Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 16, 1993 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1992–93 [2] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 63:55 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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2Pac chronology | ||||
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Singles from Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... | ||||
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Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... is the second studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released on February 16, 1993, by Interscope Records and TNT Recordings and distributed by Atlantic Records. [1] N.I.G.G.A. in the title is punctuated to refer to 2Pac's backronym "Never Ignorant in Getting Goals Accomplished". [4] The album features guest appearances from the group Live Squad, 2Pac's stepbrother the Wycked (later known as "Mopreme", later a member of 2Pac's groups Thug Life and the Outlawz), Ice-T, Ice Cube, Treach, Apache, Poppi, Deadly Threat, R&B singer Dave Hollister and Digital Underground.
Similar to his debut, 2Pacalypse Now , the album contains many tracks emphasizing 2Pac's political and social views. The original album was going to be named "Troublesome 21" and released in September 1992, but it was scrapped due to being rejected by Time Warner. Many of these tracks still remained unreleased while "Keep Ya Head Up", "I Get Around", "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.", "The Streetz R Deathrow" and "Souljah's Revenge" were utilized for the new track listing. [5] [6]
Debuting at number 24 on the Billboard 200, this album saw more commercial success than its predecessor, and there are many noticeable differences in production. While 2Pac's first effort included a more underground or indie rap-oriented sound, this album was considered his breakout. It spawned the hits "Keep Ya Head Up" and "I Get Around". As of 2011, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... had sold 1,639,584 units in the United States. [7] In commemoration of its twenty-fifth anniversary, it was released on 180 gram double vinyl on February 16, 2018.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
Los Angeles Times | [9] |
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
Q | [11] |
The Source | 3.5/5 [12] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B [13] |
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... received generally positive reviews from critics. Melody Maker called the album "an adventure into life on the streets of America", delivered through raps that "drip with the sweat of hardcore funk". The Source said: "A combination of '60s black political thought and '90s urban reality, 2Pac is not afraid to speak his mind ... [balancing] the gangsta tendencies of street life with insightful revelations". [12] Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..., wrote Ian McCann in Q , "found 2Pac feted by Hollywood and Ice Cube no longer an influence but a guest. Bitter, more distant, it offers the legendary 5 Deadly Venomz, Keep Ya Head Up and, ominously, Something 2 Die 4, on which 2Pac's ma warns him if he can't find something to live for, he should find something worth dying for. Gulp." [11]
In a less enthusiastic review for the Los Angeles Times , Jonathan Gold found the production accomplished and 2Pac's raps "sort of entertaining" but regarded him as "a gifted mimic" with "no discernible style of his own" and "not an especially deep thinker". [9] Robert Christgau singled out "Keep Ya Head Up" as the record's only worthy track. [14]
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. debuted at number 24 on the US Billboard 200 and number four on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 38,000 units in its first week. [15] On April 19, 1995, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over one million copies in the United States. [16] As of September 2011, the album has sold 1,639,584 copies in the United States. [7]
All tracks co-produced by 2Pac.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Holler If Ya Hear Me" |
| Stretch | 4:38 |
2. | "Pac's Theme (Interlude)" | T. Shakur | The Underground Railroad | 1:56 |
3. | "Point the Finga" | T. Shakur | Big D the Impossible | 4:25 |
4. | "Something 2 Die 4 (Interlude)" | T. Shakur | Big D the Impossible | 2:43 |
5. | "Last Wordz" (with Ice Cube and Ice-T) | 3:36 | ||
6. | "Souljah's Revenge" | T. Shakur, B. Ervin | Bobcat | 3:16 |
7. | "Peep Game" (with Deadly Threat) |
| Bobcat | 4:28 |
8. | "Strugglin'" (with Live Squad) |
| Live Squad | 3:33 |
9. | "Guess Who's Back" |
|
| 3:06 |
10. | "Representin' 93" |
| Truman Jefferson | 3:34 |
11. | "Keep Ya Head Up" | T. Shakur | DJ Daryl | 4:22 |
12. | "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..." |
| Laylaw | 5:55 |
13. | "The Streetz R Deathrow" |
| Stretch | 3:26 |
14. | "I Get Around" (with Digital Underground) |
| D-Flow Production Squad | 4:19 |
15. | "Papa'z Song" (with Wycked of W.A.T.M.) |
| Big D the Impossible | 5:25 |
16. | "5 Deadly Venomz" (with Treach of Naughty by Nature, Apache and Live Squad) | Stretch | 5:13 | |
Total length: | 63:55 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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17. | "Holler If Ya Hear Me (New York Stretch Mix)" | T. Shakur | Stretch | 3:46 |
18. | "Keep Ya Head Up (Madukey Remix)" | T. Shakur | Moe Doe & Lea Reis | 4:18 |
19. | "I Get Around (Remix)" (with Digital Underground) |
| D-Flow Production Squad | 6:04 |
20. | "Papa'z Song (Vibe Tribe Remix)" (with Wycked) |
| Big D The Impossible | 5:16 |
21. | "Flex" | T. Shakur | Stretch | 4:16 |
22. | "Let's Get It On" (with Heavy D, The Notorious B.I.G., Grand Puba & Spunk Bigga) |
| DJ Eddie F & Willy Gunz | 4:05 |
Notes
This section possibly contains original research .(August 2023) |
Holler If Ya Hear Me
Pac's Theme (Interlude)
Point the Finga
Something 2 Die 4 (Interlude)
Last Wordz
Souljah's Revenge
Peep Game
| Strugglin'
Guess Who's Back
Representin' 93
Keep Ya Head Up
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
The Streetz R Deathrow
I Get Around
Papa'z Song
5 Deadly Venomz
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [22] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [23] | Platinum | 1,639,584 [7] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Me Against the World is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records and distributed by Atlantic Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and poverty.
