- December 93 - March 94 : new mixes for Mr. Middle Finger and Easy Mo Bee sessions, new recordings to replace songs rejected by Interscope.
- Very likely directed by Interscope engineers Duane Nettlesbey & Norman Whitfield Jr., also known as Vibe Tribe. That's probably why the project is also known as "Interscope Project".
- Announced to be released in summer of 94. Delayed because of justice troubles ? Rumor about a dispute regarding the mix of the album ? New musical direction when Pizarro started to work with 2Pac in March ?
- The
title of the album was later given to a compilation project of
leftover tracks 2Pac had in 95
(cf. Pre-Death Row compilation), what later turned into the first posthumous compilation album released by Amaru, R U Still Down (Remember Me).
- Main source : Demo Tape commonly known as the "Manu Tape" (a first third of it was erased) ; handwritten tracklists
 |
| pictures by Dana Lixenberg, Atlanta, GA, 1993 |
###
This tracklist follows the "Manu" tape, which is a damaged copy
of an existing demo tape of the album, recorded circa late December '93 or early January of '94. We switched the two cassette sides to fit the handwritten tracklists and we completed the tape by the expected songs from the erased part,
according to the handwritten tracklists from that period in order to have the planned 14 tracks album. ###
Tracklist - Listen in Youtube
Intro ?- Hopeless intro ?- Bury Me A G (Solo) feat. Natasha Walker
- My Only Fear of Death
- R U Still Down feat. Natasha Walker
- Dear Mama (Master T Intro)
- Hard On A Nigga
-
Str8 Ballin' (No Souljah)
== B-Side == - Temptations (Original Final Mix) feat. Rappin' Is Fundamental - snippet
- ??Nothing To Lose feat. Natasha Walker ???? - Poets intro ??
- ??Runnin' From The Police feat. Dramacydal, Stretch & The Notorious B.I.G. - lost hook edit
- Thugz Get Lonely Too (Gigolos Mix) - ??
- Death Around The Corner (Extended Version)
-
Hellrazor (Stretch Version)
- Lord Knows (Light Chorus) feat. Natasha Walker
- Out on Bail (No Intro) feat. Rappin' Is Fundamental
Bonus Tracks : - Pain (Radio Version) feat. Stretch & Natasha Walker
- Loyal 2 The Game (Radio Version) feat. Treach & Riddler
- Co-Producer, Remix - Duane Nettlesbey & Norman Whitield Jr.
- Producer - Stretch (2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16), Easy Mo Bee (8, 10, 7), LG (15), Brian G (14), Master Tee (5), Johnny J (12), Shock G (4), Reginald Heard (17)
- Chorus & Backing - Natasha Walker (2, 4, 9, 14), Stretch (9, 13), AB Money (8, 15), Rated R & Macadoshis (11)
* Tracks 2-7, 8 (very small part of it), 13-15 are included in the leaked "Manu Tape".
The album sequenced like that strangely has only 6 tracks in A-Side for 8 tracks in B-Side. It is not impossible especially for a demo tape but maybe it includes only 7 tracks on the B Side (so not "Nothing 2 Lose") and A side would have an introduction as 1st track to have a balanced 14 tracks album.
Tracks 8-11 are the expected songs that could be in the erased part of the "Manu Tape" (duration for A-Side is 32', maybe with 1-2' of introduction... the sum for B-Side would be more or less the same for 7 tracks (or 8 tracks well edited, 34' with the mix we chose). A doubt subsists with "Nothing To Lose", which could be already dropped from the album.
A third attempt to release his third solo album
Circa October of '93, 2Pac decided to scrap his first Thug Life concept album, presumably because a demo tape of it having been leaked...
The 17th of January '94, 2Pac and Interscope were announcing in Papa'z Song single
credits a new album coming titled "Out on Bail" for spring of '94 (what we know as the "Cradle2TheGrave" Demo Tape, cf. Out on Bail).
When they chose the text to print, we were probably still in December. Final mixdown and even the tracklist were not
totally fixed : "Who Do U Luv ?" had already been dropped and 2Pac also had to drop "Wonda Why They Call U Bitch" or to re-record
a softer version - due to the rape case. During the process of finalizing the album, 2Pac notably recorded "R U
Still Down", what gave a new title to his album as much as a new
artistic direction.
