- Tony Pizarro sessions (March - August '94)
- 4th session of recordings for his 3rd solo album that will turn into Me Against The World with the final session with Moe-ZMD in late 94 (cf. F.T.W.)
- A kind of mixtape-album titled Stay True was about to be released circa August of 94.
- The release of Thug Life Volume 1 will put an end to the project (with the eponymous song being published on it), the project will shortly be re-titled "Crucified" by including the first Moe-Z and Easy Mo Bee's new songs from late August, before it turned into a double album F.T.W. / Me Against The World.
- Sources : Stay True mixtape ; Tony Pizarro REELs
5. Nothing 2 Lose (Kick Start) *
6. Fuck All Y’All *
7.
8. Dear Mama (No-Reggie Mix) **
9. High 'Til I Die (Short Mix)
10. My Only Fear of Death (Short Mix)
11. Lord Knows (What's Going On)
12. Hellrazor (Chorus Version) - snippet / remake
13. Thug Style (No Speech)
This picture has been used for Dear Mama single
The new album planned for summer, again delayed
Me Against the World has had many sequences and many titles before becoming the album we know. It is a slow evolution from the Thug Life/Mr. Middle Finger lost albums until F.T.W. (Fuck The World). Stay True could be the most advanced project among all sequences.
The 2nd of April 94, the album R U Still Down was announced to the press to be released the following summer with "Dear Mama" as first single. What happened to that project ? Is it the same project with just a different title that have been delayed, delayed and finally released as Me Against The World ? Or did something make 2Pac change his plans ? Maybe Interscope and 2Pac decided to delay the project pending the trial in November... By delaying, 2Pac was listening to what other rappers were doing giving him new ideas, he also had the occasion to record new songs with new people...
In early April, the album contained original mixes from various producers with Interscope engineers Whitfield Jr. & Nettelsbey (aka Vibe Tribe) final mixdown. This sequence is characterized by a progressive replacement of almost all original songs by remixes made by Tony Pizarro.
2Pac handed over the reins of the album to Tony Pizarro
It has been said that 2Pac was not agreed with the mix of "R U Still Down", but is it the song itself produced by Shock G or the whole album mixed by Norman Whitfield Jr. & Duane Nettelsbey ? The first hypothesis could explain why 2Pac recorded "R U Still Down (Raise Em Up)" maybe to replace the original, and why the song "Fuck The World" totally disappeared after April until Shock G produced the new "So Many Tears". But "R U Still Down" seems to have persisted in the tracklists... The second hypothesis can explain why 2Pac let a new producer give new mixes for all his songs.
Tony Pizarro was mainly known for his engineering work for Ice-T but also for DJ Aladdin, The Poetess, SWV, Intelligent Hoodlum, Champ MC... In March 94, he probably just had finished to produce Sinister's first album Mobbin 4 Life (released in August 94, Interscope). Maybe it is the demo of that album that convinced 2Pac to work with him.
Tupac and Tony Pizarro won't record many new songs together, they will mostly try new mixes for the album, new instrumental, new arrangement, new chorus... "High Til I Die", "It Ain't Easy" and "R U Still Down (Raise Em Up)" are the only new recorded songs but they can also be considered as re-recorded songs...
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1. March of '94. R U Still Down.
The first Tony Pizarro song ("High Til I Die") appears in R U Still Down Interscope Project tracklist. It is already a kind of remake of a Thug Life old song (cf. Thug Life Original). Tony Pizarro will particularly be a "second version man" more than a producer of new stuff. Maybe around the same time, he produced "R U Still Down (Raise Em Up)" (which sounds a bit like "High Til I Die"), also a second part for the prior Shock G song of the same name, maybe for a B-Side ("R U Still Down" was listed as planned videos for the album). Let's notice that songs like "Nothing 2 Lose" and "Bury Me A G" have been taken off (the last one because the group version is now in Thug Life project ; the first one probably because the mix was not satisfying).
