- June - August '96 : One Nation 2nd sessions of recording.
- One month and half after the first June sessions for One Nation, 2Pac tried to improve and complete the compilation (notably to replace the Johnny J tracks) with new things and some songs he recorded earlier.
- Strictly speaking, One Nation Vol. 2 doesn't exist. But 2Pac was considering the first June sessions as a "Volume 1" before recording things with new guests in August. It had a specific artistic unity. One Nation project was so far from being finished and the second sessions of recording so different from the first, that we decided to keep those two different sessions separated, even knowing that the final project would have been Volume 1 + Volume 2 + many new recordings.
- Sources : handwritten tracklists.
Snoop & Tupac
Brotherhood Crusade, the 15th of August 96
### WORK IN PROGRESS... This is an attempt to give an idea of the various directions that could take the project One Nation in this second period. We followed the available tracklists from mid August of 96, but leaving off the tracks from the first June sessions for the Volume One and filling these second sessions with songs that could be added to illustrate that period and the new direction of the compilation. ###
2.
- in BOLD : tracks appearing in One Nation tracklists or * which could have been recorded for it.
One Nation was a multiple chapter project
During the recording sessions in June with Boot Camp Clik, Greg Nice
& others, Tupac was thinking to make other sessions with artists
like Scarface, E-40, Outkast, Grand Puba, Rakwon, Ghostface Killah... But in mid July, 2Pac wrote down a tracklist with almost all the recordings with Boot Camp, Greg Nice, Melle Mel... and gave it the subtitle "Volume 1 (7 Dayz [of recording]". It clearly means that at that time, 2Pac was seeing the new recordings he could have as a second chapter of his project of One Nation.
The first sessions were also shortly titled "East Meetz West". It has been said that Tupac thought about making a second and even a third volume of One Nation (maybe "West meets West" and "West meets South" - why not after that One Nation Vs The World ! it would be the next move).
It
is important to keep in mind that in June, 2Pac was also trying to give a final mix his Outlawz
album (probably titled The Hunger, what will then turned into Immortalz). In the very first days of the month, "Hit Em Up" was out as a
B-Side and they recorded a clean version of the hit, and a video for the
first clip-single "Made Niggaz". If you listen to the bootleg One Nation, the Sessions, you could hear work upon "Last Onez Left", "Troublesome". And also, two songs recorded during One Nation
were new versions of songs from the Outlawz album : "Secretz of War",
"Never Call U Bitch Again". A new version of "U Can't Be Touched" will
as well be recorded during the last day of the One Nation sessions (and appears in a DAT of it)... At last, some songs like "Untouchablez", "Thug
Luv", recorded before or after the time of the sessions appear in tracklists
of the project, but also in Outlawz LP tracklists...
So, we can say that Outlawz LP and One Nation were kind of connected. Some things were recorded specifically for Outlawz LP and some other for One Nation, but then 2Pac probably felt the kind of artistic unity of his work during these "7 days" (~) of work and didn't want to separate them. But still having the intention to record new things with various artists from everywhere around the nation, he gave the name "Volume 1" to these specific sessions.
Johnny J's work impossible to keep
Something will complicate everything. Johnny J ceased to work with Death Row in May (it is said that he was complaining - like Mopreme and Syke - about his underpaid work on All Eyez on Me). Outlawz LP was almost entirely produced by him (like 2Pac scrapped solo)... It seems that the dispute comes to 2Pac and him. Circa mid July, all Johnny J songs disappear from 2Pac projects : "When Thugz Cry" from Makaveli ; "Secretz of War" and "Never Call U Bitch Again" from One Nation. And will appear new Outlawz project called Ghetto Starz (with "Hollywood, New Jersey"). Have 2Pac scrapped the whole album because of Johnny J ?