It has been said that Interscope rejected the Out On Bail Demo (because of lyrics ? the echoes of them upon the justice cases ? the difficulty of clearing the samples ?). Some elements suggest that Interscope could have given Norman Whitfield Jr. and Duane Nettlesbey - known as Vibe Tribe in the Keep Ya Head Up and Papa'z Song singles - the responsibility of remixing / transforming the rough demo into a more "reasonable" album. In a way, if Out on Bail is the rough version of the album, R U Still Down would be the proper final mix. This is what was often called the Interscope Project.
Follow-up to Strictly 4 : "Are U Still Down, due this summer".
Like we can read in this newspaper from the 2nd of April, 2Pac announced an album with the title of "Are U Still Down" for the summer of 94, with a first single being "Dear Mama" (still the original Master T version with the scratched chorus, the retail one was produced much later in July). At that time, 2Pac had already deeply changed his projects compared to the "Manu" Demo tape he presumably purposed to Interscope, transferring "Bury Me A G" and "Runnin" to Thug Life project, finally dropping "Nothing 2 Lose" (not satisfied with the mix ? sample issue ?), "Hard on a Nigga" (sample issue ?), recording "High Til I Die", "Hold On", "Fuck The World" consecutively to the justice condemnation of March the 10th to 14 days of jail...
Anyway, the "Manu" tape remained the only material iteration of the album which was eventually purposed to be released. The songs recorded after that were parts of Stay True or Exodus (leftover tracks).
 |
picture of the so-called "Manu Tape" after the name of the person who leaked it |
The "Manu" tape : a promo tape dramatically damaged
The so-called "Manu Tape" is unfortunately incomplete (more than half of a side has been erased - it has been said that a guy named Manu could have over-recorded some opera music on it...!? what a blasphemy ! :o). But it contains a selection of tracks that we can clearly compare to Tupac's handwritten tracklists from Dec. - Feb. 94. So it is very probably an advanced state of that Interscope Project album, just before Tony Pizarro put his hands on it with notably the recording of "High Til I Die" solo version in mid March of 94 (cf. Stay True).
Vibe Tribe sessions ?
The coming back of Shock G
If Shock G didn't produce new tracks for 2Pac
since mid 92, they were often in concert together playing "I Get
Around" (in the first half of 93), and 2Pac is featured in Digital Underground 3rd album (The Body-Hat Syndrome,
published the 5th of October 93), for "Wassup Wit The Luv" (maybe recorded circa March-June 93 when Digital Underground were touring with 2Pac... or circa Dec. 93 alongside "Death Around The Corner" new version and "R U Still Down" which have lyrics similarities). But the new song "R U Still Down"
sounds unusually darker than everything Shock G made before... He will
again produce for 2Pac the also dark "So Many Tears" in the late summer
of 94. Above that, he also produced the early version of "Fuck
The World" in March...
Except
for this eponymous song, most of the songs of these sessions could have received new mixes by Norman Whitfield Jr. and Duane Nettlesbey
(most of the songs were already included in Out on Bail tracklists). Even "Hard on a Nigga" could be a re-use of the Led Zeppelin sample,
firstly intended for an unleaked version of "Wonder Why They Call U
B-I-T-C-H" (cf. Out on Bail and Exodus), produced by Stretch & Duane Nettlesbey.
Dispute around the mix of the album ?
All these mixes could have been made between December of 93 and early January of 94. In March, by transferring "Runnin" and Bury Me A G" to Thug Life album, 2Pac incorporated new songs produced by Tony Pizarro ("High Til I Die"), Shock G ("Fuck The World" unleaked "clean" no hook version recently leaked ? maybe supposed to receive an "I Ain't Mad" hook) and Stretch and DJ Choo ("Hold On Be Strong").
Anyway, something could have occurred around April of 94, there's a rumor about an argument with Shock G upon the mixing of the album... But does he have any responsibility here ? More likely there was a thing with the mix of R U Still Down, not the song but the whole album itself (so not with Shock G). Maybe sample clearance issues ("Hard on Nigga"), maybe 2Pac was not satisfied with some songs ("Nothing To Lose", "Thugz Get Lonely Too"). Maybe Interscope just decided to delay the album waiting for the justice cases to be ended... If we consider how "Out On Bail" was completely dropped after that (it is transferred to B-Sides compilation before to be back in the album circa May), the main reason for the album to change after the Manu tape is that they rejected the too violent tracks...
But later that year there could have been some argument with Shock G around the time 2Pac had to spend 10 days in jail in early May. The song "Fuck All Y'All" replaced "Fuck The World" in which 2Pac says he has no "friends"...