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2. Early May (?). Me Against The World / Exodus / Thug Life
In January - April 94, new recordings have been made by Stretch and 2Pac, perhaps mostly for the Thug Life project (a second East oriented part ?) because it does not seem to impact the R U Still Down tracklists in a first time. Something changes circa April : maybe 2Pac decided to mix East and West material in Thug Life Volume One... "Pain (Remix)" and "Stay True" enter the solo album in replacement of "Hold On, Be Strong" and "Fuck The World" (that one is even scratched on the "Exodus" compilation... What happened ? If there was an argument with Shock G, why was 2Pac keeping "R U Still Down" ?). "Raise Em Up" appears in the B-Sides but the song could have been made earlier in March-April.
"Fuck All Y'All" appears in Exodus B-Sides. The song is supposed to be from May (following the Reel date) but maybe the first take of the song is from earlier and Tony Pizarro gave a finalmix to it in May. The song could also be considered as a replacement for "Fuck The World". Both songs express the same bitterness against medias, justice, music industry...
The anticipated title "Me Against The World" also reflects this context but it is also a mystery at that time... The eponymous song will be recorded in October so maybe six months later. So 2Pac already had that concept in mind (it looks like a derivation of "Fuck The World" song).
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3. May '95. Me Against The World
"Fuck All Y'All" enters the album and "Hold On Be Strong" re-enters in replacement of "Pain (Remix)" and "Thugz Get Lonely Too". Those ones will completely disappear until the double disc project Me Against The World (Clean Version) / F.T.W. (Dirty Version). At that time, the impact of Tony Pizarro is still very limited to "High Til I Die".
4. Late May '95. Amerikkka Eatz itz Young / Stay True
2Pac probably just recorded "Amerikkka Eatz itz Young" that as well fits the topic of the old album title and so replaced it as it replaced "Hold On" in the track list at the end of the album. "Stay True" is also considered as a potential new title (a totally new connotation, more classical Hip-Hop).
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5. Early June '94. Stay True
The tracklist seems more or less stable and the title chosen. The "Temptations (Hey)" means that Tony Pizarro produced his alternate mix (which doesn't have the "hey" singing, and is maybe more titled "Recall" on Pizarro's Reel). Maybe it was aimed for a single B-side or Tupac just preferred the original version (difficult to totally modify a track made by Easy Mo Bee if you would like new songs from him...).
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6. June of '94. Stay True.
Closest thing to the Stay True mixtape, 2Pac has just recorded "When I Get Free" and "Thug Style" with Bread & Water (so he added them just after the planned beginning of the album "Out on Bail"...), but not yet "It Ain't Easy" with Tony P (again a second part for an old song, cf. Mr Middle Finger) which is said to have been recorded in July. The "Easy Moe Bee" credit for "Out on Bail" is certainly a mistake. These two new recordings replace "Str8 Ballin" (that probably entered Thug Life project at that time) and "R U Still Down" (was 2Pac more or less decided to drop the song because of a kind of dispute with Shock G ? or did the song simply not fit the new boom bap direction ?).
7. Beginning of July '94. Stay True mixtape.
"Nothing To Lose" reappear, "Temptations" and "Fuck All Y All" have their Tony P mixes. "It Ain't Easy" is in a version with a chorus (by Natasha Walker ?) but there is also a first take with an alternate intro ("muthafuckers....") and no female chorus. It is still the first versions of "When I Get Free" and "Thug Style". But considering the duration indicated for the rest of the mixtape, it does not include the new Tony P version of "Dear Mama" (known date for that mix is the 14th of July), neither the Tony P version of "Lord Knows" (known as alternate chorus, probably from August). It seems to have the no intro version off "Out on Bail" and the short mix from "Only Fear of Death" (probably made by Tony P).
8. August of '94. No tracklist.
Banned from Bomb1st forum pretends there is a material sequence with final mixes for that album still titled "Stay True". Tony P maybe kept on including his versions with "Dear Mama" (the final version), "Lord Knows" (Alternate chorus) and maybe the unleaked "Hell Razor" with a female chorus instead of Stretch backings. He probably tried a new chorus for "Nothing To Lose" at that same period.
