Tupac’s third album, 1995’s Me Against the World, is indeed a study of contrasting circumstances. He was incarcerated when this album was released, yet this is comparatively the most peaceful record he ever did. Although the album shot up to the top of the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts and went double platinum, outselling 2Pacalypse Now and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., it sounds rather tame and non-controversial compared to those two previous records.

But despite the two points made above, here’s the real killer - Although Me Against the World, as I would later explain, is 2Pac’s definitive and best album, this particular album is not the favorite amongst many 2Pac fans; in fact, they would rather go with…well, you guessed it – All Eyez On Me. Heck, some of these boneheads, totally incapable of practicing the art of discernment, would gladly take it one step further by arguing that All Eyez On Me is his best album.

To that I say – “Get the heck out of here with that nonsense!”

However, this is not the time to discuss All Eyez On Me at length. I feel that Me Against the World should get a lot more recognition than it currently gets. You don’t see folks utter it in the same breath as albums like Illmatic, Ready to Die and Reasonable Doubt - albums which were coincidentally crafted by rappers who later became his sworn rivals! Me Against the World is just as good, if not better, than these three albums I just mentioned. Never before - and never again – was the late, great 2Pac more focused and at least resigned to a degree of serenity and discipline than here. In Me Against the World, he seems to have finally bridged the chasm between his socio-political consciousness and the thug persona. It is, for a number of reasons, his best recording – and an undisputed classic.

2Pac still rallies against the world, as the album title attests, but this time he has more disciplined focus, far from the sporadic and rather amateurish attacks of his first two albums. A lot had happened to him in the two-year space between the releases of Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and Me Against the World, and he spends some of the sixty-six minutes of the album reacting to the traumatic events he had experienced. He begins the album with a somber “Intro” which pieces together simulated news clips reporting his shooting in a New York studio in November 1994. Of course, he survives and leaves the hospital earlier than expected – seemingly more powerful than ever and ready to spew forth venomous darts at his latest enemies. For example, “F**k the World” starts with words that allude to his rape trial a year before:

Who you calling “rapist”?
Ain’t that a b***h, you devils!
[…]
Wanna see me locked in chains, dropped in shame
And gettin stalked by these crooked cops again
F*****g with the young black male

With the failed attempt on his life – as well as his conviction in the rape trial and eventual imprisonment – his paranoia understandably increased. Me Against the World is replete with statements of his inevitable demise. “I'm having visions of leaving here in a hearse,” he bellows in the mellow “So Many Tears”. And in “Lord Knows” he acknowledges that his enemies “wanna see [him] in [his] casket/And if [he] don't blast [he’ll] be the victim of them bastards.” Sometimes the fear is so maddening he confesses that if he wasn’t high, he would have taken his life himself (“Lord Knows” and “Death Around the Corner”). In fact, he begins to question why he was even born (“Lord Knows”). “Death Around the Corner” is perhaps the ultimate manifestation of such paranoia. With a vicious, head-nodding drum beat, and even losing his trust in his close friends (in real life he did fall out with such a friend, Stretch of Live Squad, who appeared in ‘Pac first two albums, thinking that he was involved in his shooting), Tupac’s paranoia reaches its greatest heights:

Got me stressing with my pistol in my sheets, it ain't healthy
Am I paranoid? - Tell me the truth
I'm out the window with my AK, ready to shoot
[…]
I see death around the corner - the pressure's getting to me
I no longer trust my homies - them phonies tried to do me

This is 2Pac against the world – literally. Not only is he fighting against crooked cops and the American justice system; he’s looking out for his enemies from the streets…and even his closest friends.

He is indeed a troubled soul, desperately trying to escape the turbulence in his life. In “If I Die 2 Nite” he wonders whether people like him will ever be granted an eternal respite: “And I hope I'm forgiven for thug living when I die/I wonder if heaven got a ghetto for thug n****s/A stress-free life and a spot for drug dealers.” In “Me Against the World” he narrows it down to himself: “With all this extra stressing/The question I wonder is after death, after my last breath/When will I finally get to rest?” Never has he seemed hopeless, so immersed in pain, and throughout the album the appeals to God are numerous. “So Many Tears” exemplifies this type of dependency the best, at a time when he was serving time for alleged rape:

And f**k the world ‘cause I'm cursed
[…]
God, can you feel me?
Take me away from all the pressure, and all the pain
Show me some happiness again, I'm going blind
I spend my time in this cell, ain't living well
I know my destiny is Hell, where did I fail?

