2Pac:
Live

Release Date: 16 August 2004

Reviewed By: Usman Sajjad

1. Live Medley

2. Intro

3. Ambitionz Of A Ridah

4. So Many Tears

5. Troublesome

6. Hit Em Up

7. Tattoo Tears

8. Heartz Of Men

9. All About You

10. Never Call You Bitch Again

11. How Do You Want It

12. 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted

13. California Love

213 - Hardway
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Some names or events today can be matched to various titles or categories. For example, in politics we would classify Martin Luther King and Malcolm X as ‘revolutionists’. In football, we classify Brazilian legend Pele as a ‘natural born talent’. And finally when one says rap music, another utters Tupac Shakur, along with the ‘greatest of all time’. In my opinion, 2pac is exactly that, along with a poet, an influence on so many and consistent with his work due to albums flooding the scene after his death. However, before hopes are raised over the possibility of new material, this album contains his best hits all performed live in concert during 1996. Much like an ‘MTV Unplugged’ record, Deathrow’s Suge Knight releases a 13 track album of songs performed 100% live in concert. After their disaster of trying to re-work Tupac classics into remixes on the ‘Nu Mixxs Klassics’, could this be another way for Tha Row Records to earn money from their mid-Nineties money-maker, or could the album be a real success, like his other LPs?

One prospect on receiving this album to review was to hear Tupac’s well known intensity through his hoarse loud voice while still keeping a beat to every track. I am lucky enough to hear this quality lurk through on the venomous ‘Hit em Up’. Any tupac fan should be aware of this track that was fair to say, took the supposed ‘East Coast/West Coast’ war in new heights. Before he address the crowd to support the record for the West Coast before harshly rapping on the record about Biggie Smalls and Bad Boy “First off f***ed your b**** in the click you claim/ Westside when we ride we come equipped for game”. He shows the same intensity and power that people love him for on classic club friendly tracks like ‘California Love’, unfornateutly there is no Dre to join him on stage with the Outlawz, so he raps from the second verse, making a great record on wax seem unusual live. Other high energy cuts such as ‘Troublesome’ also have the rap legend performing the track perfectly, making his voice even enough to imagine you are there seeing him parade on the stage with his Outlaw homies.

Tupac’s versatility is shown best also in concert as he brings down his high energy feelings inside him to perform the slower, somber records such as ‘Never call you B***h again’ and ‘So Many Tears’, songs which are my favourite, but are made even more spectacular performed live. Pac’s rendition is nearly perfect as he performs ‘All About U’ without Nate Dogg on the chorus.2pac is however joined on stage by Snoop on ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted’, a forever west coast anthem, and also accompanied by KC and Jo Jo on ‘How do you want it’.

Although the album seems a good effort in hearing Tupac’s signature aggressive voice live over a record throughout the LP, the album is wrecked by two aspects- one being the situation of it being difficult to judge a live album unless you have seen Tupac perform on Dvd or in person. Therefore, it is possible to appreciate the quality of how well it was performed. And secondly, the album seem wrecked by the Outlawz getting on too many tracks with their over zealous voices acting as Tupac’s hype men. This is a problem on ‘Troublesome’ where they horribly sing the chorus and ‘All about U’ is butchered by them as they shout and rap over Tupac on every bar. Personally I would have preferred an album much like Jay Z and Lauryn Hill did with their respective ‘MTV Unplugged album’ where they performed with a live band on a PA, no pointless hypemen- just hit songs performed with a live band, where the artist can make it as loud or as soulful as possible.

The album sounds in no way like a continuous live performance as the song presentation could have been better and some cuts sound like they have been chopped up and thrown together. If this is an album which you must buy because you are collecting all of Tupac’s album, go ahead and invest in the LP, but other than this, I would wait until some new material arises from the depths of the concretes- probably to be released by Tupac’s mother Afeni .

2.5 Out of 5

Top 3 Tracks
10. Never call you Bitch again
9. All about You
12. 2 of Amerikaz most wanted

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