The new mixes of "When I Get Free" with a chorus by Young Hollywood and the clean speeches version of "Thug Style" could have been made at that time. We usually consider those are from the time 2Pac recorded two songs with Dramacydal and Bread & Water for the Young Thugz project (the 18th of August). But these new mixes could have been made by somebody else or for another project. Both songs totally vanished from all projects until the Pre-Death Row compilation of leftovers in mid 95...
Sept. '94 : Thug Life Volume One being released : Death of the project ?
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9. Early September '94. Untitled.
"Stay True" has disappeared, as well as "When I Get Free", "Thug Style", "Fuck All Y'All", "Amerikkka Eatz", "Only Fear of Death" (for a Thug Life Volume Two ? for Young Thugz EP ? for the mixtape ?). New Easy Mo Bee sessions ("If I Die 2Nite"/"My Block") have been made, known date being the 3rd of September. But "The Game Ain't The Same" is probably not recorded and will eventually turn into "Outlaw" at the end of September.
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10. Early September '94. Short lived title Crucified/Kkkrucified.
That new topic re-used a clear Bible topic (after Exodus), but more likely announces "Euthanasia" and Makaveli's "7 Day Theory" topics from Death Row era. Same tracks, just 2Pac re-added "Out on Bail", Nothing 2 Lose" and "Amerikkkaz Eatz Itz Young" (but with indication of "remix" on side - is it already the one published as "I Gotta Survive" in Young Lay's album in 95 ?).
The other title purposed "Me Vs. The World" announces the return of "Me Against The World / Fuck The World" concept that will finally win.
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11. September '94. Me Vs. The World.
"Throw Ya Handz Up" appears as well as "Nothing Like The Old School" (maybe not yet recorded). "The Game Ain't The Same" is still here. But let's notice in this one that Tony P is credited for "Dear Mama" and Moe-Z for "Lord Knows". In following tracklists, the title will evolve in "Outlaw" with the recording of the song and then in F.T.W. / Me Against The World.
"Nothing To Lose" is scrapped again... 2Pac thinks to record new songs. It is surprising the way everything is again turned upside down... The Notorious B.I.G.'s album Ready To Die has been released the 13th of September (with six Easy Mo Bee produced songs). Once 2Pac said that his album was originally sounding a bit darker like Biggie's one, that he considered that Biggie's album was heavily inspired by his work. Maybe the release of the album led 2Pac to deeply change his plans.
- 1994/06/16. Released in R U Still Down (1997, Amaru) in a slightly remixed form. Included in Stay True mixtape. This demo doesn't have the chorus by Young Hollywood (aka Kadafi) but has a different intro with a voice answering 2Pac's questions and a slightly more dynamic beat. It seems Bread & Water gave a new mix to "When I Get Free" and "Thug Style" when they came to produce "Where I Will Be" and "Killing Fields" for Young Thugz (cf. Dramacyde).
- Sample :
- Stanley Clarke - "Concerto for Jazz/Rock Orchestra, Part I" (melody)
- Roy Ayers - "The Boogie Back" (main drumline)
- Melvin Bliss - "Synthetic Substitution" (drumline)
02. Stay True (Short Mix) feat. Stretch & Mopreme / Stretch
- 1994/04 (~). Released in Thug Life Volume 1
(Sept. of 1994, Interscope). The demo leaked with Stay True Mixtape is almost
similar to the
released version, but shorter. It has been said that there could be an alternate earlier
version with no guests... The song has been chosen at the last moment by 2Pac in late August to replace
"Runnin" (cf. Volume One sessions rejected by Interscope) in Thug Life Volume One album. The fact that this mix is shorter than the retail one could indicate that it has been made after and that the Stay True mixtape could be in fact posterior to the decision to report the song to Thug Life Volume One and to make a different album. It could explain why it contains many alternate mixes that he probably didn't want for his final album (Recall of "Temptations" - he always wrote "Hey" in his tracklists -, "Chorus" of "It Ain"t Easy", maybe "Dear Mama" original...). But it is total speculation, but it could as well explain why "Stay True" is in the last position of the tape, like a promo for the forthcoming album of Thug Life...