One Nation is a special project because you can really recognize the typical sound from that session. Absolutely no other 2Pac song sounds like that. So we decided to follow the idea of a full new One Nation Part 2 including new featurings. We included "Fame", "Don't Sleep" and "One Day at A Time" recorded in August as well as "Thug Luv" (Bone Thugz announced in One Nation initial tracklists), "Reincarnation" (recorded the same day than "Untouchable"), "Whatcha Gonna Do" (two days before the beginning of the sessions, and the beat being reused in it).
But in One Nation, it is already east coast / west coast, isn't it ? The
central tracks of One Nation were already east/west united
(2Pac/Buckshot). In the other hand, we could answer that 2Pac and the
Outlawz come from the New Jersey... so they are east and west at the
same time... But we can also find west coast artists like Snoop, Kurupt
and Numskull from the Luniz (in fact Kurupt is also from the East coast,
Philadelphia...).
So do we really need another part of the project ? We could add the known tracks from One Nation (like "Thug Luv" and "Untouchables" appear on the various tracklists of One Nation as well as "Fright Night") and have only one bootleg. But many other tracks could also be included in One Nation : "Dumpin" sounds really the same. "Street Life" as well and it has been recorded around the same period. The same for "Fortune & Fame"... or maybe even "Toss it up"... and so on... until we have a second part of One Nation...
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Step 0. Circa July 10-12. One Nation, Volume One "7 Dayz" / "East Meetz West"
In July, during the recording of Killuminati, 2Pac wanted to release almost the whole June session with Asu, Greg Nice, LS, Boot Camp Clik... as a "Volume One".
So what was he then planning for a Volume 2 ? Let's notice that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are credited in the second and last tracklists whereas the song "Thug Love" is not included anymore... So 2Pac still thought to have that song in that project, but maybe not for this Volume, or he wanted to record a new song with the group...
Then, Tupac was very probably planning to invite other rappers for new songs, like he planned in earlier tracklists : Scarface, E-40, Outkast, Goodie Mob, Grand Puba, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah.
Let's notice that "7 Dayz" was here referring to the number of days for these June recording sessions (Killuminati album was still titled "The 3 Day Theory" with more or less 3 days of recording).
If 2Pac then dropped the "Volume 1" subtitle, he was very probably thinking to have a One Nation 2.
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Step 1. Circa mid August. One Nation 10 tracks.
The main difference of this tracklist is the discarding of "Secretz of War", "Never Call U Bitch Again", aimed for Outlawz' Immortalz album but more likely rejected at the same time than "When Thugz Cry" from Killuminati, circa first days of August, because Suge failed to negociate with Johnny J and projects with him were shelved.
"Set It Off" which was a kind of freestyle was also dropped. And "Untouchablez" with Snoop Dogg, Bad Azz & Outlawz, was kind of replaced by "Untouchable" which only features Outlawz.
This tracklist is written down next to a Ghetto Starz tracklist, on which one can see the three last lines. "Tattoo Tearz" and "Jawz Tight" appear scratched from One Nation, presumably replaced by "Sex Wit U" and "Frankie & Johnny". The last one still appears in the Ghetto Starz group repartition draft as a Fatal/Noble duet but with the added note "One Nation" into brackets (so probably from the same period). Consecutively, "Jawz Tight" has been then added at the last line of Ghetto Starz, track #12 (very probably replacing "Frankie & Johnny").
Nothing says if "Tattoo Tearz" was not included in Ghetto Starz at that time (shortly) or later...
Step 2. Circa mid August. Two last tracks inversion.
2Pac probably wrote down this one around the time he added the note "* last song" to "Sex Wit U" on the previous.
This tracklist doesn't have "Untouchable", is it a simple mistake or does it reflect an hesitation ?
Step 3. Circa the 17th of August (?).
Same tracklists than before, but again with "Untouchable", what indicate it was more likely a mistake. "Smile" became "Smile 4 Me"... Is it just a change of title like "Military Mind" / Military Minded" ? or could it indicate the recording of the song (13th of August) which was just a concept before ? It could indicate more likely the Scarface reecording of the song (the 17th of August).
