1996 - Immortal (with Tha Outlawz)

  • April - June 1996 : tracks recorded or remixed for a first Outlawz album, mainly produced by Johnny J.
  • The album was about to be published at the end of the year with "Hit Em Up" being the first promo and "Made Niggaz" with its video shot in early June about to be the second act.
  • Problem : a dispute occurred between Johnny J and Death Row about the royalties and Johnny J left the label. So the album remained shelved.
picture taken during the making of "Made Niggaz" video

## This tracklist mainly follows the "Hunger" tracklist from June or July of '96, right before or after One Nation June recordings. ##

Tracklist - LISTEN

1. Intro (Piggy & Buffy)
2. Made Niggaz (Rough Mix)
3. Last Onez Left (Long Mix)
4. U Can Be Touched (Pac Version) feat. Sixx-Nine
5. Troublesome '96
6. Don't Go 2 Sleep
7. Untouchablez feat. Snoop Dogg & Bad Azz
8. Never Call U Bitch Again (ON Solo) feat. Danny Boy & Jewell
9. Hit Em Up (Clean Version) feat. Prince Ital Joe
10. Secretz of War (Outlawz Version)
11. Hollywood NJ Baby Don't Cry
12. Who Do U Believe In feat. Big Pimpin' & Nanci Fletcher
13. Fuckin' With The Wrong Nigga
14. Don't Hate Uz They Don't Give A Fuck About Us
15. Death B4 Dishonor There U Go (Johnny J Remix) feat. Aaron Hall (?)
 
Bonus Tracks :
16. Staring Through My Rearview (Rough Mix)
17. Why U Turn On Me (Rough Mix)

Producer - Johnny J, Daz (6), Hurt-M-Badd (8, 13), Daz (6), LT Hutton (7), 2Pac (16), and "Baby Don't Cry" produced or co-produced by 2Pac.

Tracks 11 and 15 are unleaked. "Hollywood NJ" is said to be a Hussein solo (which will reappear in Ghetto Starz album (and is marked as a recorded song). "Death B4 Dishonor" is credited by all the group in one tracklist, it appears around the same time than "Don't Go 2 Sleep", but the song is not confirmed by anybody.


picture taken during the making of "Made Niggaz" video

Outlawz first LP project - from a 2Pac solo to a 2Pac+Outlawz album

"Troublesome, Tha Secretz of War" was a title used in the listing of 2Pac's handwritten papers to refer to this album project. It is probably a title created because the two tracks were in almost every tracklists and because there was no persisting title. This title also reunited two important topics 2Pac failed to achieve ("Troublesome" in Troublesome 21, or Troublesome 96 in 100% Black Gold, and "Secretz of War" in the pre-All Eyez on Me projects, one of the only songs he wrote in prison ?) and other lost tracks like of course "Hit Em Up" from Thug Life Volume 2.

The Thug Life volume 2 album with Outlaw Immortalz has been shelved probably because Mopreme left the group. Eventually 2Pac thought to adapt the album with the rest of the group (Syke & Dramacydal) under the title Lil' Homies. But Big Syke decided to record his own solo album (in March). The reduced team turned to be the Outlawz. Young Noble was not yet in the group. Storm was not in that project, not a regular member of the group. Step by step, the project turned from the new 2Pac solo project (100% Black Gold) to be a whole new album by Outlawz. The project was not stopped when 2Pac started to work on One Nation. The tracks "Hit Em Up", "Troublesome", "Secretz of War", "Made Niggaz", "U Can Be Touched", "Baby Don't Cry", "Last One Left", "Never Call U Bitch Again" are on almost every tracklists and will be reworked in June of '96 during One Nation sessions.


Handwritten tracklists timeline

copies of handwritten papers

1. March. Untitled. 

This first draft is like a whole new project from zero (so maybe after Syke left Death Row in late March ?). Only "Soon As I Get Home" is a recorded song 2Pac wanted to keep. It also has some topics ("Heaven", "Death") which will maybe be used later.