- Samples :
- Curtis Mayfield - "Just Want To Be With You" (melody)
- Graham Central Station - "The Jam" (drumline)
- 1994/07 - 08/09 (chorus added, new mix). Released in Me Against The World (1995, Interscope) without the chorus. There are many states of the song, with an alternate speaking intro and no chorus (probably the first take), with the known intro with just a backing chorus, with intro and a half chorus (in Stay True tape) and finally with a full chorus singing the title between the verses. 2Pac/Interscope finally chose to have no chorus.
- Samples :
- The Floaters - "Float On" (melody interpolation)
- The Hollywood Edge - "The Premiere Edition 1" (1990) (vocals : "hey baby you wanna go out ?")
04. Temptations (Recall) feat. AB Money / Easy Mo Bee REMIXED by Tony Pizarro
- 1993/10 - 1994/06/30 (new mix). Original version released in Me Against The World. On the REEL of the song, there are three mixes, one "No Keys" (just the keys off), this one labelled "Mix#3", and the instrumental titled "T.V. Mix". That instrumental was released in Temptations 12'' as Temptations Instrumental.
05. Nothing 2 Lose (Kick Start) feat. Natasha Walker / Stretch REMIXED by Tony Pizarro
- 1993/11 - 1994/08/13 (?) (new mix). Released in R U Still Down (1997). With the retail lyrics (different from Mr Middle Finger version) and a new dynamic start of the sample with Pac laughing and saying "Nothing To Lose". The Tony Pizarro's REEL has various steps of this mix without Pac words, with a very short kick start (close to the Pre-DR version), and what is probably a draft mix without the element he added (which could be close to the previous version of R U Still Down Original Interscope Project). This remix could have been made earlier that the known date (maybe the last short mix) because it is included in Stay True Mixtape whereas no other post July songs are included. It seems Pizarro also tried a new woman chorus (by Kim Armstrong ?) but no mix was made with it.
- Samples :
- Mica Paris - "I Wanna Hold on to You" (drumline/melody)
- Ice Cube - "Us" (vocals : "That's why I got gang related rhymes")
- The D.O.C. & N.W.A. - "The Grand Finale" (vocals : "I got robbed when I came to Cali)
- 1994/05 - 1994/06/30 (mixdown). Remixed in R U Still Down (1997). Included in the Stay True Mixtape. The topic tends to reuse "Don't Call Me, Bitch" concept about fake friends, backstabbers... The sample will be re-used for "Me Vs She" featuring Storm for Outlaw Immortalz : Thug Life Volume II.
- Samples :
- George Benson - "Breezin'" (melody)
- Geto Boys - "Street Life" (vocals : "I thought I had friends but i ain't got no fuckin friends")
07. Amerikkka Eatz Itz Young feat. Young Lay, Ray Luv & Mac Mall / Khayree
- 1994/05. Original version of "I Gotta Survive" remixed later for Young Lay's album Black 'N Dangerous (1996, Atlantic), album mainly produced by Khayree. The song title fits the next concept than 2Pac will choose after "Stay True" : Amerikkka's Crucified. Another title he thought was "Youthanasia", what clearly announces the concept of "Euthanasia" that will obsess 2Pac during his whole Death Row era (early title for All Eyez on Me, for a state of the Outlawz album, finally materialized by considering himself as a "Black Jesus" what was pictured on Killuminati's front cover). Bay Area connection. Mac Mall released his album Illegal Business in July 1993, also produced by Khayree, with the single "Ghetto Theme" featuring Eboni Foster, video directed by 2Pac, with Stretch and 2Pac playing characters becoming enemies and about to shoot at each other at the end... Mall was a planned guest in Out on Bail project (circa Nov. 93). Ray Luv was Pac’s partner in Strictly Dope, before Digital Underground (cf Beginnings/The Lost Tapes), he will release his second album Forever Hustlin' in 1995, mainly produced by Khayree and featuring Mopreme and Rated R. Another interesting thing to notice is that this title refers directly to a song by Tragedy Khadafi aka Intelligent Hoodlum, "America eats the Young", with Chuck D at the backing vocals, released in 1991 in Marley Marl's In Control Volume II, and that Tragedy had his most successful single "Street Life" released in Feb. 94 with the wonderful "Return of the life" remix and with another Tony Pizarro's remix !
