Tupac Amaru Shakur,also known as 2Pac and Makaveli,was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists,having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Much of Shakur's music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities,and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.
Doggystyle is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg,then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 23,1993,by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's appearances on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic (1992),to which Snoop contributed significantly. The West Coast style in hip-hop that he developed from Dre's first album continued on Doggystyle. Critics have praised Snoop Dogg for the lyrical "realism" that he delivers on the album and for his distinctive vocal flow.
Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C.,Dr. Dre,Suge Knight,and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre,Snoop Dogg,Tha Dogg Pound,and 2Pac during the 1990s. At its peak,Death Row was making over US$100 million a year.
Murder Was the Case is a 1994 short film and soundtrack album starring and performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg. The 18 minute film was directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy and chronicles the fictional death of Snoop Dogg and his resurrection after making a deal with the Devil. The film's title comes from Snoop's song of the same name from his debut album,Doggystyle,which had been released a year earlier.
"California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper-producer Dr. Dre and American singer Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first single as the newest artist of Death Row Records. The remix is featured on the UK version of his fourth album,All Eyez on Me (1996),and is one of 2Pac's most widely known and most successful singles. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and also topped the charts of Italy,New Zealand,and Sweden. The song was posthumously nominated Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997.
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by hip hop artist 2Pac,featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It",released on June 4,1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers,chiefly Shakur's former friend turned rival,the Notorious B.I.G.. The song was recorded at Can Am Studios in 1996. A previous version of the song was recorded in October 1995.
Tha Doggfather is the second studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg,known then as Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 12,1996,by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. After the success of his debut album Doggystyle (1993),Snoop was charged with murder and in 1995,spent time preparing for the case that went to trial. On February 20,1996,he was cleared of all charges and began working on his second album without Dr. Dre providing work as a record producer. This was Snoop's final album on Death Row until 2022,when he acquired the rights to the Death Row Records trademarks from MNRK Music Group,releasing BODR the same year. This would be his last album under the moniker Snoop Doggy Dogg. Recording sessions took place from February 1996 to October 1996,with Suge Knight as the executive producer on the album,alongside the additional production from several record producers such as DJ Pooh,Daz Dillinger,Soopafly and L.T. Hutton;as well as guest appearances from Charlie Wilson,Kurupt,Tray Dee and Warren G,among others.
"Westside Story" is the debut single by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist the Game. The song was produced by both Dr. Dre and Scott Storch,and was co-written by Mike Elizondo,Dre,Storch,the Game and 50 Cent. It was released in 2004 as the lead single from Game's debut studio album The Documentary. The song debuted at #99 and peaked at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was an airplay-only release,thus no music video for the song was made. Rolling Stone's review of the album described this song as "a kind of L.A. version of "In da Club". The Game has stated that this song is a tribute to Tupac Shakur,with a direct reference to him,saying "I got +California Love+ fuckin' bitches to that Pac shit." The Game also makes references to Tupac's songs,California Love and Against All Odds. Other references include:Nate Dogg,Tha Dogg Pound (D.P.G.) and their song New York,Westside Connection,Michael Jackson and his album Thriller,DJ Pooh and Kool G Rap.
Da Game Is to Be Sold,Not to Be Told is the third studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on August 4,1998,by No Limit Records in the United States. It is his first album following his departure from Death Row Records in early 1998. It is the first Snoop Dogg album to have notable affiliates such as Dr. Dre,Nate Dogg,Warren G and others absent. It was also his first album to be released under a slight change to his stage name "Snoop Dogg" for contractual reasons.
"Snoop's Upside Ya Head" is the second European hit and the first single release of Snoop Doggy Dogg's 1996 second album Tha Doggfather. The song heavily samples "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops)" by the Gap Band and features new vocals from Gap Band's lead singer Charlie Wilson. It was released as a single in the UK on September 14,1996. It was released one day after Death Row Labelmate Tupac Shakur died from injuries sustained in a drive by shooting the week prior.