Anyway, the album will change its name circa May for an anticipated "Me Against The World" (alteration of "Fuck The World", what could also reflect the argument with Shock G or simply the fatigue from 2Pac in front of the difficulties for releasing his new album), five months before recording the so-titled song... 2Pac also recorded a new version of "R U Still Down" with Tony Pizarro (circa March) and then gave him the responsibility of mixing his album that will become Stay True.
TIMELINE : December '93 to May '94
1. Circa early January of '94 (~). R U Still Down.
.jpg)
We presume it is the first iteration of R U Still Down original project, probably right after the eponymous song was recorded, here between inverted commas (so maybe 2Pac didn't record it yet but just wrote the lyrics initially supposed to be recorded over a Stretch's beat - maybe after he was arraigned for sexual assault in Dec. 16)... The long song and its mood doesn't fit very well for the beginning of an album - but this track position is confirmed in many further tracklists...
"Hellrazor", "Death Around The Corner" lyrics turn around exact same topics, words and expressions, and were probably recorded just before in the first half of December, to complete the 14 tracks solo album project. The totally new song "Can't Turn Back" is said from the 1st of December... and was recorded with Spice 1 in replacement of "B4UBust" planned song with the Bay Area rapper Mac Mall (unable to come at that time). So 2Pac had a feat with Thug Life West Coast, a feat with Stretch-BIG-Thoro Headz N.Y. Thug Life and a featuring with a Bay Area rapper.
Otherwise, the main difference in comparison to the last sequence of Out On Bail (Cradle 2 The Grave tape) is the disappearance of "Open Fire" (maybe because of the violent lyrics against cops for the forthcoming justice cases) - so replaced by "R U Still Down". Let's notice that "Bury Me A G" is probably here again in its solo version (even if the featuring is only noted for the new "Can't Turn Back"). The group version was in his solo album since Mr. Middle Finger original project was scrapped in late Sept. - early Oct. 93. With the new Volume 1 group/compilation taking shape, maybe 2Pac didn't need to give his friends a hand in his album. Either, 2Pac was maybe already thinking to have the group version in Thug Life Vol. 1. But the project was probably still mostly a West Coast oriented project
All the other songs could already be in their Duane Nettlesbey/Norman Whitfield Jr. new mixdown. This tracklist contains all the songs from the "Manu" tape, except "Hard on a Nigga". We presume that "Wonda Why The Call U B-I-T-C-H" which was about to be recorded will be logically definitely dropped after 2Pac was arraigned for sexual assault the 16th of December. 2Pac could have written down "R U Still Down" right after that event and "Hard on a Nigga" a bit later in January.
2. Circa late January of '94 (~). Untitled Interscope Project ("Manu" tape).
9. ...
12. Hellrazor (Stretch Version) - incomplete : beginning missing
Usually, the content of that tape is presented with the two sides switched but it fits the next handwritten tracklists better like that. "Out On Bail" has its natural position at the end (ending by "now press rewind nigga...".
The tape now includes "Hard on a Nigga" probably instead of "Can't Turn Back".
Considering that "Runnin", "Death Around The Corner" and "Thugz Get Lonely Too" are in the next tracklists, we assume they are very probably in the erased part of that tape. If you count tracks and tape duration, there could eventually be still space for one song, especially if we add an introduction to the A-side... So it could also include "Nothing To Lose" to have 14 tracks without the intro... But maybe the song was already dropped...
3. Circa late January of '94. R U Still Down (rectified c. March)
.png)
Probably penned not long after the "Manu" Demo Tape was rejected by the label. Maybe consecutively to the Papa'z Song single credits announcing the song "Out On Bail", people like lawyers or Interscope told him it was dangerous for his cases to release the song...
So tracks "Nothing To Lose" and "Out On Bail" are now dropped, probably due to problematic lyrics for the pending justice cases... (Let's remind that 2Pac will be sentenced of 14 days of jail in March 10 for having beaten up Allen Hughes, because of what he said in an interview at Yo ! MTV Raps in July 16 of 1993...)
If we consider carefully this track order and the Manu tape one, we can see that "My Only Fear of Death" is also in track #2, "R U Still Down" has just been put back in 1st position like in 1st tracklist, and "Temptation" replaced it in #3.
More significant, "Hard on a Nigga" is followed by "Str8 Ballin" at the end of the first side. "Lord Knowz" and "Hellrazor" are still one after the other but in a reversed way.
Moreover, "Thugz Get Lonely Too" - "Runnin From The Police" - " Death Around The Corner" could be the exact missing erased part of the "Manu" tape.