- 1993/08 - 1994/7/14 (new mix). Released with a more elaborated chorus in Me Against The World (1995). The famous scratched
phrase of Yo-Yo is there erased and replaced by a backing Sweet Franklin singing. That mix was not included in Stay True demo tape. Was the tape made before that record ? Or Does 2Pac then still prefer the original version ? It is said 2Pac hesitated a lot between the two versions (versus DJ King Assassin pretending the Yo-Yo scratched sentence sampled at the chorus was refused by Ice Cube, what is also possible). Maybe this remix was simply not finished yet (Was the Reggie Green chorus part added later ?), or Pac chose the original for Stay True mixtape and this remix for his forthcoming solo.
- Samples :
- Joe Sample - "In All My Wildest Dreams" (melody)
- The Spinners - "Sadie" (vocals interpolation)
- 1994/03/19. Released in Sunset Park OST (1996, EastWest) in an alternate mixdown, a little bit longer. It contains some lines of 1993's "High Till I Die" Thug Life version (cf. Do U Love The Thug Life ?). This could be the first song produced by Tony Pizarro for 2Pac ("Where Do We Go From Here ?" being very doubtful).
- Samples :
- Al B Sure ! - "Thanks 4 A Great Time Last Night" (melody, bassline)
- Bill Withers - "Kissing My Love" (drumline)
10. Only Fear of Death (Short Mix) / Live Squad REMIXED by Tony Pizarro
- 1993/10 - 1994/05-07 (?) (new mix). Prior mix released in R U Still Down (1997). Included in Pre-Death Row compilation. It is strange that this new mix sounds in-complete in comparison of the Cradle2theGrave and Manu Tape mixes of the song, almost sounding like a pre-version (as if the original sample couldn't be cleared). It has less effects and let the voice of 2Pac goes alone with the beat and a musical background.
- Samples :
- Gabor Szabo - "Breezin" (melody)
- Detroit Emeralds - "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" (drums)
- Mental Illness & Evil Mind Gangstas - "Livin' In The Edge" (vocals)
- Thug Life - "Shit Don't Stop (Rough Mix)" (unleaked) (vocals)
11. Lord Knows (What's Going On) feat. Kim Armstrong & Male's voice (?) / Brian G REMIXED by Tony Pizarro
- 1993/08 - 1994/08/09 (~) (new chorus). Once again, Tony Pizarro seems to want his own version of every Pac songs of the album. The music and the mix are kind of similar to the released version in Me Against The World (1995), but the chorus orchestrated by Pizarro is more repetitive and invasive. Kim Armstrong is singing in two songs produced by Pizarro from Sinister's album Mobbin' 4 Life in 1994. The male's voice is probably not Kenyatta Forman who had a solo eponymous album in 1991 before working in Def Jef's second album in 1992.
