All Eyez on Me

Background

In October 1995, Suge Knight and Jimmy Iovine paid the $1.4 million bail necessary to get Shakur released from jail 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 under Death 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.

Euthanasia was the initial title of the album until it was changed to All Eyez on Me during the recording process. Shakur explained to MTV’s Bill Bellamy in December 1995 saying:

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.

Recording and production

The album features occasional guest spots from 2Pac's regulars, such as former-Thug Life members and The Outlawz, as well as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, and George Clinton, Rappin' 4-Tay, The Click, Method Man, and Redman among others. The song "Heartz of Men" samples a portion of Richard Pryor's comedy album That Nigger's Crazy. Most of the album was produced by Johnny "J" and Daz Dillinger, with help from Dr. 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.

Lyrical themes

The songs on All 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 of 2Pacalypse Now and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.... 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. The album also references the fact the 2Pac is under the attention of many fans, being his fourth studio album.

Singles

The first single, "California Love" featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman was released, December 28, 1995. This is perhaps 2Pac's best-known song and his most successful, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks (as a double A-side single with "How Do U Want It") and 5 weeks at number one in New Zealand. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award as a Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) in 1997. A remix version also produced by Dr. Dre appeared on the album. The song has since been certified 2x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" featuring rapper Snoop Dogg, was released as the second single on, May 7, 1996. The video was directed by one of 2Pac's production partners, Gobi M. Rahimi and was filmed four months prior to September 1996 shooting. The prelude for the song shows a parody of Biggie Smalls ("Piggie") and Puff Daddy ("Buff Daddy") in discussion with Shakur about the November 1994 shooting. The beginning of the scene where Tupac is speaking to Biggie is in reference to the movie Scarface where Tony speaks to his alleged killer before shooting him. The song peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

The third single, "How Do U Want It" featuring R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, was released, June 4, 1996. It was a Double A-side single to "California Love" in America. The song reached number one on the Billboard 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 by Ron Hightower and produced by Tracy D. Robinson. These two are distinguished by MPAA 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 in renaissance-age costumes, though all clothes are removed for the nude clip. The adult-material video also features numerous porn stars, including Nina Hartley, Heather Hunter, and Angel Kelly. The limousine segment seen in the clean version is the same except no nudity. The third one is the concert version, mostly them performing on stage. There are cameo appearances by K-Ci & JoJo, and fellow group member of Digital Underground Shock G both in the concert and studio segments.

"I Ain't Mad at Cha" featuring singer Danny Boy, was released 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 shot weeks before Shakur's death.

Hit 'Em Up

"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track featuring the Outlawz. It was released on June 4, 1996, as the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It". The song’s lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, including The Notorious B.I.G., Puffy, Mobb Deep, Lil' Kim, Lil' Cease, Chino XL and the entire Junior M.A.F.I.A.. The song was recorded in Los Angeles, California at Can-Am Studios in May 1996. Reporter Chuck Philips, who interviewed Shakur at Can-Am, described the song as "a caustic anti-East Coast jihad in which the rapper threatens to eliminate Biggie, Sean Combs (Puffy), and a slew of Bad Boy artists and other New York acts." The music video for "Hit 'Em Up" was filmed in a warehouse off Slauson Avenue near Fox Hills Mall in Los Angeles in May 1996. "Hit 'Em Up" had a large role in exacerbating the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry. The song is widely considered by the American hip hop community as one of the greatest "diss tracks" ever recorded. The song didn't appear on All Eyez on Me, due to it being recorded after the release of the album, however, it was included on Shakur's Greatest Hits album in 1998.

Critical reception

All Eyez on Me received widespread acclaim from critics. It was included in Rolling Stone's essential recordings of the 1990s. Spin magazine gave it a 7 out of 10, writing that, "As long as you don't expect philanthropy from Tupac, you'll find honesty and some pleasurably twisted scenarios." The record ranked No. 3 on Entertainment Weekly's list of Top 10 albums of 1996. AllMusic stated, "Maybe it was his time in prison, or maybe it was simply his signing with Suge Knight's Death Row label. Whatever the case, 2Pac re-emerged hardened and hungry with All 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 of Me 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". Writing for Los Angeles Times, Cheo Hodari Coker praised the album saying: "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 by Snoop Doggy Dogg and the Notorious B.I.G. And with such producers as DJ Pooh, DJ Quik, Dr. Dre and Johnny J laying down the tracks, he finally has a musical team worthy of his talent."

On MTV's Greatest Rappers of All Time list, All Eyez on Me was listed as one of 2Pac's "certified classic" albums, along with 2Pacalypse Now, Me Against the World, and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

Accolades

Commercial performance

All Eyez on Me debuted at number-one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It was the second album from 2Pac to do so, selling 566,000 copies in the first week. All Eyez on Me has shipped 10 million copies in the United States as of July 23, 2014 and has been certified Diamond by the RIAA, which makes it one of the best-selling albums in the U.S. In the UK, BPI certified the album Silver (300,000 copies sold) on January 1, 1997 followed by Gold on July 22, 2013 and Platinum on November 14, 2014. It has charted on Billboard 200 for 105 weeks in total.

All Eyez on Me is 2Pac's best selling album. 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.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for All Eyez on Me adapted from AllMusic and CD booklet.