(Black pen biffing addition)
The tracklist #8 with all lyrics written by T. Shakur suggests that 2Pac wanted a fully solo album without any guests, whereas Thug Life was a collective project. So 2Pac was probably already thinking to transfer "Runnin" and "Bury Me A G" to Thug Life Vol. 1. What he will do circa late February early March. He presumably biffed these tracks the day he penned a new Volume 1 tracklist with them included (with a black pen, cf. Honor Among Thugz).
4. Circa the 29th of Jan. 94 (~). Untitled unfinished.
%202.jpg)
This tracklist was probably written down around the same day than previous and next ones... It has a similar part than Manu tape with "Hellrazor" - "Lord Knows" (possibly extended with "Thugz Get Lonely" - "Death Around The Corner" before, what could do a 4 tracks identical part...), "Hard on a Nigga" and "Dear Mama" are still one after the other in first side of the album, but reversed. "Str8 Ballin" is put at the end of a side...
2Pac just stopped writing after having changed his mind about "Where Do We Go From Here". But there was one more track so probably for "Bury Me A G" (included in every sequences then) rather than "Out On Bail" and "Nothing To Lose" (both presumably dropped), not "Can't Turn Back" (one shot inclusion).
It is still close to the "Manu" Tape except that 2Pac now wanted only 12 tracks... 2Pac limited his album because he had to drop "Nothing 2 Lose" (sample issue about the Chronic/Last Poets intro ? violent lyrics ?) and "Out On Bail" because of his justice troubles...
5. Circa Feb. of 94. Untitled tracklist.
(UNLEAKED PICTURE - blue ink)
This unleaked tracklist includes almost the same tracks than previous ones. Like previous one, it has "Where Do We Go" at the end, and like the previous tracklists, it has a similar 3 tracks opening with "Lord Knows" - "Only Fear of Death" - "Temptations"...
But mysteriously it does not include "R U Still Down"... Could there already be a problem with Shock G at that time ? It is said they had an issue with the mix... Is "Raise Em Up" version with his new verse with a common sentence with "Loyal 2 The Game" from that period ? and would it be included instead in the following tracklists ? Probably not yet because it very likely refers to the justice sentence from March 10. So that one is still a complete mystery...
6. Circa 23rd of February '94 (?). Uknown tracklist with Pain Remix and Raise Em Up.
Side A
- ??
- ??
- ??
- ??
- ??
- ??
- ??
Side B - ??
- Hellrazor
- My Only Fear of Death
- Str8 Ballin'
- Hard on A...
- Death Around the Corner
- Outro "Where Do We Go"?
Bonus Tracks : Pain (Remix), Raise Em Up
(UNLEAKED PICTURE, black ink : "x2" - a very hard to read page can be seen in a Live Squad's Majesty video about a 2Pac notebook commonly called "Majesty's notebook")
Like previous one, it has "Hard on a N..." followed by "Death Around The Corner". And "Where Do We Go From Here" closes the album.
This tracklist very likely does not have "Runnin" / "Bury Me A G". That's probably the time 2Pac biffed the tracks from previous R U Still Down tracklist and transferred both songs to Thug Life Volume 1. So it could be the time 2Pac recorded a new version of "Runnin" with his "Memories" verse and Brown Man's hook.
"Pain Remix" and "Raise Em Up" are the bonus tracks... Pain Remix is from Feb. 23... So "Raise Em Up" would be earlier than that ? Is it really a Tony Pizarro beat ?
7. Circa the 10th of March 94. R U Still Down.
(UNLEAKED PICTURE)
This tracklist has 12 tracks with two sides titled "Strugglin'" / "Thuggin'" like the tracklist with "Runnin" and "Bury Me A G biffed", but it does not have "Runnin'" nor "Bury Me A G" anymore.
Instead, 2Pac has probably just recorded "Hold On" and the totally unknown "I Ain't Mad" (which could be an alternate version of "Fuck The World", just with a different hook and final line of each verse).
This tracklist could have been written down right after the judgement of the 10th of March where 2Pac is sentenced to 10 days...
"Bury Me A G" and "Runnin" are probably now transferred for good so Brown Man probably gave his new hook for "Runnin" and 2Pac his new verse against media around that time (cf. Honor Among Thugz).
