Tupac Shakur
Me Against The World
Description
Recorded following his near-fatal shooting in New York, and released while he was in prison, Me Against the World is the point where 2Pac really became a legendary figure. Having stared death in the face and survived, he was a changed man on record, displaying a new confessional bent and a consistent emotional depth. By and large, this isn't the sort of material that made him a gangsta icon; this is 2Pac the soul-baring artist, the foundation of the immense respect he commanded in the hip-hop community. It's his most thematically consistent, least-self-contradicting work, full of genuine reflection about how he's gotten where he is -- and dread of the consequences. Even the more combative tracks ("Me Against the World," "f*** the World") acknowledge the high-risk life he's living, and pause to wonder how things ever went this far. He battles occasional self-loathing, is haunted by the friends he's already lost to violence, and can't escape the desperate paranoia that his own death isn't far in the future. These tracks -- most notably "So Many Tears," "Lord Knows," and "Death Around the Corner" -- are all the more powerful in hindsight with the chilling knowledge that he was right. Even romance takes on a new meaning as an escape from the hellish pressure of everyday life ("Temptations," "Can U Get Away"), and when that's not available, getting high or drunk is almost a necessity. He longs for the innocence of childhood ("Young Niggaz," "Old School"), and remembers how quickly it disappeared, yet he still pays loving, clear-eyed tribute to his drug-addicted mother on the touching "Dear Mama." Overall, Me Against the World paints a bleak, nihilistic picture, but there's such an honest, self-revealing quality to it that it can't help conveying a certain hope simply through its humanity. It's the best place to go to understand why 2Pac is so revered; it may not be his definitive album, but it just might be his best. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Tracks
| Track | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro | 1:39 | |
| 2 | If I Die 2Nite | 4:02 | |
| 3 | Tonight's The Night | 0:00 | |
| 4 | Tonight | 0:00 | |
| 5 | Deep Cover | 0:00 | |
| 6 | Me Against The World | 4:38 | |
| 7 | Walk On By | 0:00 | |
| 8 | Inside My Love | 0:00 | |
| 9 | So Many Tears | 3:58 | |
| 10 | That Girl | 0:00 | |
| 11 | Temptations | 5:00 | |
| 12 | Computer Love | 0:00 | |
| 13 | Watch Yo Nuggets | 0:00 | |
| 14 | Young Niggaz | 4:52 | |
| 15 | She's Strange | 0:00 | |
| 16 | Heavy In The Game | 4:22 | |
| 17 | Lord Knows | 4:30 | |
| 18 | All I Ask | 0:00 | |
| 19 | Dear Mama | 4:38 | |
| 20 | In My Wildest Dreams | 0:10 | |
| 21 | Sadie | 0:10 | |
| 22 | It Ain't Easy | 4:53 | |
| 23 | Can U Get Away | 5:44 | |
| 24 | Happy Feelin's | 0:00 | |
| 25 | Old School | 4:39 | |
| 26 | We Share | 0:00 | |
| 27 | Dedication | 0:00 | |
| 28 | f*** The World | 4:12 | |
| 29 | Death Around The Corner | 4:06 | |
| 30 | Outlaw | 4:31 |
