INTRODUCTION:

Sweet Jesus, this guy must have been that paranoid!

In 2001, the public was blessed with yet another double disc of leftover ‘Pac material. Or should I say…cursed? I mean, there were probably good reasons why a lot of this material was never released, mainly concerning quality and redundancy issues. But I guess the powers that be weren’t hearing it, and once again they shipped copies of a 2 CD-album to make twice the profit. Heck, this is 2Pac we are talking about, they must have thought. It doesn’t really matter how good or bad the songs are – we’re going to make a killing out of this!

Funny enough, Jadakiss remarked in his album Kiss tha Game Goodbye, which was coincidentally released that year, that “dead rappers get better promotion.” Don’t know about that in 2Pac’s case – his name alone is promotion enough. But he would have been right about the outcome – Until the End of Time outsold Kiss tha Game Goodbye more than six times over, going triple platinum (three million copies of each disc). I feel somewhat sorry for the 1.5 million-plus people who bought this, though. Here’s my explanation why:

DISC 1:

The opening track, “Ballad of a Dead Soulja”, is the first illustration of the main problem with Until the End of Time. Yeah, there’s the famous deep and passionate voice we all know and love, the occasional startling lines (e.g. “Swore I saw the devil in my empty glass of Hennessey!”), and the frequent brilliance of Johnny “J” encapsulated in the organ-heavy beat. But it’s the same ‘Pac lyrical staples – defiance, violent retaliation, paranoia. Yeah, ‘Pac, we’ve all heard this before.

That’s the ultimate bane of this disc; and indeed, the entire album – redundancy. “Lil’ Homies” is reminiscent of the cautionary “Young N****z” from Me Against the World. “F**k Friendz”, “Let ‘Em Have It” and “Thug n U Thug n Me (Remix)” are reminiscent of the Eyez sex disasters that were “What’s Your Phone #” and “Ratha Be Ya N***a”. There are the sporadic and digressive disses of Dr. Dre and Bad Boy Records in “F**k Friendz” and “Good Life”. ‘Pac and the Outlawz have yet more bouts with paranoia in “Breathin’”, then ‘Pac has his personal battles in “F*****g With the Wrong N***a”. There is more tough talk – complete with a quick swipe at Jay-Z – in “All Out”. And throw in “M.O.B.” and “World Wide Mob Figgaz” in there as well for more braggadocio. There really is hardly anything here that you have not heard before from ‘Pac, and sometimes, better.

Disc 1 is not totally worthless, for there are a few worthwhile songs, even though most of them could be better. “Everything They Owe” might just as well be the first rap song ever that advocates reparations for the descendants of African slaves in America. “Where's the restitution, stipulated through the constitution you violated?” he asked. Too bad Johnny “J” didn’t do a better job with the track, for 2Pac is obviously off-beat and the sung hook is uninspiring. “Letter 2 My Unborn Child” makes for a sad listen, for obviously ‘Pac never had a child. But his words are meant to serve as a guide through this turbulent world just in case he had one, and he mainly draws from his life. “I got shot five times but I'm still breathing/Living proof there's a God, if you need a reason,” he points out. Johnny “J” blatantly samples Michael Jackson’s “Liberian Girl,” but it manages to work. “Happy Home” does not fare as well, with its glossy production, but the beautiful lyrics about 2Pac trying to work things out with his girl and his child are touching to hear. In fact, it is welcome because it is yet more evidence of his sensitive side.

By far the best song in the album has to be the title track, “Until the End of Time”. No, it’s not as good as other songs like “Brenda’s Got a Baby” or “Dear Mama,” but comparatively speaking, there must have been a good reason why this was made as the centerpiece of the album. Here among the insipid material emerges a long-sought jewel. Over a melodramatic Johnny “J” beat sampled from Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings,” 2Pac hints at the main reasons for his prolificacy:

Remember me, as an outcast - Outlaw
Another album out, that's what I'm about, more
Getting raw 'til the day I see my casket, buried as a G
While the whole world remembers me
Until the end of time

Well, the whole world remembers him alright; in fact he is the most recognizable figure in hip-hop, even though he’s been dead for a decade. But his prolificacy is as much a curse as it is a blessing. It is albums like Until the End of Time that provides fodder for his detractors to confirm perhaps his greatest flaw – he could be awfully redundant. Song after song finds him using the same phrases and concepts again and again. It makes me wonder, what is the whole point of him making this many songs when they eventually start sounding the same? Being prolific per se is not necessarily a good thing.

The producers try to conceal the lyrical flaws with their beats, but such a valiant attempt has its limits. Much props are due, especially to Johnny “J”, a talented but unheralded producer who worked extensively with ‘Pac in All Eyez On Me, and who ends up producing ten of the fifteen tracks in Disc 1. A song of particular note is “Thug n U Thug n Me (Remix)” – even with the generic lyrics, he provides an arousing (no pun intended) backdrop that makes the song a guilty pleasure. He does that, too – to a lesser extent – with “World Wide Mob Figgaz”, the vibrant funk meshing well with the fast and energetic deliveries of 2Pac and the Outlawz. But occasionally the beat fails along with the lyrics. For example, “All Out” is an unmitigated disaster - it comprises a clamorous beat clashing with 2Pac and the Outlawz’ constant rambling about their tough-guy images.

Oh, Johnny “J” did not produce “All Out”, by the way.

