1995 - R U Still Down '95 (Lost Tracks)

• Jan. - Sept. 1995 : project of a Me Against The World lost tracks compilation companion, soon turned into a compilation album to make people wait until 2Pac would be freed and able to record new material.
  
• Firstly titled "B-Sides", it then became a project of "Album IV" with the title "When I Get Free : 92-96 Lost Trax", "R U Still Down", "When I Get Free produced by Dr. Dre", and finally "R U Still Down" again, before being shelved because 2Pac started to record tracks with Death Row for an album initially titled... "When I Get Free"...
• Sources : DAT #PO781746, handwritten tracklists.

 

The day 2Pac was sentenced of 1.5 to 4.5 years of prison

#### - OK, the contain of the further state of the project was leaked... But all tracks here have been taken untouched from older sequences and were very probably supposed to receive a refreshing new mix if 2Pac would have decided to finalize the project... so the best thing could be to give new fanmade/professional mixes/blunts in the vibe of Daz/Dre's work on Murder Was The Case or Me Against the World last mixes... GIVE US IDEAS TO REMIX/REMAKE ALL THESE TRACKS TO ACCOMPLISH THE KIND OF PROJECT 2PAC WANTED. ####

R U Still Down '95 : Lost Tracks -

1. My Block (The Show Alternate Mix) feat. Richie Rich (backing)
   - Better Dayz Remix
2. Amerikkka Eatz Itz Young feat. Young Lay, Ray Luv & Mac Mall
   
3. Out On Bail (No Intro) feat. AB Money
   
4. Wonda Why They Call U Bitch (Original) feat. Natasha Walker (speaking)
   
5. Thugz Get Lonely Too (Gigolos Mix) feat. Macadoshis (chorus)
6. Where Do We Go From Here feat. Y?N-Vee
   
7. Nothing To Lose (Short Mix) feat. Natasha Walker
8. Hell Razor (Stretch Version) feat. Stretch (hook)
   - R U Still Down Remix
9. When I get Free (Chorus Version) feat. Felony (chorus)
   
10. My Only Fear of Death (Short Mix)
    
11. High Til I Die (Body Mix)
    
12. Hold On Be Strong feat. Stretch & DJ Choo (scratching)
13. Sucka 4 Love feat. G-Money
    - R U Still Down Remix
14. R U Still Down feat. Natasha Walker 

95-09-13 DAT also includes When I Get Free (Intro), Hold On (Outro) and Bitchin' (Interlude). The two last have their vocals included in "Hold On, Be Strong" and in "Death Around The Corner" intro like it was released in Me Against The World. So this DAT was for sure waiting for a new mix, further than just "Hold On" and "Hell Razor" 

Track 1 from F.T.W./Me Against The World. Released in The Show O.S.T. (cf. Rarities : Radio & Soundtrack Versions).
Track 2 from Stay True.

Track 3 from R U Still Down '94 (Manu Tape) and Stay True.

Track 4 from Mr. Middle Finger and Out On Bail.

Track 5 from ? (R U Still Down '94, B-side or special mix)

Track 6 from R U Still Down '94 (Manu Tape) and Exodus. Released in R U Still Down.

Track 7 from ? (Stay True, B-Side, F.T.W./Me Against The World or special mix)

Track 8 from R U Still Down '94 (Manu Tape).

Track 9 from ? (Stay True, Young Thugz EP or special mix). Released in R U Still Down.

Track 10 from Stay True.

Track 11 from Stay True.

Track 12 from R U Still Down '94 and Exodus. Released in R U Still Down.

Track 13 from F.T.W./Me Against The World. 

Track 14 from R U Still Down '94 (Manu Tape).

Like we can see (in bold), only 3 mixes could - eventually - have been made strictly made for that compilation... 2Pac also wanted to have "Hellrazor", "My Only Fear of Death" and eventually "Nothing To Lose" remixed. Firstly respectively by Battlecat, Khayree and Warren G, and then only the two first by Daz (until the project being shelved.

In another handwritten paper, probably only at the moment where he signed with Death Rown, 2Pac wrote "produced by Dr. Dre". But it is doubtful that 2Pac really thought to have the whole album remixed by him...

A perfect move would be to purpose a whole compilation of remixes in the vibe of DJ Battlecat, Khayree, Warren G, Daz and Dr. Dre (or blunts). We could also add Moe-Z, Tony Pizarro, Easy Mo Bee, Soulshock, Mike Mosley...

 

1. Circa Jan. of 95. Album IV + B-Sides + Greatest Hits EP.

2Pac tried the title "Hard 2 Kill" for his Me Against The World album in December 94. Here we are supposedly a little later and tracklist and title of Me Against The World are probably fixed (cf. F.T.W.) and the album more or less ready to be released (March 14). So 2Pac is already starting to conceive a follow up to the album with new concepts.

The B-Sides compilation companion to the forthcoming album includes "I Wonder If Heaven's Got A Ghetto", already published as a B-Side to Keep Ya Head Up single, leftover track from the 1992 shelved album Troublesome 21. It also have "What U Won't Do" but it could be more likely the 94 "Sucka 4 Love" version. 

"Thug Style" won't make the final cut (eventually given to the Volume 2 : Lost Tracks compilation, aka Makaveli 6 Bootleg, cf. Honor Among Thugz / Exodus) and "Throw Ya Hands" is probably already planned to be given to Pump Ya Fist compilation (released in April 11) but it could work as a promotion for the album, planned to be released later that year.

A strange omission is "Out On Bail" which was removed from the tracklist of Me Against The World right after "Hard 2 Kill" tracklist, so could easily find a place here. 