Why having written the same exact tracklist two times ? I can't read the first biffed word, replaced by "Frankie & Johnny". Could be another song briefly purposed for the album. Anyway, these scratching may reflect some hesitations with these last songs, very probably unrecorded yet. 2Pac knew he was about to record with new guests ("Fame" is from the 20th, "One Day at a Time" maybe from the late August).
These tracklists are quite similar but, like Ghetto Starz ones, they should have been penned in less than seven days between the 12th of August ("Black Jesuz") and the 20th ("Fame"). So they reflect just an instant. Nothing says if 2Pac still thought to a One Nation part 2 (with the other planned guests, some leftover from 1st sessions ?), if he wouldn't have switched some songs from one project to the other, if they would have find a way to reconciliate with Johnny J...
DETAILED TRACKLIST
(Special thanks to Bomb1st members Filla and Dominator for samples credits)
1996/06/17.The song is already included in One Nation Vol. 1.Samples :The Honey Drippers - "Impeach The President" (drums partially)Marvin Sease - "Candy Licker" (vocals interpolation)GZA & Wu-Tang Clan - "Duel on the Iron Mic" (vocals interpolation : "where money don't grow on trees")
1996/06/22. The song is already included in One Nation Vol. 1.Samples :Bill Cosby - "Martin's Funeral" (?)
- 1996/07/06 (?) - 07/25 (?) (new mix). Released in Greatest Hits
(1998, Death Row) with a 2Pac's second verse added. The fact this
remix exists without the second verse could justify the idea of an early version, recorded in early July (the 6th of July, known REEL date reversed), initially aimed for Aaron Hall's project or - why not - for One Nation album (being from the Bronx, it would be another East-West song). Then it was remixed due to the
legal demand by Blackstreet in late July to not use the Dre beat. Aaron
Hall explained that he refused to reform Guy with Teddy Riley and to record the song "No Diggity" with them. Maybe he heard the song and after that decided to record his version with Death Row. Aaron Hall could also have given a chorus to the remix of "There U Go", around the same time, for Immortalz album.
- Samples :
- Bill Withers - "Grandma's Hand" (melody)
- Blackstreet, Dr. Dre & Queen Pen - "No Diggity" (vocals interpolation)
03. Smile 4 Me (Damon Thomas Remix) feat. Scarface & 816 (?) / Darryl Harper REMIXED by Damon Thomas
- 1996/08/13-17 - 10/28 (remix). Included in One Nation late tracklists. Released in Death Row's Greatest Hits (1996). Remixed in Scarface's The Untouchable (1997, Rap-A-Lot). Darryl Harper produced the original unleaked version with the sample of Sara Smile's "Hail and
Oates". This very first version could be from the 13th but had Kadafi & Edi instead of Scarface, maybe then intended for the Outlawz' Ghetto Starz album (the song was firstly intended to be for Outlawz LP, cf. Immortalz). Scarface probably heard the thing and wanted to be part of it and so the song became a part of One Nation (if not already intended for it). Damon Thomas aka Assassin was probably asked to make a remix because the sample was too hard to clear.
04. Military Minds feat. Cocoa Brovaz & Buckshot / Darryl "Big D" Harper
1996/06/17.The song is already included in One Nation Vol. 1.Samples :Bob Marley - "Easy Skanking" (vocals interpolation)
04. Ghetto Star (Ant Banks Remix) feat. Bad Azz / Ant Banks
-
1996/03 - 08-09 (?) (new mix). Released without 2Pac vocals in Bad Azz Word On Tha Streets (1998) with a slightly alternate mix. It was probably hard for Bad Azz to have the rights of 2Pac's vocals. It has been said that 2Pac agreed for this new version of the song with Bad Azz instead of Nutt-So (who could release it in his own album). But we ignore the date Ant Banks made his beat (probably before Pac's death, otherwise, they would have known it would be impossible to get the rights to publish it and we won't have it). This was the first version leaked in Makaveli bootlegs so people used to think it was the original when Nutt-So's version was published in Better Dayz.