2. April. Untitled. 

"U Can't Be Touched" and "Last Onez Left" are recorded or are about to be (the 24th of April). "Talking in my sleep" could be a topic that will turn into "Don't Go 2 Sleep" following month.

3. Late April or early May. This more elaborated draft includes tracks from the probably then dropped solo album project : "Hit Em Up", "Made Niggaz", "Troublesome", "Secretz of War". The title "Euthanasia" is a resurgence of the title from the early Death Row times, it could also be the title 2Pac planned to give to his solo album just before he gave up his album project. "Hold Ya Head" could have turned into "Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)", "Thug Love" of course will be concreted later in June with Bizzy Bone. 

This tracklist shows that 2Pac planned to include old songs recorded by the group like "Fade Me", "Enemies With Me", "There U Go", "Whatz Next". Maybe at that time he or Johnny J worked on new mixes, especially without Syke and Mopreme. "Hollywood NJ" and "Mu'z Praya" were probably solo songs planned by Outlawz members. The first one was eventually a planned title for Fatal N Felony. The song will come back in later tracklists and as a planned title for a Young Noble album in August papers.

4. Late April/May. Untitled. 

"Don't Cry" and "Through My Rearview" (the 29th of April and the 5th of May) are now included (but maybe not recorded yet...). "Smile" and "5 minutes of Fame" are new concepts that will be recorded later. "Never Call U Bitch Again" reappears (is there a new mix from that time ?) as well as "Fucking With The Wrong Nigga" (is the small intro about Syke from that time or on the contrary from the first version ?). But clearly "There U Go" could not have Syke at that time (Johnny J possibly made a mix without Syke - such a thing exists as a remix in Johnny J late remix collection album All Eyes on Us)

5. May. Untitled. 

"Us" (possibly "Don't Give A Fuck About Us") probably also recorded the 29th of April has been added. Also "Who Do U Believe In" (Maybe Big Pimpin' outro has been added around that time).


6. Mid May. Untitled. "Don't Go 2 Sleep" and "Death B4 Dizhonor" appear so they could have been recorded around the same time (mid May ?), maybe both produced by Daz (?). What is "Don't Hate Uz" ? Could it still be "They Don't Give A Fuck About Us" ? The credits list does not indicate Kadafi in "U Can Be Touched" so the version without him is not a reference for Napoleon but the planned first version.

7. Late May early June. "Loved by Few, hated by many, feared by all" was more or less a title 2Pac once took in his various ideas for his firs drafts before All Eyez on Me. Here it sounds more like a subtitle than as a real title for the album. "Untouchablez" (from the 31st of May) is recorded or about to be.


8. Early July. Titled "The Hunger".

A song from that name will be recorded later by Outlawz for their Retribution album.

If we assume "Don't Hate Uz" as being a first sketch for "Ain't Nothing Wrong", most of the songs were recorded in April-May are there except "Through My Rearview" (already given to Gang Related soundtrack ? maybe "Don't Give A Fuck" given to a soundtrack too). "Watch Ya Mouth" is probably just an idea yet. But "Hollywood NJ" could be a real unleaked song.





DETAILED TRACKLIST

(Special thanks to Bomb1st members Filla and Dominator for sample credits)

