Sole Collector: View topic - Tupac Shakur - New Unreleased Track

Hellrazor1978 analyzes the 1996 Tupac Opus; Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

I know its long over due, but the wait is over!! Like the album itself was in 1996, Hellrazor brings you the much anticipated review of Tupac Shakur's swan song, Makaveli: The 7 Day Theory. Before I start the review itself though, I will be doing this the same style as I did MATW: with an analysis of the albums content, nature and the circumstances surrounding its creation. I will then follow with a track by track review of each song. So lets get this started.

August 1996. The east/west coast feud is at an all time high, and Pac's monster, star-studded double cd All Eyez on Me is tearing up the charts and has been certified 6x platinum. By now, he is clearly the biggest star rap music has ever seen, as well as the most controversial. His murder just a month ahead would send shockwaves throughout the industry and would cement his status as a true legend, in which hundreds of posthumous songs would be released later. But what was Pac doing in the weeks before his tragic death? He was working on two movies, Gridlock'd and Gang Related, as well as a new album which was completed just before his death. That album is the subject of this review, the 7 Day Theory. The album was released November 5th, 1996 to much anticipation, and it would easily shoot to #1 by selling over 700,000 copies in its first week, and eventually 5 million in the States.

The album is a complete 180 from All Eyez on Me. Gone are the star studded guest appearances and famous producers. The club songs are pretty minimal. And the overall mood and sound of the album is MUCH darker then anything he had ever written before. The album is almost like an exorcism of pent up rage and frustration, yet it also features some of his most compelling writing and subject matter ever. Almost all the songs are extremely dark in tone, its almost like MATW but on steroids. Pac has often been criticized for being a "simple" lyricist, but on this album there is strong signs he was becoming more lyrical, seen on tracks like Hail Mary, Blasphemy, Me and My Girlfriend, and Bomb First. Also, his voice is deeper and his growl meaner then on any of his previous albums, on some songs it sounds like he is rapping so furious his guts are ready to explode. The album starts with the extremely intense Bomb First, which is almost like his war song, calling out all his enemies by name and just basically letting them know ITS ON. But for all its rage and "extreme venom", there is much reflective material on this album too, such as on "Krazy" (almost like Life Goes on Part 2?), White Mans World (return to his political roots), Blasphemy (a totally new topic where Pac talks about the corruption of mankind through religion), and Just Like Daddy. The 7 Day Theory is a very controversial album even today. Not just for its depiction of Pac being crucified on the cover like Jesus, but its detractors feel the album is too angry and negative, while those who phrase it say its a brilliantly executed album that captures an amazing artist in his prime. I tend to go with the latter, I really love this album almost as much as MATW. While not quite as reflective, one must remember what he had been through since the former album and the making of this one. The production is very different and unique, its not your typical standard west coast g-funk album. The beats are very grimy and dark, even chilling, like on the albums most famous cut, Hail Mary. This song would go on to become one of the most loved and revered songs he ever made. The dark bassline with its eerie church bells and his dark prophetic songwriting made this song an instant masterpiece. Truly, this was an album that captured a man on the edge of sanity trying to find himself, and its clear by these recordings he had lost all hope and he knew his time had come. It comes as no surprise it was completed in 7 days. This album is brilliant, mysterious, dark, chilling, and emotional all at the same time. This was to be his last album sadly, but what a last album it was. Illmatic is possibly the greatest debut rap album ever, but this album is without any doubt the greatest swan song of the entire rap genre, and by a large margin. No other MC went out at the top of his game, and at such a young age with so much promise and potential as Pac did. I will now review each track:

Bomb First: Starts of off with newscaster talking about the east/west beef, and u can hear the bassline in the background building up. Right from the start, u can already tell this is going to be a very intense and dark album. Its explodes with 6 gun shots of Pac in a rage, then on the 7th gun shot his verse begins. The beat samples Naughty by Natures "Uptown Anthem", but this track is much darker. Pac produced much of the beat and in general he had a huge hand in the production of this album.

Hail Mary: Simply one of the most legendary recordings in rap music history. In some ways, this song is even more epic then So Many Tears, and I dont say this easily. But the beats, lyrics, everything about this song is on another level. Pac was clearly on some new shit. "I aint a killa but dont push me/revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin pu$$y, picture paragraphs being unloaded/wise words being quoted, peep the weakness in the rap game and sowed it"......its easy to see he was starting to turn into a more technical MC as well, this line was just one of many that hinted his lyrical game was up a notch as well.

Toss It Up: If this album has any weakness, its probably this song. Clearly it is misplaced on this album but supposedly Suge wanted it on there to give the album a more marketable feel so it wasnt a totally dark and gritty album. Its not a bad song, but certainly would have been more appropriate on AEOM, though of course this song wasnt made till several months later. The beat samples Black Streets "No Diggity" and was done as a mock to Dr. Dre who produced it. Dre is also dissed directly at the end of the song, lol.

To Live & Die In LA: The sequel to the huge hit CA Love (w/o gay ass Dre), lol. This track has a nice feel good cruising type sound to it, though even here there is a background tension. Samples a famous Prince song, I think it was "Do Me Baby", and overall its much more introspective on life in the City of Angels then "California Love" was. Pac almost takes you on a journey with him through LA during the song, and the video for it was done perfect, with shots of various places in LA, including the infamous Crenshaw area. This was the final single from the album as well.