The planned "Greatest Hits EP" compilation indicates that 2Pac knew he would be in prison for a time and that these two compilation projects would occupy the market waiting for a new project.

2. Circa Feb. - April 95 (?). (Album IV) When I Get Free 92-96 Lost Trax.

Planned to be released the 14th of November 14th 1995. Now 2Pac has been sentenced (the 7th of February), and he knows he won't get out of prison before at least 1.5 years (until 4.5 years...), so 2Pac sees his Lost Tracks compilation as his forthcoming album IV (and not as a B-Sides compilation anymore).

This tracklist still has "Open Fire" (probably dropped because of his lyrics against the police...) and "Can't Turn Back" (was he thinking to have Young Hollywood aka Felony replacing Black Jack's Young Akayser verse ? is there any unknown version ? - maybe he finally gave the song to Black Jack who produced the thing and who will also give a verse only at that time by his member Akayser), "Thug Style" and the 92 track "Don't Call Me Bitch" from the shelved album Troublesome 21 (both given to Volume 2 Lost Tracks compilation project, aka Makaveli 6 Bootleg).

At that time, 2Pac already thought to remix tracks originally produced by Stretch (we saw that he scratched all Stretch things from "Me Against The World" on his last tracklists, probably in the beginning of 95 - cf. F.T.W.). Here we have the interesting ideas of Khayree remixing "Hellrazor", Battlecat remixing "My Only Fear of Death" and Warren G remixing "Nothing 2 Lose" ! what proves that there was no problem between him and 2Pac (consecutively to the beat of "Animosity" / "Lie 2 Kick It" given to Snoop Dogg, credited to Dr. Dre...).

3. Circa March - May of 95. R U Still Down (Album IV)

Close to the previous state, this one still have the Felony featuring for "Can't Turn Back" but 2Pac decides to scrap the song. 

The album has now 12 tracks and no "Thug Style" neither "Open Fire" anymore. This could correspond to the time of the Makaveli 6 Bootleg (or almost), what includes alongside Volume 1 leftover tracks "Thug Style", "Don't Call Me Bitch", but also "Throw Ya Hands Up (Remix)" and "R U Still Down (Raise Em Up)"...

4. Circa April - June of 95. (Album IV) R U Still Down

The album is then scheduled to Jan. 96. It still has 12 tracks. You can recognize the kind of presentation of many "Euthanasia" tracklists with producers credits on side and the blue / red pens game.

This time, 2Pac wanted to have two Stretch tracks being remixed by Daz. Is this because of the work he made for "Life's So Hard" in August 94 (but he was not planned before), or 2Pac had already been approached by Suge Knight ?

If "Hell Razor" had some Stretch vocals (not the Tony Pizarro version), it is not the case for "My Only Fear of Death" and there is a Tony Pizarro remix for both (but maybe not enough remixed to not give full credits to him... Other Stretch tracks "Thugz Get Lonely Too", "Nothing To Lose" and "Wonda Why They Call U" are here credited to 2Pac, like "Where We Go From Here". All these songs are known to have been more or less co-produced by 2Pac with the help of Duane Nettlesbey (as an engineer) so maybe 2Pac was thinking to include them like that (without crediting Stretch). But 2Pac could also think to give Duane or somebody else the idea of a new sample...

 

5. Circa May - July 95. R U Still Down, Album IV. 

2Pac went back to a 12 tracks album idea. So he dropped "Out On Bail" and "Throw Ya Hands". This could be the exact time of the Makaveli 6 Bootleg Thug Life Lost Tracks sequence (which includes "Throw Ya Hands Remix").

6. Circa June - Aug. 95. "When I Get Free, Album IV Produced by Dr. Dre".

This tracklist is probably close to the time 2Pac decided to sign in on Death Row. No complicated credits here, like everybody, he was dreaming about his whole album being produced by the legendary Dr. Dre... He was probably not conscious that Dr. Dre was already not very fan of him since Above The Rim (cf. Out On Bail). who will finally produce nothing for him ("California Love", "Can't C Me" and "Blunt Time" were given to him because Suge Knight wanted to... and that was the beginning of the end for Dr. Dre at Death Row).

"My Block" which was given to The Show soundtrack around that time (the 15th of August, but maybe already planned before) is scratched - because 2Pac was hesitating between "Throw Ya Hands" and "My Block" in a 12 tracks album.

7. Circa Aug. 95. When I Get Free / Live From The Pen IV R U Still Down.

Typical "Euthanasia" era handwritten kind of draft. Same producing credits than earlier (step 4) but 2Pac went back to a 14 tracks album to have both "Throw Ya Hands" and "My Block" and chose "Out On Bail" as a complementary 14th track.... Symbolically, this choice could correspond to the exact time 2Pac knew he would be freed soon (Suge Knight agree to pay the bail).

The album is very close to the final sequence we have before the project was dropped (sequence usually called "Pre-Death Row Compilation"), except that we still have "Throw Ya Hands" which will be soon replaced by "Hold On, Be Strong" (also originally produced by Stretch & Duane Nettlesbey...).

• My Block, America Eats Its Young, Out on Bail, Wonda Why They Call You Bitch, Thugs Get Lonely Too, Where Do We Go From Here, Nothing To Lose, Hell Razor, When I Get Free, My Only Fear Of Death, High Till I Die, Hold On Be Strong, Suka 4 Love, R U Still Down

DAT #PO781746

8. September 13, 1995. "Unreleased Copy".

Final tracklisting before the project got dropped. It seems to mean that absolutely nothing was made by Interscope engineers upon that project... Maybe 2Pac didn't even talk to them about it...