8. Circa the 19th of March 94. R U Still Down.
.jpg)
"High Til I Die" was probably freshly recorded (19th of March - so the album was then maybe announced to the press), maybe as a replacement for "Hard on a Nigga" (same smoking topic, maybe the sample was finally not cleared). "Fuck The World" also entered the list as a replacement of "I Ain't Mad".
This early
version of "Fuck The World" could be the leaked version without any 2Pac's hook (presented as the clean version).
"High Til I Die" is the first time Pizarro worked with Tupac (except if the R U Still Down compilation credits are right about "Where Do We Go From Here", but Duane Nettlesbey claimed it ; and if we also except "Raise Em Up" R U Still Down remix which could be earlier). It could also be seen as a re-creation of the old Thug Life song "High Till I Die" recorded in 93 (cf. Thug Life Demo Tape / Thug Life Original). So since the beginning, Pizarro was involved as a kind of remix engineer.
.jpg)
In
this one, 2Pac has dropped "Death Around The Corner" (difficult to
understand why) and "Thugz Get Lonely Too" but he will change his mind once more. The tracklist is reduced to 10 tracks maybe like the Volume 1 at the same time... It could be around the time Nas published his 10 tracks classic Illmatic (19th of April).
"R U Still Down" is back in its first position. At that time, the song could eventually be in its "Raise Em Up" Pizarro remix version but I don't think so. That alternate version was probably always aimed for a B-side of the planned eponymous single of the album (like we can see written down in the planned singles & videos page).
10. Late April of '94. Exodus III (unleaked)
(unleaked tracklist)
This tracklist has 14 tracks with notably the come back of "Death Around The Corner", "Out On Bail" and the more surprising "Where Do We Go From Here", the entrance of "Pain Remix", "Fuck All Y All", but also the surprising "God Bless The Dead"...
But "Where Do We Go From Here" is subtitled "outro" and "Pain Remix" could be like a bonus track.
11. May of 94 (~). Me Against The World.
.JPG)
There we are, the project has totally changed now. 2Pac has so many material that he thinks to create a compilation of leftovers titled Exodus.
"Hold On Be Strong" will come back in Pizarro later sequences (cf. Stay True). "Fuck The World" is here biffed and will disappear for a long time until Me Against The World (cf. Fuck The World), it has been said there could be a dispute between 2Pac and Shock G but "R U Still Down" was strangely still remaining (at the same time than "Raise Em Up Remix" in the compilation). Maybe "I Ain't Mad" is here instead of it...
"Thugz Get Lonely Too" returned into the sequence.
00. Intro (The Message) Intro (Dear Father of the Underground) ??? / Shock G (?)
- 1994/01-02 (?). Nothing says if there was any intro to this album. It could possibly be "Hopeless (new mix)" but it was maybe more intended to be in Thug Life Volume One at that time, maybe as "Thugz Theme". It couldn't be any of Pizarro's Stay True mixtape interludes because they are from August. There is this long interlude (1'27) which mixes "R U Still Down" beat with kind of Soulja sampled voice speaking, but nothing says if it is an original thing or a fanmade (very likely a later thing made for a mixtape...).
- 1993/07 (~) - 1994/01 (~) (new mixdown - or earliest mix taken back). Solo version of the Thug Life song released in Thug Life : Volume 1 (1994, Interscope).
- Story. Both versions would have been recorded around the same day, probably for a single/b-side thing (but the solo version could be prior to this because it appears in early tracklists). Solo was firstly intended to be in Mr. Middle Finger album (circa July of 93). Then it is listed as a full Thug Life group song around october-december in Street Fame/Out on Bail tracklists, it then re-appeared as a solo track in early tracklists of R U Still Down. Included in the Interscope "Manu Tape", so Duane probably remixed the solo version in early 94 for the solo album but finally decided to include the group version in Thug Life Volume 1. That's why the song disappeared from Stay True tracklists.
- Samples :
- The Isley Brothers - "For The Love of You" (melody)
- The Meters - "Groovy Lady" (drumline)
- 1993/10 - 1994/01 (~) (alternate mixdown). Released in R U Still Down (1997, Interscope).
- Story. Slightly different mix than the Cradle2TheGrave Tape rough version of the song with less effects in the background. The hook has the famous scratched line of Mental Illness of the Evil Mind Gangstas : "My only fear of death is coming back
reincarnated" (cf. All Hell Breakin' Loose), which could be a strong influence to the Me Against The World
tendency to speak about death (even if Original Thug Life album was
already speaking about giving honor to fallen comrades ("Pour Out A Lil
Liquor", "How Long"). 2Pac will reuse this line later during his Death
Row days, especially for a song also titled "My Only Fear of Death (Reincarnation)"
(cf. One Nation pt. 2).
