When you bring up Pac now a days, its very likely only 3 albums will be discussed. 'Me Against The World', 'All Eyez On Me' and 'Makaveli". Why is that? Imo '2Pacalypse Now' is just as good, if not better. The thug/gangsta persona he had on the Death Row projects and all the controversy surrounding him at the time brought him incredible popularity. But the real Pac? The son of a Black Panther Pac? The revolutionary Pac? He's on this album.

Only possible complaints about the album imo are some of the beats might sound dated, but I personally love the raw feel of those early 90s beats. Made you focus on what the rapper was actually saying more while still hitting. My favorite Pac song is on this project(Brenda), one of my favorite Pac flows ever is on this project(Young Black Male), and his best social commentary songs imo are on this project (Violent, Trapped, If My Homie Calls, Brenda's Got A Baby etc..). Very late 80s, early 90s West Coast influenced, as far as the beats, but totally different in terms of lyrics.

This was the album Nas told Pac he was most influenced by in his career. Eminem, The Game, Talib Kweli and a bunch of other rappers say this was the Pac project that influenced them the most. Album didn't do too well commercially, and didn't have any hit singles. But with time it becomes clear it might be his purest album, before all the bullshit started happening to him. There were two Pac's(get it :he: ), but only one of them gets the love he deserves tbh

it was mid at best. you could've made a better care for strictly 4 my niggaz

Which songs are mid? he had already lost his way by that album imo

bc ppl think it’s funny / ironic / a personality trait to hate on pac

Violent, Trapped, Daddys Home & Brenda the only real standouts nowadays

Edit: i think daddys home is actually 4nigaaz not 2pacalypse

the majority of the album. c'mon man

Pac is overrated, hating on him though is some childish stuff

Violent, Trapped, Daddys Home, If My Homie Calls, Brenda, YBM, I Don't Give A F*** all at least 8/10 not a single bad song on there imo. More filler on his death row projects imo

It's an impressive album considering his age at the time, but def his weakest

Nah his Death Row projects got almost 0 filler

it's ehhh, his flow/delivery improved quite a bit when he got to me against the world

Not slept on by me. My most favorite Pac songs are on that album. His revolutionary message was at its peak on that album.

4 My Niggaz is actually hard.

So is Thug Life & a good chunk of Still I Rise.

Aside from his 3 most know, MATW, AEOM & 7Day, I think everything has an argument outside of his debut actually. From SFMN to 7Day + Still I Rise (the last two projects he fully made before he died that came out after death).

Only AEOM imo has arguable filler because just the general nature of a double album not gonna appeal fully to most, material wise.

Thug Life & S4MN are my fav "underrated/overlooked" Pac projects that he actually made.

strictly 4 my niggaz is pac's most underrated album and is packed with strong material like keep ya head up, i get around, holler if you hear me, point the finga, strugglin, guess who's back, etc.

The production is 90's af. Makes me feel like I'm in a orange alley in a red, yellow and black karl kani fit

I have to revisit but its almost too old school for my taste

Real.

I think the problem with his debut, especially in a modern day sense, is that a lot of his style still comes off like he's brand new, which makes sense since its mostly true.

And that he still has some of that 80s flow/bounce-like & "corny" rhyming/structure on some of the album from his Digital Underground days that throws it off. You can even see him emulating his old favs such as Ice T & Big Daddy Kane here n there too on there.

S4MN is def where he came into his own tho with no strings attached to his DUG & art school inflience, & MATW is where he perfected his style & is the happy balance of his concious rebel & angry street kid Pac sides.

Brenda is def a classic & important hiphop track in general still to this day tho while Violent & Trapped are still potent and genuinely good.

But yeah, theres a reason why he only really started making real noise with S4MN & especially MAGTW outside of the Brenda song.

2pacalypse even back then was mostly a regional album with only Brenda making waves outside.

I actually think S4MN + MATW is the "true" Pac. Not trying to fit in with his older homies & favs like on 2pacalypse, & before he got jaded & really nihilistic with AEOM & 7Day.

I hate it when people act like 2pacalypse & MATW are "untainted" Pac as if he never had a street/angry element & as if S4MN, between 2pacalypse n MATW, never happened.

He has always had a duality side to him & has always had an "edge", from his debut to his post.

Some albums are more extreme on one side, but he has always kept both sides active to some degree and its how he's always been.

Literally one of the reasons he's so influential to artists and why he resonates so much with regular people.

See, I love that 80s flow. Some of his best flows ever are on this project imo (YBM, Brenda). Brenda is his greatest song ever, by far imo. And as I said in OP, this album wasn't a commercial success but it influenced a whole wave of indie rappers. Its an indie rap project with flows he never used again. I really love em, but obviously a lot of people don't lol

hate the amount of features his DR projects had tbh

i love "if my homie calls"

I like some songs but i never liked the sound of this album much at all

I’ve listened to it a bunch too legit over 40 times

One of my fav Pac songs