mostly them performing on stage. There are cameo appearances byK-Ci & JoJo, and fellow group member ofDigital UndergroundShock G both in the concert and studio segments.[24]
"I Ain't Mad at Cha" featuring singerDanny Boy, was released in Europe and parts of Oceania shortly after Shakur's death as the final single from the album, on September 15, 1996. For the video the song was re-recorded with a live band. The new track was recorded at Can-Am Studios by Conley Abrams. The video was filmed on May 15, 1996.[25][26]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [27] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[28] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [29] |
| NME | 9/10[30] |
| Pitchfork | 9.4/10[31] |
| Q |  [32] |
| Rolling Stone | [33] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [34] |
| Spin | 7/10[35] |
| USA Today | [36] |
All Eyez on Me received widespread critical acclaim.Spin magazine gave it 7 out of 10 and said: "As long as you don't expect philanthropy from Tupac, you'll find honesty and some pleasurably twisted scenarios."[35] The record ranked No. 3 onEntertainment Weekly's list of Top 10 albums of 1996.[37]AllMusic stated, "Maybe it was his time in prison, or maybe it was simply his signing withSuge Knight'sDeath Row label. Whatever the case, 2Pac re-emerged hardened and hungry withAll Eyez on Me, the first double-disc album of original material in hip-hop history. With all the controversy surrounding him, 2Pac seemingly wanted to throw down a monumental epic whose sheer scope would make it an achievement of itself. But more than that, it's also an unabashed embrace of the gangsta lifestyle, backing off the sober self-recognition ofMe Against the World. Sure, there are a few reflective numbers and dead-homiez tributes, but they're much more romanticized this time around. Despite some undeniable filler, it is easily the best production 2Pac's ever had on record".[27]
In theLos Angeles Times,Cheo Hodari Coker praised the album: "All Eyez on Me, a 27-song, 133-minute gangster's paradise, finds the rapper even more venomous than he was before his 11-month incarceration for sexual abuse. He displays no remorse for his tough life, and even less feeling for his enemies. The only thing jail time did for 2Pac was make his creative fires burn even hotter—he raps here with a passion and skill matched in gangsta rap only bySnoop Doggy Dogg and theNotorious B.I.G. And with such producers asDJ Pooh,DJ Quik,Dr. Dre andJohnny J laying down the tracks, he finally has a musical team worthy of his talent."[29]
Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times considered the album typical gangsta-rap fare, but with superior production. "Standard images of ghetto desperation turn up...but far more of 2Pac's rhymes are about living in luxury: driving a plush car, drinking cognac, smoking weed and having all the women he wants." Pareles notes that, "while 2Pac used to show some sympathy for women, he has returned to hard-line gangsta machismo, with women as either gold-digging 'bitches' or heavy-breathing, pliant 'hos'."[38]The Guardian gave the album two stars out of five, declaring it "one of these angry recriminatory discs would have been more than enough, thanks." finding that "too much of the two hours is consumed by self-justifying rants like Only God Can Judge Me and Skandalouz."[39] The review concluded that "There is some delicious g-funk here [...] but 2Pac's attitude sours the whole thing."[39]
"It's like a Cali thug-life version ofPink Floyd'sThe Wall – pure gangsta ego run amok over two CDs," complainedRolling Stone. "At that length, the album's all-hard-all-the-time tone approaches caricature."[40] Nonetheless, the album was included in the magazine's essential recordings of the 1990s.[41]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNAC | France | The 1000 Best Albums of All Time[42] | 2008 | 461 |
| Rock & Folk | The Best Albums from 1963 to 1999[43] | 1999 | * | |
| Babylon | Greece | The 50 Best Albums of the 1990s[citation needed] | 48 | |
| Hip-Hop Connection | United Kingdom | The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995–2005[44] | 2006 | 35 |
| The New Nation | Top 100 Albums by Black Artists[citation needed] | 2005 | 64 | |
| Q | The Ultimate Music Collection[citation needed] | * | ||
| 90 Albums of the 90s[45] | 1999 | * | ||
| Apple Music | United States | 100 Best Albums[46] | 2024 | 62 |
| rap.About.com | 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums[47] | 2008 | 80 | |
| Best Rap Albums of 1996[48] | 1 | |||
| Tom Moon | 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die[49] | * | ||
| Entertainment Weekly | The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008[50] | 87 | ||
| Ego Trip | Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–1998[51] | 1999 | 14 | |
| Rolling Stone | The Essential Recordings of the 90s[52] | * | ||
| 100 Best Albums of the Nineties[53] | 2010 | 50 | ||
| The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[54] | 2020 | 436 | ||
| Complex | The 90 Best Rap Albums of the '90s[55] | 2014 | 10 |
All Eyez on Me debuted at number-one on both the USBillboard 200 and the USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 566,000 copies in its first week, becoming 2Pac's second number one album on the chart.[56][57] The album was eventually certifieddiamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[58] As of September 2011,All Eyez on Me has sold 5,887,630 in the United States, making it 2Pac's highest-selling album.[59] It has charted on theBillboard 200 for 105 weeks in total.