- Samples :
- Gabor Szabo - "Breezin" (melody)
- Detroit Emeralds - "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" (drums)
- ---not sure---Lafayette Afro Rock Band - "Hihache" (drums ?)
- Mental Illness & Evil Mind Gangstas - "Livin' In The Edge" (vocals : "My only fear of death is coming back reincarnated")
- Thug Life - "Shit Don't Stop (Rough Mix)" (unleaked) (vocals)
- 1993/12/16-21 (written) - 1994/01/16 (~). Released in its Tony Pizarro remix version with a new 3rd verse in R U Still Down (1997, Amaru).
- Story. Included in Interscope Manu Tape and then in Pre-Death Row unreleased compilation. The song could have been anticipated in concepts like "All I Got Is Niggaz" / "Nothing Like Niggaz" in Mr. Middle Finger / Out On Bail
tracklists. But it was very likely written down after 2Pac was
arraigned for sexual assault the 16th of December. He addresses bitter
critics to the journalists a few days later the 21st : "Merry Christmas... and
thank you for destroying everything I've ever worked for". But 2Pac copied the lyrics on another notebook noted with a prod. by Shock G. The song gave 2Pac a new idea for the
title of his solo album, in replacement of "Out on Bail" (which was
maybe not a good idea with the two trials running... and finally not a very good title at all). It was the first
time 2Pac recorded with Shock G since Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (if we except "Wassup Wit' The Luv" for Digital Underground album). The Pizarro remix with a new 3rd verse in replacement of the 1st, appears in March tracklist as a bonus track and in May Exodus compilation as "Raise Em Up Remix" but was probably made for a B-side to that song which was planned as a single.
- Samples :
- --??---Michael Jackson - "Remember The Time"
- 1993/10 - 1994/01 (~) (short mix & intro speech). Included in the Interscope Manu Tape. Remixed in Me Against the World (1995).
- Story. This advanced mix has a clean sound, shorter than the
rough mix included in Cradle 2 The Grave Demo Tape, with 2Pac saying a
few words as an intro ("Master Tee, drop a song for my mama"). In Pizarro's retail version, the famous scratched
chorus will be replaced by a singing
hook by Reggie Green and Sweet Franklin. DJ Assassin said Ice Cube /
Priority refused to clear the sample... what could be the reason for the
retail version to be chosen for the album.
- Samples :
- Joe Sample - "In All My Wildest Dreams" (melody)
- Ice Cube & Yo-Yo - "It's A Man's World" (vocals : "It wouldn't be a damn thing, without a woman)
- Richard Pryor - "Jesse" (taken from Are You Serious ? album) (vocals : "What you say about my mama, hey ?")
- 1993/12 or 1994/01 (~). Re-recorded and remixed in August of 94 by Daz with a new Pac verse and Snoop Dogg's backing vocals for Death Row's Murder Was The Case soundtrack (October of 1994, Death Row), but it will be taken off (because of Dr. Dre ?) and then intended to be released in F.T.W./Me Against The World and finally released as "Life's So Hard" in Gang Related OST (1997, Death Row).
- Story. Included in the Untitled Interscope 94's Demo "Manu" tape,
but it was not in the 1st tracklist of the album. So it has probably
been recorded after "R U Still Down" ; the original known date of 93/12
could be for the original Led Zeppelin freestyle and maybe for the
"Wonda Why They Call U B-I-T-C-H" Led Zeppelin version (probably aimed
for Out On Bail).
- samples :
- Led Zeppelin - "Ten Years Gone" ;
- Funkadelic - "Good Old Music"
- 1993/11 - 1994/01 (~) (new mix, new vocals). Released in Thug Life : Volume 1 (1994) with another intro made with the "Soulja" pitched voice.
- Story. In comparison of the original rough mix included in Out on Bail, it seems 2Pac recorded a new take of the song with a new intro, with a more quiet voice that can fit with the rest of the R U Still Down mood. Edi recently told in his YT channel that 2Pac once gave the song live at Atlanta for a private party, and during the whole song there was the Outkast posse who were backing with their typical gimmick.
- Samples :
- Bootsy's Rubber Band - "What's a Phone Bill ?" (melody, vocals)
- 1993/10 - 1994/01 (~) (alt mixdown ?). Released in Me Against The World in a very close mix.
