The Outlawz were extremely lucky to have inherited a gold mine. As the unimpressive proteges of a recently departed rapping great, they gathered some songs they did with 2Pac when he was alive, and got a handful of talented producers to construct songs by marrying their beats with leftover verses from ‘Pac and freshly-written lyrics from them. The result was Still I Rise, released in 1999 and the second album containing posthumous material from 2Pac.

There are a couple of good songs here, and unsurprisingly, most of of them were probably done when ‘Pac was alive. The album starts off great with “Letter to the President”, a song that lambastes the U.S. President as apathetic towards poor black people. With fast-paced funk provided by QDIII, 2Pac blurts out lines like, “How hypocritical is [the Statute of] Liberty?/That blind b***h ain't never did s**t for me!” He must have lit up flames of inspiration under his proteges’ a***s, because their lines are just as impressive: “Mr. President, it's evident, nobody really care/For a struggle out the gutter, twenty-two with gray hair!” says Kastro, for example. Another great example of the click being inspired by their mentor is the ‘Pac-produced “Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)”, It features E.D.I. and Young Noble dropping heartwarming verses to women whose men have abandoned them and their children. Of course ‘Pac delivers, absorbing the grief of a thirteen year-old girl who was the victim of rape by three men:

Even though it wasn't me, I could feel the grief
Thinking with your brains blown, that would make the pain go
No! You got to find a way to survive
’Cause they win when your soul dies

“Black Jesuz” is a heartfelt call to some dark-hued champion of the ghetto, who can identify with the urban black poor (e.g. “It's like a saint that we pray to in the ghetto, to get us through…”). “Homeboyz” is a song pointing out the importance of friendship, especially in the kind of world 2Pac and the Outlawz come from. Everyone comes through, especially ‘Pac, of course, over the energizing beat provided by Daz Dillinger: “Busting with automatic straps, my raw raps like good crack/N****s fiending, I got ‘em coming back,” he spits. “The Good Die Young”, which was dedicated to the victims of the shooting at Columbia High School earlier that year, laments the loss of so many young lives to ghetto violence. At least in these songs, all the elements work – the beats are terrific, 2Pac drops some innovative or inspiring material, and the Outlawz keep up with him.

When they don’t, the Outlawz cause a downgrade in the songs, and it is painfully noticeable. Right after ‘Pac’s powerful verse about his childhood in the lovely, Johnny “J”-produced title track - “Still I Rise” - all the three members featured in this song can talk about is how they have the “passion for blasting bastards” (Khadafi) to “show ‘em what [they’re] made of” (Napoleon). “Teardrops and Closed Caskets” is simply an awesome track produced by QDIII – it has this slow-paced '80s vibe, and the ever-reliable Nate Dogg croons the hook in the background. But it’s bad enough that the vocals sometimes clash with each other; the Outlawz are not as inspired as their leader, and it drains some considerable appeal from the song.

But the Outlawz are not the only ones at fault. Remember, these songs were done in around 1996, when 2Pac was signed to Death Row and his thuggish image was at its peak. Thus, you also get a handful of songs where he’s just as repetitive and boring as his proteges, despite his ever-present distinctive voice. In “Secretz of War”, “As the World Turns”, “Hell 4 a Hustler”, “High Speed”, “Killuminati” and “Tattoo Tears”, 2Pac and the Outlawz just go on and on about Westside allegiance, violent retaliation, weed-smoking and having sex. “High Speed” in particular is unbearable in that its running time is a jaw-dropping six minutes. In some cases, the beat is the best thing about the song (for example, check out “Hell 4 a Hustler” and "Killuminati", the latter which features two killer 'Pac verses), but in other cases, even the beat fails to impress (e.g. “High Speed” and “Tattoo Tears”).

But the absolute worst happens when there is little or no ‘Pac. You might be reduced to tears with the shameful waste of a nice Johnny “J” beat in “U Can Be Touched” when you realize that 2Pac is relegated to the choral sidelines, leaving the Outlawz to spit their unmemorable bars. The last track, “Y’all Don’t Know Us” (this song does not even feature ‘Pac at all!), is a disaster of epic proportions. Not only is the beat a cacophonous mess; the Outlawz attempt to sing the chorus (my eardrums tremble even as I type this), and they produce Hip-Hop Hall of Shame-worthy lines like these: “I'm like the f*****g Def Squad - My ears ain't hearing y’all!” Oh God.

You know what, I don’t doubt that the Outlawz were sincere in their intentions, but they did a great disservice to their mentor by making Still I Rise. The very least they could have done is do a decent job, but the result of their endeavor is an overlong (seventy-three minutes) album which the listener might end up just liking at least a third of. The Outlawz have never been a group with a buttload of talent, so stuffing the majority of this disc with their lyrics – heck, making an album like this to begin with – was ill-advised. That is all the more reason why they should not have bothered at all. “You m***********s so fake, you they made me wanna earl,” says Young Noble in “Y’all Don’t Know Us”. Well, Mr. Noble, this album is so terrible, you guys make me wanna throw up. And to think this album actually went platinum. Ugh. Avoid this piece of crap.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Letter to the President
2. Still I Rise
3. Secretz of War
4. Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)
5. As the World Turns
6. Black Jesuz
7. Homeboyz
8. Hell 4 A Hustler
9. High Speed
10. The Good Die Young
11. Killuminati
12. Teardrops and Closed Caskets
13. Tattoo Tears
14. U Can Be Touched
15. Y’all Don’t Know Us

OTHER REVIEWS IN MY 2PAC SERIES:

2Pacalypse Now (1991)
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993)
Thug Life, Vol. 1 (1994)
Me Against the World (1995)
All Eyez On Me (1996)
The Don Killuminati: The 7-Day Theory (1996)
R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (1997)
Greatest Hits (1998)
Still I Rise (1999)
Until the End of Time (2001)
Better Dayz (2002)
Tupac: Resurrection Soundtrack (2003)
Loyal to the Game (2004)
'Pac's Life (2006)

Recommended: No

Great Music to Play While: Driving