The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry was a feud between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States,especially from the mid-1990s. Focal points of the feud were East Coast–based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label,Bad Boy Records,and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur with Suge Knight and their Los Angeles-based label,Death Row Records. The feud culminated in the murders of both rappers in drive-by shootings. Although several suspects have been identified,both murders remain unsolved.
"The Next Episode" is a single by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre,released on April 25,2000 as the third single from his second studio album,2001 (1999). The track features Snoop Dogg,Kurupt and Nate Dogg,but only Snoop Dogg is credited. It is a sequel to Dre and Snoop's famous single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" from the former's debut album,The Chronic.
"Hail Mary" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur from his fifth studio album,The Don Killuminati:The 7 Day Theory (1996). It was released after his September 1996 murder under the Makaveli stage name as the album's third single. Hail Mary features rap verses by Kastro,Young Noble and Yaki Kadafi of the Outlawz rap group and vocals from reggae musician Prince Ital Joe. A music video was shot for the song and can be found on the DualDisc of The Don Killuminati:The 7 Day Theory.
"That's That" is the second single by Snoop Dogg from the album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. The song was the first single taken from the album in the United Kingdom,however the single only achieved notable success in the U.S.,where it reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song samples the melody played in the 1988 film Coming to America during the bathroom scene when Eddie Murphy gets washed by female servants.
"Pac's Life" is a single written and performed by American rappers Tupac Shakur and T.I and R&B singer Ashanti,produced by L. T. Hutton for Shakur's posthumously released album of the same name. It is a hip hop and R&B song;the second Tupac verse was recycled from a song titled "This Life I Lead". T.I. said in an interview that working on the song was an honor,as he idolized him while growing up.
All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13,1996,by Death Row and Interscope Records,the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre,Snoop Doggy Dogg,Redman,Method Man,Nate Dogg,Kurupt,Daz Dillinger,E-40,K-Ci &JoJo,and the Outlawz,among others.
"New York,New York" is a song from the American West Coast hip hop duo Tha Dogg Pound. The song is the lead single from their debut album,Dogg Food.
Johnny Lee Jackson was a Mexican-American multi-platinum songwriter,music producer and rapper best known for his early career with Death Row Records,and for his work with 2Pac on Me Against the World and All Eyez on Me,as well as 2Pac's posthumously released albums. He was born in Juárez,Mexico,in 1969 and raised in South Los Angeles. Johnny "J" was co-owner and CEO of Klock Work Entertainment.
David Royce Aron was an American recording engineer,live and studio mixer,record producer,and musician.
"Rapper's Ball" is a song by American rap artist E-40,featuring rapper Too $hort and Jodeci lead singer Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey. It is a single from the lead rapper's 1996 album Tha Hall of Game and is a B-side for E-40's song "Things'll Never Change",featuring The Dove Shack rapper Bo-Rock. The song peaked at #29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart along with "Things'll Never Change",becoming E-40's most successful song as a lead artist until "U and Dat" featuring T-Pain and Kandi Girl peaked at #13 on the Hot 100 in 2006. This song is considered a classic by most west coast rap fans,especially in E-40's hometown Vallejo which is in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. This song is also notable for featuring a diss to Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G. in which E-40 says,"Don't buy an $85,000 car before you buy a house",making reference to Biggie owning expensive cars but still not having purchased his own home. In the video,Tupac Shakur,who makes a cameo appearance,winks at the camera when this line is said. This song is also one of Too Short's successful songs amongst many Platinum Albums Too Short has recorded with other Bay Area HipHop Rap Legend. Later several Top Artists around the Bay would collaborate on the Album The Whole Damn Yay T.W.D.Y. a west coast supergroup formed by Ant Banks and released in 1999. The music video also features another Rap artist from the Bay Area most known for his Raw Gangsta Rap lyrics,Ice-T arriving with Too Short &playing pool with Tupac,albeit doesn't perform.