This is Tupac at his most personal and his most vulnerable. The facade of superstardom is stripped away to reveal the man within. For once, you get to see 2Pac as human, one who has his own share of troubles like everyone else…as well as the rays of hope. You have to admire 2Pac in Me Against the World. He acknowledges he can slip into the thuggish nature he should be repelled by, and he does – check out “Heavy in the Game” where he succumbs to drug dealing. Yet he reaches for the heavens for help and forgiveness: “Lord, forgive me – I was high!” he declares in “Outlaw”. Sometimes he reaches for people right here on earth. “Dear Mama” symbolizes that pillar of strength ‘Pac can lean on and find relief. This is unarguably the best song ‘Pac ever penned and performed. Using a well-known and slowly mesmerizing jazz sample from Joe Sample, 2Pac pours out his heart in appreciation for one of the few good role models in his life – his very own mother, Afeni Shakur (which is a sharp contrast with his father, who he conveniently dismisses in four bars). It is heart-felt, sweet, touching, and passionate - and remains the best rap song ever dedicated to a mother, let alone a woman:

I finally understand
For a woman, it ain't easy trying to raise a man
You always was committed
A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how you did it
[…]
I can always depend on my mama
And when it seems that I'm hopeless
You say the words that can get me back in focus
When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there's no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me

Speaking of women, one would be hard pressed to find any misogyny in Me Against the World. Quite surprising, considering the twin towers of contradiction that were “Keep Ya Head Up” and “I Get Around” in Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. Instead, there is “Can U Get Away” – here Tupac, over a slow and relaxing funky beat, is trying to convince a young lady to leave the arms of an abusive boyfriend for his. It is a sweet gesture of a song, a side of 2Pac that people rarely get to see. There’s also “Temptations” – although a less innocent song, you can hear 2Pac valiantly fighting against his demons: “And even though I'm known for my one night stands/I wanna be an honest man,” he declares to the lady he is trying to woo. Indeed, he is quite a different man from Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., and it is refreshing.

With his gallantry against his inner conflict, it is quite understandable and admirable that he offers much-needed words of caution and instruction. He reprimands wayward black youth in “Young N****z", cleverly pointing out how they could use their talents for worthy purposes instead of maintaining a criminal lifestyle. “You could be a f***ing accountant, not a dope dealer!” he angrily states in the outro. And in “Me Against the World” he uses the third verse to drop some words of wisdom:

Always do your best, don't let the pressure make you panic
And when you get stranded, and things don't go the way you planned it
Dreaming of riches, in a position of making a difference
Politicians and hypocrites, they don't wanna listen

Me Against the World showcases a progressing 2Pac. He’s a flawed human being, yes, but he hardly resorts to making half-hearted excuses for his shortcomings. Moreover, that does not stop him from working towards a brighter future – as well as wishing the same for others. It is indeed very responsible and admirable of him.

And as for Tupac’s lyrical skill, it has improved considerably. This is not the rather simple lyricist of 2Pacalypse Now and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. He employs more internal rhyming and multi-syllables, his delivery is more commanding, and there is a remarkable improvement in his vocabulary use. The best example of his lyrical improvement can be found in “If I Die 2 Nite” – here he uses some alliteration and internal rhyming with astounding results:

They say p***y and paper is poetry, power and pistols
Plotting on murdering m***********s 'fore they get you
Picturing pitiful, punk n****s copping pleas
Puffing weed as I position myself to clock G's
[…]
I'm sick of psychotic society - somebody save me
Addicted to drama, so even mama couldn't raise me
Even the preacher and all my teachers couldn't reach me

The production has improved considerably, too. Interestingly enough, most of the beats here boast of an R&B/jazz sheen, far removed from the turbulence of Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. However, they surprisingly complement Tupac’s passionate vocals, and they lend an aura of relative serenity. The slow jazz of "Dear Mama” is simply perfect for the subject matter it backs, and the somber beat of “So Many Tears” perfectly fits 2Pac’s gloomy mood. The sunny G-Funk of “Heavy in the Game” and the frenetic head-nodding feel of “Death Around the Corner” is also worthy of mention. Some of the beats actually smoothen out the rough edge of the lyrics. If you listen to “It Ain’t Easy”, with its relaxing G-Funk beat, it could be quite hard to believe that 2Pac is rapping about the unsettling subjects of murder and paranoia. The live instrumentation of “F**k the World” belies 2Pac’s pure chagrin for his adversaries. Even the lesser beats, like “Can You Get Away” and “Outlaw” are mostly successful not because they are bad – they are adequate enough to give the lyrics the buoyancy they need.

Ironic that this album sounds so peaceful compared to the two albums he released before it, and the two he released after. The news-reporting touch of the "Intro”, centering on his survival from his first shooting, hinted at his inevitable end from the second. And his heart-moving tribute to the Mecca of hip-hop, "Old School", foreshadowed the so-called East Coast-West Coast rivalry in the world of rap, and his assumed and fatal lead role in it.

Sad - and ironic, because Me Against the World is truly a balance that the often conflicted 2Pac achieved. It serves as a bridge between the more politically militant albums that preceded it and the more nihilistic records that followed afterward. This is his definitive and greatest effort as a rapper, the ultimate fulfillment of his great talent and vision – as a valiant and young black revolutionary with considerable discipline and armed with his powerful words. It pointed to the hope that ‘Pac was considerably mellowing out and growing wiser with age, and that he would make more records like this, perhaps even better ones. Unfortunately – and obviously – it was not to be.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Intro
2. If I Die 2 Nite
3. Me Against the World
4. So Many Tears
5. Temptations
6. Young N****z
7. Heavy in the Game
8. Lord Knows
9. Dear Mama
10. It Ain’t Easy
11. Can U Get Away
12. Old School
13. F**k the World
14. Death Around the Corner
15. Outlaw

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: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening