1996 - Makaveli, Killuminati (Original War Album)

  •  Leftover tracks from Makaveli sessions recorded in July of 96, not included in The 3 Day Theory Demo nor in Makaveli, the Platinum Edition.

### This is a compilation of leftover tracks from Makaveli sessions in July of 96, it follows the first handwritten tracklist of "Killuminati" and it tried to include all the first mixes not available in The 3 Day Theory Demo and in the Makaveli, Platinum Edition. ###

Tracklist - LISTEN

1. Hail Mary (Rough Mix) * How Do U Want It (Daz Remix) - snippet
2. Killuminati (Rough Mix)
3. Friendz (Rough Mix)
4. Let 'em Have It (Rough Mix) feat. Storm & Val Young
5. Lost Souls (Movie Version) feat. Outlawz
6. Blasphemy (Rough Mix) * U Don't Have 2 Worry feat. Storm & Outlawz
7. To Live & Die in L.A. (Video Version) feat. Val Young
8. Watch Ya Mouth (Rough Mix)
9. Nigga's Nature (Rough Mix) feat. Val Young
10. When Thugz Cry (No Sample) feat. Nanci Fletcher
11. Playa'z Praya (Ain't Nothing Wrong)
12. Toss It Up (Rough Mix) feat. Danny Boy, Aaron Hall, K-Ci & Jojo
13. War Gamez feat. Outlawz
14. Street Fame (Rough Mix)
15. Catchin' Feelings (Rough Mix)
 
Bonus Tracks : 

Mama's Just A Little Girl (Remix) feat. Danny Boy
Thug's Nature (Demo) feat. Darryl Harper
 
* first takes unleaked or included in The 3 Day Theory or in Platinum edition.
 


After the recording of One Nation album with Boot Camp Clik, Greg Nice, etc... in June, which could have been felt as a symbol of peace with the east coast. Something happened when 2Pac came back from his trip to Italy. He listened to the fresh new Nas album (released the 2nd of July), It Was Written. An artist he likes and had already met. After the intro, the first words of the first song "The Message" fell : "Fake thugs, no love"... the rest of the verse sounds to him like a diss, in the second verse he heard Nas talking about someone who got shot and "left the hospital the same night", throwing a final line "contemplating war niggas I was cool with before... but a thug changes and love changes and best friends become strangers" followed by an outro : "Y'all fake niggas tryin to copy". Who could Nas speak about if not him ? Weren't they cool before ? There is also one song produced by Stretch, one by Dr. Dre and two featuring Mobb Deep... No doubt, the cool man he met before, the rapper he used to admire, joined the camp of his enemies... There is a coalition !

So 2Pac started to retaliate with two diss songs mainly towards Nas : "War Gamez" and "U Don't Have 2 Worry". It has been said that 2Pac had the project of a whole diss album... One Nation was at that time subtitled "7 Dayz" like the seven days of recording. 2Pac probably thought to have a bigger performance by doing this new album in 3 days of recordings, what became the anticipated The 3 Day Theory Demo (in fact this "demo" tape corresponds to a DAT sequence of the album from the 28th of July, the album was already not titled "3 Day Theory" - but in comparison of the final retail album, it meant not yet finished). Moreover, the concept of Makaveli was enriched of a Jesus symbolic. Of course, in Italia, he for sure visited the Vatican or other wonderful churches and got probably stoked by the Jesus iconography. With his usual workaholism, he recorded more and more songs. The 3 days turned 7, and then more. And something turned him to realize a much more inspired thing : he dropped off the more dissing songs like "Watch Ya Mouth" and other which didn't fit, and it became the dark and mystic Makaveli, The Don Killuminati, The 7 Day Theory (which still contains however many traces of the original project - a lot of small disses even in the R&B oriented "Toss It Up"). But would he have totally given up the idea of this diss album ? He recorded "Catching Feelins" in early August "part 2 to the war" and "All Out" his last song is also a diss song...

But most of the album is inspired by the Jesus of the Gospels, recurring topic and comparison to himself. He is struggling, he is being judged, he has already been shot so he watched himself being killed during nightmares... If he was likely saying before that "My only Fear of death is reincarnation", maybe right now he is preparing himself to a kind of symbolic resurrection, maybe through the legacy his apostles wear... He couldn't be closer to what happened...




