Happy Birthday Album (Feb-16): 30 years to 2Pac's "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..."

Happy 30 birthday to "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..." by 2Pac (Tupac Shakur).

I discovered Rap only after I discovered Rap-Metal through Rage Against the Machine's debut album which released a few months before Tupac's 2nd album.

About the Album:

The album features guest appearances from the group Live Squad, Wycked, 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 album sold around 1.7M copies in the US alone

About Tupac:

2Pac was born as Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 in NYC, to parents who were both political activists and Black Panther Party members.

The panthers started in Northern California in 1966. With the Afro-American Association, they organized in an emergent black nationalist tradition inspired by Malcolm X and others.

In 1969 Hoover said the party was "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country".

Track #1 Holler if ya hear me

Holler if ya hear me opened the album strong and powerful.

Some of the lyrics below (v2):

Pump ya fists like this

Holla if ya hear me, PUMP PUMP if you're pissed

To the sell-outs, livin' it up

One way or another you'll be givin' it up, huh

I guess 'cause I'm black born

I'm supposed to say peace, sing songs, and get capped on

But it's time for a new plan, BAM!

I'll be swingin' like a one-man clan

Here we go, turn it up, don't stop

To my homies on the block gettin dropped by cops

I'm still around for ya

Keepin my sound underground for ya

And I'ma throw a change up

Quayle ain't do nothing but blow my name up!

Now my homies in the backstreets, the blackstreets

They feel me when they rollin' in they fat jeeps

This ain't just a rap song, a black song

Tellin' all my brothers

And look for me in the struggle

Hustlin 'til other brothers bubble

2 comments on the bolded lines above: 

"Pump ya fists like this" -> 2Pac's support for the Black Panthers and Black power.      

       

"Quayle ain't do nothing but blow my name up!" refers to Then-Vice President, Dan Quayle, words again rap music in general,  and specifically against 2Pac. 

In September 1993, Quayle called on the record company to withdraw the album “2pacalypse Now” from stores. Quayle charged that the record was responsible for the death of a Texas state trooper , who was shot to death by a suspect who allegedly was listening to the album on the tape deck of a stolen truck when he was stopped by the officer.

Quayle essentially blamed 2Pac for the trooper’s death, but as he was condemning 2Pac, Quayle was actually giving him free promotion in the media as the intrigue led to more publicity and record sales.

As you know, there was a lot of hate and anger towards the police in 2Pac's songs. 

Atlanta arrest for shooting off-duty cops

Interesting to see that a few months after there release of the album (Spotify), Shakur was arrested in Atlanta for shooting two off-duty police officers, who where also brothers. The Atlanta police claimed the shooting occurred after the brothers were almost struck by a car carrying Shakur while they were crossing the street with their wives. As they argued with the driver, Shakur's car pulled up and he shot the brothers. However, there were conflicting accounts that the brothers were harassing a black motorist and uttered racial slurs. According to some witnesses, Shakur  had fired in self-defense as Mark Whitwell shot at them first.

Murdered in 1996

On September 7th 1996, Shakur was shot dead in Las Vegas. It looks like the Police did not make a serious effort to find out who killed him in the drive-by shooting.

Legacy

In 2002 Forbes magazine ranked Shakur at 10th among top-earning dead celebrities, selling 2.7M albums and earning $7M. 

Shakur had recorded 200 unreleased tracks at the time of his murder and 2Pac has put out more albums dead than alive.

Shakur is considered one of the most influential rappers of all time.

The artist not only sold over 75 million records worldwide, but he was also an actor, activist, entertainer, poet, and passionate leader. 

He used his music and other notable skills to address social issues hindering people of color from achieving success.