Greatest Hits is a posthumous double-disc greatest hits album by American rapper 2Pac, released by Amaru Entertainment, Death Row Records, Interscope Records, and Jive Records on November 24, 1998.
2Pacalypse Now is the debut solo studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991 through TNT Recordings and Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place at Starlight Sound Studio in Richmond, California. Production was handled by members of Digital Underground production team The Underground Railroad, namely Big D the Impossible, Shock G, Pee-Wee, DJ Jay-Z, Raw Fusion and Live Squad. It features contributions from Stretch, Angelique, Dave Hollister, Pogo, Poppi, Ray Luv and Shock G among others. The album's title is a reference to the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now.
Tupac: Resurrection is a soundtrack album for the Academy Award-nominated documentary of the same name. It was released on November 14, 2003, by Amaru Entertainment and Interscope Records.
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur, his first posthumous album and the last released with his creative input. Recorded in July and August 1996, it was released on November 5, 1996, almost two months after his death, under the stage name of Makaveli, through Death Row Records, Makaveli Records and Interscope Records.
Maurice Shakur, better known by his stage name Mopreme Shakur, originally known as Wycked, is an American rapper. He was a member of the hip-hop group Thug Life and is the stepbrother of rapper Tupac Shakur. He was also a member of the Outlawz, but later dropped out because of a financial disagreement with Death Row Records.
R U Still Down? is the sixth studio album and second double album by American rapper, 2Pac, released on November 25, 1997. It is his second posthumous release and the first to be released without his creative input and contains previously unreleased material from the time period of his albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., Thug Life: Volume 1 and Me Against the World. Throughout the album, 2Pac airs his views on life from a time before he became involved in the controversial East Coast–West Coast rivalry. His lyrics foreshadow his death in songs like "Open Fire", "Thug Style" and "Only Fear of Death." The album spawned two hits, "Do for Love" and "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto", of which "Do for Love" was certified Gold by the RIAA. R U Still Down? sold 549,000 copies in its first week, and topped the R&B charts in the United States for three weeks.
"Ghetto Gospel" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur, which was released as the lead single from his 2004 posthumous album Loyal to the Game. The song was produced by American rapper Eminem and features a sample of Elton John's 1971 song "Indian Sunset".
Still I Rise is a collaboration album by 2Pac and Outlawz. The album excludes some of the original line up of Outlawz, including Hussein Fatal, who had left the group as he had refused to sign with Death Row. The album contains all previously unreleased, albeit remixed material. It was released on December 21, 1999 via Interscope Records.
Thug Life, Volume I is the only studio album by the American hip-hop group Thug Life. The album was released on September 26, 1994, by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records and distributed by Atlantic Records. The group, started by American rapper 2Pac, comprised 2Pac, his stepbrother Mopreme Shakur, and Stretch, who was heavily involved in 2Pac's previous two albums, Big Syke, The Rated R, and Macadoshis.
Live Squad was an American hip hop group and production team from Hollis, Queens, New York consisting of brothers Stretch and Majesty and DJ K-Low, best known for their early collaborations with Tupac Shakur.
"I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" is a song by American rapper 2Pac. It was released as the first single from the posthumous album R U Still Down? . The original version, titled "I Wonda if Heaven's Got a Ghetto", was released as a B-side on the 1993 single, "Keep Ya Head Up".
"Thugs Get Lonely Too" is a song by rapper Tupac Shakur. The song was released as a 12" promo single for his 2004 posthumous album Loyal to the Game. The song was also used as the b-side to the album's lead single "Ghetto Gospel".
"Keep Ya Head Up" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur from his second studio album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...(1993). It was released on October 28, 1993 as the album's third single.
"I Get Around" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his second studio album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993). It was released on June 10, 1993 as the album's second single and features Shakur's mentor Shock G and Money-B of Digital Underground, Shakur's old group. It was produced by Shock G, who produced it under the alias, The D-Flow Production Squad. AllMusic notes that in the song Shakur "brags about his sexual conquests". Chart-wise, it was the album's most successful single reaching number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
The discography of American rapper Tupac Shakur consists of 11 studio albums. Throughout his career and posthumously, Shakur sold more than 75 million records worldwide. He has scored 5 No. 1 albums on Billboard 200 and 8 No. 1 albums on Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums. In 2001, Guinness World Records hailed him as the then Best-selling artist of rap in the US. According to Recording Industry Association of America, he has sold 37.5 million albums and an additional 4 million under his alias Makaveli with "The Don Killuminati", making him the second best-selling hip-hop artist in history.
Randy Walker, better known by his stage name Stretch, was an American rapper and record producer, working in Live Squad. In the early 1990s, he joined 2Pac's rap group Thug Life. The November 30, 1994, shooting of Shakur led to their split. On November 30, 1995, Walker was shot and killed at the age of 27.
"Letter 2 My Unborn" is a song by Tupac Shakur, released as a posthumous single from his album Until the End of Time in 2001.
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.
"Papa'z Song" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his second solo album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993). It was released as the fourth and final single from the album. A music video was made for the single. The song peaked at number twenty four on the US Hot Rap Songs chart, number eighty two on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number eighty seven on the US Billboard Hot 100.