In any case, Disc 1 is virtually useless. It’s just more of the ‘Pac of the Death Row era – the paranoid, troublemaking and nihilistic thug that is worshipped by millions of fans. Only one song rates as above average, while a few can be approved for containing innovative lyrics or being commercially viable singles. In other words, at the very most, two-thirds of this disc is really unnecessary.

Surely Disc 2 can fare better?

...

Riiiiiight.

DISC 2:

I have to wonder sometimes, why are the second discs of a double album almost always the weaker of the two? I’m sure a few listens to Disc 2 of Until the End of Time would get you thinking the same thing, too, not to mention the utter lack of necessity of it all.

Right after the useless interlude by Big Syke, it is redundancy galore. There are yet more songs of rapping about his tough exterior and street loyalty (“My Closest Roaddogz” and “U Don’t Have to Worry”); a cousin of Eyez’ “Wonder Why They Call You B***h” (“N***a Nature [Remix]”); thug sentimentality (“When Thugz Cry”); more appeals to God (“This Ain’t Livin’”); more disses hurled at Mobb Deep (“Why U Turn on Me” and “Running on E”); and more heartfelt declarations of allegiance to the West Coast (“Lastonesleft”). Yep, Disc 2 has the same issues of Disc 1.

Only that Disc 2 seems to take it to a brand new dimension. First off, what is up with these stupid and unimpressive R&B hooks? Only people like K-Ci & JoJo, and RL of Next fame (“Until the End of Time”, Disc 1) shine, but Lil’ Mo’s guest appearance in “N***a Nature (Remix)" falls flat. Even with discounting the rushed crooning in “Everything They Owe” in Disc 1, these sung hooks ruin songs that already suffer from a serious case of deja vu (e.g. “My Closest Roaddogz”, “When Thugz Cry”, “This Ain’t Livin’” and “Why You Turn On Me”). But that is far from the worst in Disc 2. There’s the limp original of “Thug n U Thug n Me”; a repeat of “Letter 2 My Unborn Child” (“Words 2 My First Born”); the insipid remix of “Let ‘Em Have It”; a Michael Jackson-esque reworking of “When I Get Free II” (“When I Get Free”); and another version of the title track, but this time, instead of RL, Richard Page – the singer of “Broken Wings” – sings the hook. Yes, Page does a good job, but like most of the songs in Disc 2, a second version of the title track is really unnecessary, especially that it uses the same instrumental as the original.

Poor Johnny “J”. The guy is already a workhorse in this album. Once again he produces the bulk of the songs – he does six out of the fourteen tracks in Disc 2. Some of his beats compensate for the lyrics. “Lastonesleft” is a prime example, which is delightful with its melodic pianos and funky bass. Another is “When I Get Free”, which sounds like he did an interpolation of Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Starting Something.” And DJ Quik comes through with a simple but hard-hitting beat in “Words 2 My First Born”. But the producers often run out of ideas, inevitably caused by the heftiness of this project. Too many songs, most notably “My Closest Roaddogz” and “When Thugz Cry” contain glossy production that seem to blunt ‘Pac’s grimy and stark lyrics. And the other songs are just simply unspectacular (e.g. “U Don’t Have to Worry” and “Let ‘Em Have It [Remix]”). My goodness, the producers tried, and their work is commendable. But this is way too much material to work with, and undistinguished material at that.

Thus Disc 2 suffers a worse fate than Disc 1. Apart from the excessive “Until the End of Time”, there is not one track here that rates above average. Hey, at least 2Pac gets to explain himself in the so-called East Coast/West Coast rivalry in “Why U Turn on Me” - a perspective that was never heard on record while he was alive:

And they say we hate the East coast, but that's funny
Got a lot of love for, any n****s getting money
I made a song about my enemies and n****s tripped
It was hip-hop until Tupac f****d Biggie b***h
Y'all n****s hypocrites and b***h made
Now either love me or hate me, but real thug n****s get paid

But here I go now, desperately trying to find even the faintest spots of uniqueness in Until the End of Time. Pitiful.

CONCLUSION:

Wonder what 2Pac must have felt about all of this – raiding the vaults and seemingly doing anything to release an album of his stuff. By this point, it had become ridiculous, not to mention sickeningly exploitative, as almost 2 million people fell for this particular record. But it’s not just enough to blame those involved with Until the End of Time - ‘Pac’s detractors must have had a field day with this, and as evidenced by my review, I do not blame them. 2Pac might as well be the most overrated rapper in history. Which just goes to show you – being prolific really does not mean diddily squat if you do not have something new to offer. Save the awe, you gullible peons.

TRACK LISTING:

Disc 1:

1. Ballad of a Dead Soulja
2. F**k Friendz
3. Lil’ Homies
4. Let ‘Em Have It
5. Good Life
6. Letter 2 My Unborn Child
7. Breathin’
8. Happy Home
9. All Out
10. F*****g With the Wrong N***a
11. Thug n U Thug n Me (Remix)
12. Everything They Owe
13. Until the End of Time
14. M.O.B.
15. World Wide Mob Figgaz

Disc 2:

1. Big Syke Interlude
2. My Closest Roaddogz
3. N***a Nature
4. When Thugz Cry
5. U Don’t Have to Worry
6. This Ain’t Livin’
7. Why U Turn on Me
8. Lastonesleft
9. Thug n U Thug n Me
10. Words 2 My First Born
11. Let ‘Em Have It (Remix)
12. Running on E
13. When I Get Free
14. Until the End of Time

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: Cleaning the House