1. circa 8-10th of July. "Killuminati". The tracklist corresponds to the real three days of recording. No songs recorded a few days before like "War Gamez"/"U Don't Have 2 Worry". Only three songs from these first sessions will remain in retail album.



 2. - 3. circa 12th of July. Makaveli of the Outlawz, "Killuminati", The 3 Day Theory. 2Pac added "Bomb First", recorded the 12th, at the first position before "Hail Mary" and it will stay like that. The "recorded in 3 days" did not hold anymore... But 2Pac is now inspired also by christian symbolism, especially after "Blasphemy"/"Hail Mary" recording with Prince Ital Joe - and maybe inspired as well by his trip to Italy. The "3 day theory" refers of course to the resurrection of Jesus Christ after having been crucified by his Jew people. In his diss/war topics, dealing with the paranoiac fear of being killed, killed by old friends, betrayed, 2Pac met up the Jesus' Gospel story. Even if he would be killed, his music would still be heard. Let's notice that "Friends" found its position as the beginning of the B-Side, rarely changed.


 

4. circa 12-21 of July. Makaveli 'the Don'. Same title but 2Pac added a noble title to his nickname.


5. Circa 22th of July. "Makaveli" N 3 Dayz. 2Pac replaced "Killuminati"/"Let Em Have It"/"Outro (Last Praya)" by "Hold Ya Head"/"Against All Oddz"/"Krazy" and a new version of "When Thugz Cry". "Against All Oddz" already has its position at the end of the album, rarely changed.

6. Circa 22-25 of July. "Killuminati" plain title. Same tracklist than 5 with different order, but 2Pac also purposed to replace "Lost Souls" by "White Manz World" that he had probably just recorded.

 

7. 8. Circa 30th of July. "Killuminati" (The 7 Day Theory). 2Pac just recorded "Me & My Girlfriend" and also added "White Man'z World" instead of "Niggaz Nature"/"When Thugz Cry". It seems like 2Pac decided to drop this late Johnny J original produced song, either because he is not satisfied of it either Johnny J and Death Row are in a definitive disagreement and his material will not be released... If so, this is around that time he acted the end of Thug Life, scrapped the original Outlawz album (which was then titled "Immortalz" or "Euthanasia"...), dropped Johnny J songs from One Nation, and started to transform the original Young Noble & New Nastee Niggaz project into a new Outlawz album.

 

9. Circa the 4th of August. "Killuminati". 2Pac had probably just recorded a second verse for "Toss It Up", and the song is not a Aaron Hall's song anymore. 2Pac also added "Life az an Outlaw", maybe initially aimed for the new Outlawz/Young Noble project, in replacement of "Lost Souls" and "Watch Ya Mouth".

10. Circa the 4th of August. Untitled. It is the final tracklist of the released album, except for "Friendz" which will be replaced by "Just Like Daddy". The tracklist has probably been written down more or less at the time 2Pac recorded the "News Intro" which will be in the final album (Otherwise, he would have written simply "Intro").

The words "Closer to this order" are clearly a later addition. 2Pac chose this tracklist among all the tracklists he wrote.


11. Circa the 12th of August. In the 12th DAT sequence, "Phuck Friendz" is noted "DNU" (Do Not Use ?). It is said that 2Pac has been asked to not release the song. So he replaced this song and "Hold Ya Head" by two songs he just recorded : "Black Jesuz"/"Just Like Daddy". Therefore he has to change the whole track order. But he changed his mind : either he wanted to keep "Hold Ya Head", either he wanted to reserve "Black Jesuz" for the new Outlawz project... 

So he went back and chose a previous tracklist where he simply changed "Friendz" by "Just Like Daddy" at the beginning of the B-Side (so he did not have to change the whole track order).




DETAILED TRACKLIST
(Special thanks to Bomb1st members Filla and Dominator for samples credits)

01. How Do U Want It (Daz Remix) / Daz - INSTRU SNIPPET
  • 1996/07/03. 2Pac was freshly returned from his trip to Italia with Kidada Jones (after maybe also a break to Cleveland to record with Bone Thugz-N-Harmony, cf. One Nation, Part 2). Like Daz produced a new version of Snoop's "What's My Name ?" (maybe as well as the remix of "I Get Around (with reference for Money B)" in May), he might have been asked to make a new version of "How Do U Want It ?", released in single in May (for a Death Row compilation, a 2Pac old tracks remixed compilation ?). Are there any new vocals by 2Pac ? Outlawz ? Daz ? a different chorus ? Nothing is known except that it shares the same beat than "War Gamez". We don't know if the remix was finished, or if Daz was working alone and 2Pac entered in a fury and decided to use the beat Daz was working on for his diss song after having just heard the Nas album It Was Written (released the 2nd of July), or if they were working together at the remix when somebody informed them the Nas album contained diss against him...