In the United Kingdom, theBritish Phonographic Industry certified the album silver on January 1, 1997, followed by gold on July 22, 2013, and platinum on November 14, 2014, for sales of over 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[60]
It was re-released in 2001 as enhanced CDs containing the "California Love" music video. Both discs contained the same data track. It was also re-released as a Dual-Disc in 2005.
In July 1997, anti-rap activistC. Delores Tucker sued 2Pac's estate in federal court, claiming that lyrics naming her in "How Do U Want It" and "Wonda Why They Call U Bytch" inflicted emotional distress, were slanderous, and invaded her privacy.[61] The case was dismissed in 2001.[62]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ambitionz az a Ridah" | Dat Nigga Daz | 4:39 | |
| 2. | "All About U" (featuringSnoop Doggy Dogg,Nate Dogg,Yaki Kadafi,Hussein Fatal andDru Down) |
| 4:37 | |
| 3. | "Skandalouz" (featuring Nate Dogg) |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Got My Mind Made Up" (featuringDat Nigga Daz,Kurupt,Redman, andMethod Man) |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 5:13 |
| 5. | "How Do U Want It" (featuringK-Ci & JoJo) |
| Johnny "J" | 4:47 |
| 6. | "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 4:07 |
| 7. | "No More Pain" |
| DeVante Swing | 6:15 |
| 8. | "Heartz of Men" |
| DJ Quik | 4:44 |
| 9. | "Life Goes On" |
| Johnny "J" | 5:02 |
| 10. | "Only God Can Judge Me" (featuringRappin' 4-Tay) |
|
| 4:57 |
| 11. | "Tradin' War Stories" (featuringDramacydal,C-Bo, andStorm) |
|
| 5:30 |
| 12. | "California Love (Remix)" (featuringDr. Dre andRoger Troutman) |
| 6:25 | |
| 13. | "I Ain't Mad at Cha" (featuringDanny Boy) |
| Dat Nigga Daz | 4:54 |
| 14. | "What'z Ya Phone #" (featuring Danny Boy) |
|
| 5:08 |
| Total length: | 70:27 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Can't C Me" (featuringGeorge Clinton) |
| Dr. Dre | 5:31 |
| 2. | "Shorty Wanna Be a Thug" |
| Johnny "J" | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Holla at Me" |
| Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin | 4:55 |
| 4. | "Wonda Why They Call U Bytch" |
|
| 4:19 |
| 5. | "When We Ride" (featuringOutlaw Immortalz) |
| DJ Pooh | 5:09 |
| 6. | "Thug Passion" (featuringDramacydal,Jewell, and Storm) |
|
| 5:08 |
| 7. | "Picture Me Rollin'" (featuring Danny Boy,Syke, andCPO) |
| Johnny "J" | 5:15 |
| 8. | "Check Out Time" (featuringKurupt and Syke) |
|
| 4:39 |
| 9. | "Ratha Be Ya Nigga" (featuringRichie Rich) |
| Doug Rasheed | 4:14 |
| 10. | "All Eyez on Me" (featuring Syke) |
| Johnny "J" | 5:08 |
| 11. | "Run tha Streetz" (featuringMichel'le,Mutah, and Storm) |
|
| 5:17 |
| 12. | "Ain't Hard 2 Find" (featuringE-40,B-Legit, C-Bo, and Richie Rich) | Shakur |
| 4:29 |
| 13. | "Heaven Ain't Hard 2 Find" |
| QDIII | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 61:54 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "California Love" (short radio edit; featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) |
| Dr. Dre | 4:01 |
| Total length: | 136:21 | |||
Notes
Most of the songs on the list were remixed on posthumous 2Pac albumsStill I Rise,Until the End of Time,Better Dayz andPac’s Life.
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Credits forAll Eyez on Me adapted fromAllMusic and CD booklet.[64]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[93] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[94] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[95] | 2× Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[96] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[97] | Platinum | 37,200‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[98] | 3× Platinum | 45,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[99] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[100] | Diamond | 5,887,630[59] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
the lush g-funk of All Eyez On Me
InputAll Eyez on Me as the keyword, using thedrop-down lists below switch the parameters as follows [from top]:Title, All, Album, then tick theExact match checkbox and clickSearch.