01. Intro (Piggy & Buffy) / Johnny J & 2Pac

  • 1996/06/4. Intro to the video version of "Made Niggaz". It is a movie scene with fake Biggie and Puffy playing mobsters. This intro has sometimes been patched at the beginning of "Hit 'Em Up".
02. Made Niggaz (Rough Mix) feat. Napoleon, Hussein, Edi, Kastro & Kadafi / Johnny J & 2Pac
  • 1996/04/23. Released in Gang Related Soundtrack (1997). The song was firstly in late tracklists from his aborted solo album (cf. Me Against The World pt. 2). The song finally was given to the Outlawz project. It is in every handwritten tracklists. 
  • Samples : 
03. Last Ones Left (Wrong Start) feat. Edi & Napoleon / Johnny J
  • 1996/04/24. Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001, Amaru). 2Pac mentions L.B.C. Click, O.F.T.B. and the M.O.B. Appear in every tracklists.
  • Samples : 
04. U Can Be Touched (Pac Version) feat. Edi, Kastro, Hussein, Napoleon & Sixx Nine / Johnny J
  • 1996/04/24. Remixed in Still I Rise (1999). Is this version a reference for Napoleon's verse ? On one tracklist, the featuring list does not mention Kadafi. So this version was not recorded as a reference track for Napoleon but was the first version planned for the album, before Tupac chose to give it entirely to the Outlawz probably at the end of One Nation sessions in late June.
  • Samples : 
05. Troublesome '96 (Long Mix) / Johnny J
  • 1996/04/08 - 05/?? (new mix ?). Released in Greatest Hits (1998) in a slightly shorter mix (cf. Rarities). This long mix could be the first or the second mix of the song (the other having no chorus), it has the "Criminal Timez Verse" playing backwards during the first verse of the song (is it a mistake or a kind of "Makaveli" game ?). The other version without any chorus (like many songs in Me Against The World pt. 2 sessions) doesn't have that incorporated verse. It is probably the rest of an old record erased by the new recording over the same Reel. It could be a kind of first version of "Made Niggaz" or a second verse before Outlawz recorded theirs, lyrics ending in the handwritten paper with "how do we survive in these criminal timez az Made Niggaz" ? They made a short mix from this long version around the time of One Nation sessions so it leads us to think this mix is the most advanced one before.
  • Samples : 
    • Whodini - "Friends" (drums, bassline interpolation)
    • Louchie Lou & Michie One - "Rich Girl" (vocals interpolation)
06. Don't Go 2 Sleep feat. Edi, Hussein & Kastro (chorus) / Daz
  • 1996/05/16-24 (?). Remixed in Makaveli & Dillinger EP (1998) in two versions : one with Dogg Pound later added verses, one titled "Original" with Edi and a Daz verse that could have been recorded around Pac lifetime (more likely from 97). The song appears in Outlawz tracklists at the same time than "Death B4 Dishonor" (unleaked but probably recorded), around second half of May (Pac is playing the song during Hit Em Up filming in early June). There was an earlier date for this song (95/10/13), probably fake, but it could be the date of the Daz production if 2Pac/Outlawz do not have recorded their verses at that date... but the outro has clearly been recorded later (diss towards Chino XL so after March). The so-called "original" version doesn't have the diss ending. Could it be a true og version of the first take ? a remix of that og (just replacing Hussein by Daz) ?
  • Samples : 
07. Untouchablez feat. Bad Azz (LBC Crew), Snoop Dogg, Edi & Kadafi / LT Hutton
  • 1996/05/31. Included in the late Outlawz LP "The Hunger" tracklist circa June-July and also in a late One Nation June sessions tracklist. A 2Pac verse has probably been added around the same period in the LBC/Snoop's song "Out The Moon" in replacement of Lil C-Style for Doggfather album (cf. Doggfather sessions), finally released in Gridlock'd OST.
  • Samples : 
    • Scarface (movie, 1983) (vocals interpolation)
08. Never Call U Bitch Again (ON Solo Version) feat. Danny Boy & Jewell / Johnny J

09. Hit 'Em Up (Clean Version) feat. Hussein, Kadafi, Edi & Prince Ital Joe / Johnny J

  • 1996/06/03. Probably planned to be a b-side and a radio/TV friendly version of the diss single. This is the last version of the song, which has a totally new vocal take with alternate polished lyrics. It has also a new live played instrumentation of the sample and the original Prince Ital outro added (cf. Outlaw Immortalz). 2Pac gives dedication to Boot Camp Clik at the end of the song, like in "Runnin' on E". They were probably on the road to Los Angeles... The meeting and the recording sessions with them seem to have totally changed the musical orientation of 2Pac. 
  • Samples : 