02. Killuminati (Rough Mix) feat. Edi & Kadafi / Tony Pizarro

  • 1996/07/08. Remixed in Still I Rise (1999, Interscope). It includes a part of the first verse of "Untouchable" (also second verse of "War Gamez"). Because it had been recorded after "War Gamez", and with no particular diss, we chose to have it in the Outlawz LP. The advanced arrangement fits well with the other songs of Ghetto Starz.
  • Samples : 
03. (Let's Be) Friendz (Rough Mix) / QD3
  • 1996/07/08 - 16 (final mix). Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001). Planned to be in an early version of the Makaveli album.
  • Samples : 
    • Whodini - "Friends" (melody interpolation, drums interpolation, bassline interpolation)
04. Let 'em Have It (If U Really Want It) (Rough Mix) feat. Storm & Jewell / LT Hutton
  • 1996/07/10. Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001). Planned to be in early Killuminati tracklists. The final mix adds many elements that do not go with the rest of the Makaveli mood.
  • Samples : 
    • The Treacherous Three - "Body Rock" (vocals interpolation)
05. Lost Souls (Rough Mix) feat. Edi & Young Noble / QD3
  • 1996/07/08 - 18 (final mix). Included in The 3 Day Theory demo, which was then released in Gang Related soundtrack (1997, Death Row). The song appears in early Makaveli tracklists and then it is switched to Outlawz Ghetto Starz project. But in handwritten tracklist of it, 2Pac listed Edi, Noble, Kastro, Napoleon, and not himself. The mix with Edi starting and then Noble, known as "Movie Version" appearing during Gang Related movie, could be an edited mix of this Ghetto Starz version. The real unleaked original version of this mix could have Kastro & Napoleon instead of 2Pac, and 2Pac just at the chorus, giving them the song like he did for "U Can Be Touched".
  • Samples : 
    • The System - "Don't Disturb This Groove" (melody)
    • Roy Ayers - "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" (vocals interpolation : "just wait until the rain turn to sunshine, cause I hate to spend my life my life my life duckin one time")
    • Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick - "La Di Da Di" (vocals interpolation : "for y'all keeping y'all in health just to see you smile and enjoy yourself")
06. Toss It Up (Rough Mix) feat. Danny Boy, Aaron Hall, K-Ci & Jojo / Dr. Dre (?) REMIXED By Demetrius Shipp & Reggie Moore
  • 1996/07/06 or 25 (? a known Reel date reversed or at the end of Makaveli sessions). This version does not have the final dissing verse. According to some Wikipedia info, it could be originally a beat produced by Dr. Dre before he left Death Row (the 23th of March)... Dre then gave the beat to Teddy Riley and Blackstreet for their hit "No Diggity", published the 29th of July. That forced Death Row ("under a cease and desist order") to re-produce the song. That's why in the beginning of August, Pac added a diss verse towards Dr. Dre at the end of the song... Furthermore, it is said to be initially an Aaron Hall song. In summer, he was in Trinidad to reform Guy with his brother and Teddy Riley. But Aaron refused to record "No Diggity" and instead of a new Guy album, he recorded the video clip for "Toss It Up" in September the 6th...
  • Samples : 
07. To Live & Die in L.A. (Video Version) feat. Val Young / QD3
  • 1996/07/10 - 23 (Radio Edit). 2Pac rewrote some bars to make the song radio friendly, that same day a video was filmed in the streets of L.A. to make it the fist single of the Makaveli album, finally released the 16th of November after "Toss It Up".
  • Samples : 
08. Watch Ya Mouth (Rough Mix) / LT Hutton (?) or QD3 (?)
09. Niggaz Nature (Rough Mix) feat. Val Young / QD3
  • 1996/07/10 - 16 (final mix). Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001). Included in all early Makaveli tracklists. There is an alternate version with a "thug nature" chorus probably recorded by Darryl Harper for the radio version of the song.
  • Samples :
    • Michael Jackson - "Human Nature" (concept, vocals interpolation)
10. When Thugz Cry (No Sample) feat. Nanci Fletcher / Johnny J REMIXED By Demetrius Shipp & Reggie Moore (?)