- Story. A second of the song indicates that it was included in the erased part of the leaked Manu Tape as first track... The leaked snippet (Banned of Bomb1st) shows that the mix is very similar to the "Cradle2The Grave" tape. Tony Pizarro gave a remix to the song later in May but 2Pac seems to have always preferred the original Easy Mo Bee version.
- Samples :
- Bootsy's Rubber Band - "What's a Phone Bill ?" (melody troncated)
- Zapp - "Computer Love" (bassline/chorus interpolation)
- Avalanche - "Overnight Session" (drums)
- Sly & The Family Stone "Sing a Simple Song" (drums)
- Detroit Emeralds - "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" (drumline partially)
- Redman & Erick Sermon - "Watch Yo Nuggets" (vocals)
- 1993/10/30 (~). Released in One Million Strong compilation (1995) with another hook by Radio.
- Story. This sequence very probably contains the exact same mix than Out On Bail or a bit shorter. Nevertheless, Underdog from Bomb1st Forum made an edit of the song without the ragga hook and revealed an hided 2Pac original hook. That really fits that cleaner sequence of the album.
- Samples :
- Bootsy's Rubber Band - "Munchies for Your Love" (melody)
- 1993/11 - 1994/01 (?) (alt mixdown?). Remixed in R U Still Down (1997, Amaru).
- Story. A snippet of it was maybe leaked by Banned of Bomb1st Forum with the label "R U Still Down final mix", what could refer this album (we know that for his 95 compilation, 2Pac selected the Pizarro short mix) or more likely to the Amaru posthumous compilation... This version sounds to have more or less the same beat than Mr. Middle Finger / Out On Bail
versions, but starts by the background scratched chorus before
Pac's first verse. So this mix avoid the sample of "The Chronic intro" by Dr. Dre / Gylan Kain of the Original Last Poets
"Like we always do about this time", what was maybe a problem to
be cleared (if we remember the rumor Dr. Dre could have rejected "Pain" from Above The Rim soundtrack because he was dating Natasha Walker who was singing with 2Pac in it).
- Samples :
- Mica Paris - "I Wanna Hold on to You" (drumline/melody)
- Ice Cube - "Summer Vacation" (vocals)
- Ice Cube - "Us" (vocals)
- The D.O.C. & N.W.A. - "The Grand Finale" (vocals)
- 1993/07 - 12 (?) (new mix). Also known as "Gigolos Mix" because of a subtle vocal sample during the chorus. Included in Pre-Death Row compilation (cf. F.T.W.). Awfully remixed in Loyal To The Game (2004, Amaru) with the alternate vocals (crazy version, cf. Mr Middle Finger).
- Story. This version uses the same vocals than the Cradle2TheGrave tape version (cf. Out On Bail). This remix has many similar elements in terms of breaks,
but it has the addition of a new very distinctive drumline. Frank Starchak
who was a rock artist and producer for various rock bands (2nd Cousins,
Toyz, Sex & Sin) could be the producer of this re-arranged beat -
maybe the drumline player... Remix probably specially made for a
radio version / b-side remix of the single or more specifically for that album. 2Pac could have
met Starchak around these times touring in New York. He might have
chosen this version to be in the Pre-Death Row compilation maybe because
it was already a non-Stretch mix with different elements.
- Samples :
- Prince - "If I Was Your Girlfriend (Sign 'O' The Times Tour, 1987)" (melody, vocals)
- Morris Day & The Time - "Gigolos Get Lonely Too" (vocals "get lonely too" during the hook)
- The Hollywood Edge - "L.A. Riot 2" (drumline)
- 2Pac - "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z." (vocals interpolation)
- 1993/04 - 12 (~) (new lyrics). Released in Me Against the World in a short edit and with the interlude "Bitchin'" as an introduction.
- Story. A first version of the song (said also with the "Bitchin" interlude) was recorded for Thug Life original album circa March of 93 but with totally different lyrics with violent content against police. 2Pac intended to include the song in the end of 93 in his Street Fame / Out On Bail album in October, probably dropped it because of its too violent content, finally re-recorded it for his new project R U Still Down. The lyrics are obviously close to those of "R U Still Down" and "Hellrazor" new first verse.
- Samples :
- Kool & The Gang - "Winter Sadness" (bassline / melody)
- Eric B. & Rakim - "I Ain't No Joke" (drums modified)
- The Untouchables (Movie, 1987) (vocals)
- King of New York (Movie, 1990) (vocals)
- American Me (Movie, 1992) (vocals)
- 1993/07 (?) - 12 (~) (alternate mixdown & new vocals ?). Fairly remixed in R U Still Down (1997). Included in the Interscope "Manu" Demo Tape and in pre-Death Row compilation (cf. F.T.W.).