10. Secretz Of War (Outlawz Version) feat. Hussein & Kadafi / Johnny J

  • 1996/03-04 (~). Remixed in Still I Rise (1999). Unknown date of recording, it appears in the tracklists of Me Against The World pt. 2 at the same time than "Fuckin Wit The Wrong N", "Troublesome 96" and "Thug In Me", so probably recorded between the end of March and the beginning of April. This version has totally new lyrics in comparison of the first "rules" version with Kurupt (cf. When I Get Free). This version was not finished so they will rework it during One Nation sessions with a new mix and an added verse from Young Noble.
  • Samples :

11. Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up pt. 2) / 2Pac

  • 1996/04/29. Remixed in Still I Rise (1999). In the leaked original, there is a space for other verses, probably for the Outlawz. A shame the song appears to be left incomplete, and dropped from the project in last tracklists. Credits on Still I Rise indicate 2Pac as the original producer but if the same day he recorded "They Don't Give A Fuck" with Outlawz and Johnny J, maybe he received the help of Johnny J also for that one. Something might have happened around these days that made Johnny J leaving all his work : maybe he argued with Suge Knight or even with 2Pac upon this song or this project. Let's notice that in the last song of Kadafi's Son Rize Vol. 1, in a remix of "Letter 2 My Unborn Child", a guy named Rizz is imitating Kadafi's style and gives a verse ending by "so please don't cry" that could fit in this song.

12. Who Do You Believe In (Pimpin' Version) feat. Kadafi, Big Pimpin' Delemond & Nancy Fletcher / Johnny J

  • 1996/01/22 - 05/?? (Big Pimpin' added). Released in Better Dayz (2002). The song was really loved by 2Pac because he kept it from January in all his projects. Big Pimpin' was a close friend of Snoop and the Dogg Pound, kind of speaking poetry more than rapping or singing. That perfectly fits with the topic of the song.
  • Samples : 

13. Fuckin Wit' The Wrong Nigga / Hurt-M-Badd

14. Don't Hate Uz (Interlude) / Tony Pizarro (?)

  • 1996/06-07. A title appears in many tracklists often as "Us". We have an handwritten tracklist for it with the lyrics from "Ain't Nothing Wrong". Either it was not recorded yet either the tracklist dates from mid July when the interlude was dropped from Makaveli album.

14. They Don't Give A Fuck About Us (Alt Mix) feat. Edi, Kastro, Kadafi & Napoleon / Johnny J

  • 1996/04/29 (? or the 15th ?). Released in Makaveli & Dillinger (1999) and in Better Dayz (2002). This track is probably the one appearing titled as "Us" at the same time than "Don't Cry" in Outlawz "Euthanasia" tracklist, it would be the very last song Johnny J made with 2Pac. The track disappeared after that, like "Through My Rearview", and then appears in sequences of Gridlock'd soundtrack, finally leftover.
  • Samples : 

BONUS TRACKS : 

15. There U Go (Johnny J Remix) feat. Kastro, Kadafi, Edi & Aaron Hall (?) / Johnny J  

  • 1995/10 - 1996/04 (edit & remix) - 06/07 (?) (chorus added ?). Original remixed in Better Dayz (2002). This alternate version without Big Syke seems to be legit because the song appears in many Outlawz tracklists without any mention of Syke (who had left Death Row in March). This beat is a real Johnny J remix he released in his mixtape cf. All Eyez on Him, but it didn't have the chorus... (like some last songs he did for Pac's Me Against The World pt. 2). So the chorus should have been added later. If it is really Aaron Hall's voice, this could be from beginning of June or July (like first recording of "Toss it Up"). But that chorus could have been recorded much more later... 
  • Samples :
16. Starin' Through My Rearview (Rough Mix) feat. Edi & Kadafi / Hurt-M-Badd
17. Why U Turn On Me (Rough Mix) / 2Pac 
  
 
 







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