  • 1996/02/01 - 07/12 (new vocals, new beat) - 29 (final mixdown). Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001). The original Sting sample is here replayed by Death Row home musicians (maybe the same than for Toss It Up), and 2Pac re-records his verses and speaks at the end with some words towards Nas. Included in many Makaveli tracklists close to the latest. Do they finally drop the song because of a beef with Johnny J about royalties ? or because it was not really fitting the mood of the album ?
  • Samples :
11. Ain't Nothing Wrong (Playa'z Praya) (Rough Mix) / Tony Pizarro
  • 1996/08/09 - 12 (final mix). 2Pac is singing on this track. The interlude is dedicated to Napoleon-Mutah's grand mother. Second track produced by Tony Pizarro after "Killuminati". He was an important producer for 2Pac in 94 (cf. Stay True Mixtape) and he is of course the producer of "Dear Mama" (known mix) and "It Ain't Easy" from Me Against The World.
12. U Don't Have 2 Worry feat. Storm, Young Noble, Kastro, Kadafi & Val Young / QD3
  • 1996/07/03 (~). Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001). It has been thought for long that the song could have been recorded in March the 7th (wrong reported date - probably the reverse the 3th of July -, Storm talking about "Outlaw Immortalz" and Noble with the group earlier than June, like in "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" video). In fact, the song is clearly from early July, like other songs produced by QD3 ("Blasphemy", Friendz", "Lost Souls", "Watch Ya Mouth", "Niggaz Nature"). 2Pac is rapping over same topics than in "War Gamez" and the song also works as a dissing answer to "The Message" of Nas (who starts his verse by "Fake Thugs, no love...", saying later "there's only one life, one love... one king"... finishing by "The Firm clique"), 2Pac claiming there's only one clique, one love one nation". The song does not appear in Killuminati tracklists, probably because it was aimed for One Nation (because of the chorus) or more likely for Outlawz LP, but it neither appears in those tracklists either... Is it the voice of Daz Dillinger in the background (or somebody imitating him) doing his dog scream "Wuh, Wuh Wuh" (so it would reinforce the idea of having been recorded around the time of "War Gamez" and "How Do U Want It Remix"). 
  • Samples : 
    • The Blackbyrds - "Wilford's Gone" (piano interpolation, strings interpolation)
13.  War Gamez feat. Napoleon, Edi, Young Noble & Kadafi / Daz
  • 1996/07/03 (~). "Capture The Flag" (name of a typical war training game) was probably an anticipated title for the song before being recorded, appearing in a tracklist of Troublesome, The Secretz of War (circa May - June ?). The song hardly disses Nas and Dr. Dre. 2Pac probably just discovered Nas new album It Was Written (released the 2nd of July) with its Dr. Dre produced track (also two from the Live Squad) and above all his opening track "The Message" starting by "fake thugs, no love..." and talking in the second verse about a guy being shot in his legs and leaving the hospital the same night... 2Pac for sure took the thing against him. As second verse 2Pac recycled the first half of his verse "After fire comes the rain, after pleasure there's pain..." from "Untouchable" recorded in early June. A few days later, he will rap again this verse for "Killuminati". We could include this full Outlawz song in Troublesome : The Secretz of War (because it was planned to be icluded) or in Ghetto Starz album, because the biffed title of the album is "The Rulez of the Game"... But it is as well a pre-Makaveli song and a diss song. It shares the beat of an unleaked "How Do U Want It Remix" Daz was working on this day and that he will re-use for Dogg Pound's "Gitta Strippin'" (for his West Coast Aftershock sessions during summer of 96). 
14. Street Fame (Rough Mix) / Daz
  • 1996/07/29. Remixed in Better Dayz (2002). The advanced mix has a kind of very west coast touch that does not fit very well with Makaveli album.
15. Catchin' Feelins (Untouchable Sound) / Darryl Harper
  • 1996/08/02. Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001). The song seems to be uncompleted, awaiting to receive Outlawz verses ?
  • Samples : 
    • Run DMC - "Peter Piper" (vocals interpolation : "the turntable might wobble, but they don't fall down")
 
BONUS TRACKS :
 
. Why U Turn On Me (Rough Mix) / 2Pac 
 
 
. Mama's Just A Little Girl (Remix) feat. Danny Boy / Daz (?) 





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