- Samples :
- The Blackbyrds - "All I Ask" (melody)
12. Hellrazor (Chorus Version) feat. Sweet Franklin (?) / Stretch REMIXED by Tony Pizarro SNIPPET / AmaroG1 REMAKE
- 1994/02 - 1994/08 (~) (new mix & chorus added). Released in R U Still Down (1997, Amaru). Original version was recorded for Mr Middle Finger as "Dear Lord" and probably re-recorded or slightly altered for R U Still Down Original. A snippet has been leaked with woman's voice singing the title and backing. The leaked Pizarro's "Main" from the Reel has just Pac's voice in the hook. It seems Tony Pizarro took the original vocals (with "Dropped 2 cops" in the 3rd verse, instead of "shellshocked"), and instead of the Stretch vocals and samples of movies at the hook he chose to have a chorus similar to the original. Pizarro probably asked the singers who were working with him on "Dear Mama" or "Lord Knows" : Sweet Franklin and Kim Armstrong. The voice being light, I'd say it sounds more like Sweet Franklin. This chorus doesn't have the "you gotta be a special one" line which was probably in the very first version.
- Samples :
- Eddie Kendricks – "Intimate Friends" (melody)
- Mountain - "Long Red (Live at Woodstock)" (drumline)
- The Five Stairsteps – "Don’t Change Your Love" (drumline)
13. Thug Style (No Speech) / Bread & Water
-
1994/06. Fairly remixed with another old school sample in R U Still Down (1997). This mix is not included in Pre-Death Row compilation but we can hear the end of the song in the beginning of "Out On Bail" (cf. F.T.W.). The song was probably taken from Stay True mixtape sequence where the track follows the other (no more advenced mix has been done after that). So the "Thug Style" version of this sequence is the speechless version. 2Pac probably recorded intro and outro for the song (where he mentions Young Thugz) when he was recording the two other Bread & Water songs with Dramacydal for Young Thugz EP.
14. Out on Bail (Live at the Source Awards, Paramount Theater, NY) feat. Stretch (chorus) & Mopreme (backing) / LG
- 1994/04/25. "Out on Bail" Stay True mixtape version seems to be identical to the one included in the "Manu Tape" (cf. R U Still Down Original),
same duration. Tony Pizarro seems to have not given a new mix for it so
we chose to include this live version instead, which has been given during these Tony Pizarro sessions.
- Samples :
- The Meters – "Oh, Calcutta !" (bassline, melody)
- 1993 - 1994/08/05. Introduction to the Stay True mixtape. It uses the same instrumental than the "Hold on interlude" and first lines of "Thugz Get Lonely Too". Pac vocals were extracted from the end of the song "It Ain't Eazy (TL Original)" (cf. Mr. Middle Finger) and were maybe introducing the next song "Thugz Get Lonely Too (TL Original)".
- Samples :
- George Clinton - "Batty Batty Batty" (Sample Some of Disc... Vol. 2, track 68) (melody)
- 1994/03 - 08/05. There is no speech here but just a line which could be extracted from the Raise Em Up version of "R U Still Down" (cf. Honor Among Thugz).
- 1993 - 1994/08/05. This interlude is a 2Pac's speech extracted from the outro of unleaked "Nothing To Lose (Clean version)" (cf. Mr. Middle Finger).
- Samples :
- George Clinton - "Let's Keep It Upstairs" (Sample Some of Disc... Vol. 2, track 29) (melody)
- 1993 - 1994/08/05 (?). Released in Me Against The World as an intro for Death Around The Corner". It is said to feature the voice of Capucine Jackson, Johnny J's wife. If so, that skit could already be in the original 93 "Death Around Each Corner" (cf. Thug Life Original). Then, Tony Pizarro extracted the vocals from the song and pasted them on a new instrumental but finally didn't used it for the Stay True mixtape.
- Samples :
- George Clinton - "Let's Keep It Upstairs" (Sample Some of Disc... Vol. 2, track 29) (melody)
- 1994/04 - 08/05. 2Pac as Souljah's speech is extracted from the end of "Hold On, Be Strong". It has the exact same beat and background singing than "Interlude (It ain't easy)". Maybe Pizarro firstly tried this speech with that beat before choosing the other.
- Samples :
- George Clinton - "Batty Batty Batty" (Sample Some of Disc... Vol. 2, track 68) (melody)
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