- Story. The song could be a re-recorded version of the unleaked "Dear
Lord", recorded in mid 93 for Mr Middle Finger. We have handwritten lyrics for the first verse from a notebook from December '93 with lyrics close to "Death Around The Corner" and "Can't Turn Back"...
- Samples :
- Eddie Kendricks – "Intimate Friends" (melody)
- Mountain - "Long Red (Live at Woodstock)" (drumline)
- The Five Stairsteps – "Don’t Change Your Love" (drumline)
- Scarface (Movie, 1983) (vocals)
- American Me (Movie, 1992) (vocals)
- 1993 - 1994/01 (~) (alternate mixdown with less singing). Included in the Interscope "Manu" Demo Tape. The Me Against the World took back the original arrangement of Brian G (cf. Out On Bail) but with this light version of the backing singing.
- Samples :
- The Blackbyrds - "All I Ask" (melody)
- 1993 - 1994/01 (~) (edit no intro). Remixed in Loyal To The Game (2004).
- Story. 2Pac
played it live at the MTV Source awards on the 25th of April 1994 (cf. Stay True). The
song was in late 1993 the planned title of his solo album (cf. Out on Bail) before 2Pac recorded "R U Still Down" and gave advanced mixes to his songs. The song disappeared shortly from the solo album tracklists between March and April. The song was written right after the opening of his case about the exchange of fire with the off-duty drunk cops the All Saint's day. Rappin' Is Fundamental was Easy Mo
Bee's group, with AB Money & J.R.. They had a good Hip-Hop/R'n'B
album in 91, The Doo-Hop Legacy.
LG is the brother of Easy Mo Bee (mainly known for his remix work for
Nas "One Nation", Big L "Put It On", and for production work for Sister
Souljah, Gza, Double XX Posse, Shaquille O'Neil, Kool Moe Dee, MC Serch
and of course Big Daddy Kane).
This version without intro was included in the Interscope "Manu" Demo
Tape (circa Feb. of 94), in Stay True Mixtape, and then in the Pre-Death Row compilation (cf. F.T.W.).
- Samples :
- The Meters – "Oh, Calcutta !" (bassline, melody)
- Freddie Foxxx - "Rev. Glock (D.I.T.C. Version)" (vocals : "got a nice fat glock that he stole from the police")
BONUS :
15. Pain (Radio Version) feat. Stretch & Natasha Walker / Stretch- 1993/12 - 1994/02/21 (new take ?). Released in its original form in Above the Rim OST cassette version and in Regulate single (1994, Death Row), but without the scratched Stretch line "Don't Get Too Close Cause You Might Get Shot" during the chorus.
- Story. It is
commonly said the song was rejected from the
soundtrack by Dr. Dre himself - jealous of 2Pac recording songs with
Natasha, a girl he was dated then - but then recut and remixed by Isaias
Gamboa to be
included in the movie. Sweet Sable who was in Above The Rim soundtrack with her song "Old Times' Sake"
is also credited in nu-mixx version of the song, so she could do some
backing vocals here. An interesting thing to notice is that Stretch also
used the beat and background vocals of her song for "Hellrazor" (cf. Mr. Middle Finger or Original R U Still Down).
- Samples :
- Earl Klugh - "Living inside your Love" (melody)
- Intro from the movie Star Trek V : The Final Frontier (1989) (vocals)
- 1994/02/04 - 02/21 (~) (new take). Released in its original form in Above the Rim OST cassette version and in Regulate single (1994, Death Row) (cf. Radio & Soundtracks). Awfully remixed in Loyal To The Game (2004). Censored version with a slightly different rough mix.
- Story. Reginald Heard is not very
well known, he is only credited for having produced the track "Hangin" in
Jade's second album Mind, Body & Song (1994, Giant Records), alongside notably two
songs by Dave Hall from Eddie F's Untouchable. So it gives a link to the recording of "I'd Rather Be Ya Lover" with Madonna (prod.
Dave Jam) and "Let's Get It On" with Heavy D, Grand Puba & Biggie (prod. Eddie F).
- Samples :
- Elton John - "Benny & The Jets" (piano interpolation)
- The Honey Drippers - "Impeach The President" (drumline)
- Cameo - "Sparkle" (chorus interpolation)
No comments:
Post a Comment