Blasphemy: This is one of the primary songs which standout and make this album so loved by many. Its similiar to Hail Mary in sound, but lyrically, this track might be even sicker. Pac talks about the corruption of man and the evil doings of using religion as a block to hide them. His lyrical game is at its best here, with countless quotables. Prince Ital Joe gives the song an almost reggae feel on the chorus, which gives the song an even more unique sound. This is one of the best songs ever made I think, nothing short of perfect and has to be a top 10 jewel in Pac's catalog. The first time I heard this song, my jaw about fell off.

Life of An Outlaw: A nice guitar beat with some blusey type bass, this song doesnt break any new ground on the content side of things, but for those who like classic hardcore Pac, he delivers it in spades here. Pretty much a war song though it doesnt call out anyone in particular. The Outlawz verses are decent but this is one of the complaints about this album, some feel they were on the cd too much, and indeed they have 3 verses on this track. But still a very dope song all around. EDI's verse is probably the strongest after Pac's. One can only notice that this beat is very similiar to the one used on "High Speed", which appeared on the Still I Rise posthumous album.

Just Like Daddy: The woman positive song on the album. Its not on the same level as Keep Ya Head Up or Dear Mama, but its good still. Pretty much a song about a woman who never had a father figure, and it has a sorta sad feel but there is an underlying tension here as well. Pac should have spit one more verse on it, and it would have been a bit better.

Krazy: This song is incredible. Pac really opens up here, much in the same way as he did on Life Goes On, but this song has perhaps an even sadder feel. The piano driven beat, accopanied by a sick electric violin like instrument, gives this song a real tragic feel, and then Pac's brilliant songwriting and emotion make this one a real tear jerker. This is one of the standout songs on the album, and possibly in his career as well. Bad Azz makes a great guest appearance as well and drops probably his best verse ever. All in all if u dont like this song, there is something wrong with you, nuff said.

White Mans World: Another brilliant track, this one is about racism and growing up struggling as a minority. This is akin to the songs on his earlier albums, but with better production to back it. The verses show a desperate, sad, almost lost Tupac on here....he wrote this song for his sister as almost an apology to her and his mom. The interludes between verses with Malcolm X speaking really give the song that extra push too, and it turns out to be one of the best and most deep songs hes ever wrote. The beat is very mellow and sad, not as dark as the other records. "Sister sorry for the pain that I caused your heart, i know ill change if you help me but dont fall apart".....very powerful record.

Me And My Girlfriend: This track is one of the most troubling, and brilliant, on the album. Inspired by Nas's track "I Gave U Power", Pac makes his own version of a guns viewpoint. But where Nas was the gun, this track describes the gun as being a woman as the metaphor!! Absolutly brilliant. While not quite as lyrical as Nas's version, this song does an excellent job at concealing what its real concept was. Most people when they first heard the song, thought it was literally about a woman, but of course it isnt Very Happy

And thats the brilliance behind the songs concept. There are more classic lines to take in and snort here then in a coke house. On top of that, Pac raps with such conviction and emotion (nothing new, but still) to top it off. And the production?? Mind shattering. One of the most wicked and dark basslines ever, with a very very dark spanish guitar added in. This is one of the best beats ive ever heard, right up there with any that Dre, RZA, or Primo produced. And the producer of it, ironically, was Pac himself. Well, not entirely, but he wrote the concept and sound of it. One of my fav songs ever, no question.

Hold Ya Head: Another great track, very underrated too. Love the piano loop in this one. This is kind of like It Aint Easy part 2, but more raw, dark, and aggressive. Pac raps very fast and hard on the second verse, it sounds like hes ready to bust a lung or something. Like the 3 previous songs, this one is a absolute classic and one of the gems on this album.

Against All Odds: The final track, is one of the most controversial and explicit diss songs ever made, the realest shit he ever wrote!!! I like almost all the artists dissed in this song, but make no mistake about it, its clear Pac had had enough and the gloves were now off. In many ways, this song is more serious even then Hit Em Up, though not as shocking. Its such a shame though, that Pac wasnt able to reconcile with them, and even more tragic in that he was killed just weeks after this songs creation. The exception of course was Nas, who had met Pac at the MTV awards just prior to his shooting in Vegas. Pac and him were civil and he was gonna remove the disses toward him from this song, but it never happened cause Pac was killed. The beat is very dark and menacing, and fits the track perfectly. "probably be murder for the shit that I said, I bring the real, be a legend, breathin or dead"......so true, so sad, and so prophetic at the same, is that quote. RIP Pac.....we love you, and we love this album. I do anyway....

Pac's final album completes his trio of classic albums, and it can even be argued as being his best (I personally give the title to MATW, but by the narrowest of margins), as well as one of the best albums ever seen in hip hop history. Will there ever be another album as dark, emotional, powerful, well written, and mysterious/controversial as this one?? Probably not. Its such a shame we didnt get to see what was next, if this album was any indication to the direction he was taking, dude was going to SHUT THE RAP GAME DOWN. Makaveli is epic on the same level that the 90's Chicago Bulls were for basketball, Return of the King is for fantasy, etc. If All Eyez on Me didnt get him the crown, this album most certainly did.

5/5 masterpiece; the raw passion, sick innovative production and overall epic feel as well as the albums unique circumstances make this work as legendary as its creator.

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