- Samples :
- Leon Ware - "What's Your World" (melody)
05. Ginseng Power (Coast II Coast) feat. Capital LS, Asu / Kurupt
-
1996/06/17.The song is already included in One Nation Vol. 1.
05. Fortune & Fame feat. Kokane, Edi, Kadafi & Spice 1 / Hurt M Badd & Darryl Harper
- 1996/08/20. Remixed in Better Days (2002, Amaru). There is a short kind of live studio take with 2Pac singing the chorus. 2Pac wanted to work again with Above The Law (a "187" credit appears in a late Dramacydal tracklist in mid 95) after their collab in early 92 for "Call It What U Want" (cf. Featurings).
- Samples :
- Bad Bascomb - "Black Grass" (kick)
06. Untouchable feat. Kadafi, Hussein & Edi / 2Pac, Darryl Harper & Hurt-M-Badd (?) - [FIX Kadafi's verse by DJ Moey]
- 1996/06/10. Included in One Nation August late tracklists, it leads to the idea that 2Pac would have made a compilation of various tracks recorded since at least early June. In most of the available leaked mixes, Kadafi's
verse is not well patched. Pac's verse "after the fire comes the rain, after
pleasure there's
pain..." was re-used in the "Drunken freestyle", in "War Gamez" and in
"Killuminati", before 2Pac decided to re-purpose this song to One Nation. The words "No offense to Nas but the whole fuckin world is mine" are not a diss, but a dedication. One Nation was really a diss free album (difficult for him to hold that...), whereas Killuminati was a total dissing project, especially in its first days of recording (cf. Rulez of the Game).
- Samples :
- Everything But The Girl - "Single" (melody)
1996/06/18.The song is already included in One Nation Vol. 1.Samples :Gil Scott Heron - "We Almost Lost Detroit" (melody)Marvin Gaye - "Falling In Love Again" (horns interpolation)Bob Marley - "Zimbabwe" (vocals interpolation : "every man got a right to decide his own destiny")
-
1995/08 (~) (with Nas) - 1996/01 (new recording with 2Pac) - 08/19 (Kurupt's 2nd verse edited out) - 2024 (edit with Nas). Released in Dogg Pound's 2002 (2001, Death Row). The first
version was recorded in summer of 1995 with Nas eventually for a follow up album to Dogg Food then titled Dogg Shit (finally released in Tha Last of Tha Pound compilation album
in 2004). Probably
because of the feud between the Dogg Pound and C-N-N & Mobb
Deep ("New York, New York" ; "L.A, L.A"), they dropped out the Nas verse
in 96 and gave a verse to 2Pac who had similar enemies (New-York, Bad Boy Records ; Napoleon too had a beef with Mobb Deep). Kurupt re-recorded his verse with small differences : "Kurupt, Daz and Nas"
becoming "Kurupt, Daz reside". He has also a second verse. Daz probably edited it out in August of '96 for their West Coast Aftershock shelved album. With the 2Pac/Nas reconciliation in August, we could imagine that Nas could have been edited in again to make a East/West song and to make true the dream of a 2Pac/Nas featuring.
- Samples :
- The Sequence - "Funk You Up" (chorus interpolation)
08. Fright Night feat. Edi, Scorpio, Napoleon, Kidd Creole, Kastro & Melle Mel / Duane Nettlesbey
1996/06/21. The song is already included in One Nation Vol. 1.Samples :Nu Shooz - "I Can't Wait" (melody, bassline interpolation)
08. Whatcha Gonna Do feat. Storm / Duane Nettlesbey
- 1996/06/12. Remixed in Better Dayz (2002). There is no mention of the One Nation concept here, this song having been recorded two days before the beginning of the sessions (the arrival of Greg Nice and the first song recorded with Noble, cf. One Nation Vol. 1). The music has been re-used a few days later for the One Nation song "Fright Night (How Many Shots Will It Takes)" by Outlawz. Duane Nettlesbey produced many songs with Stretch & 2Pac in late 93 - beginning of 94, often behind the anonymous credit of Thug Music (cf. R U Still Down '94).
- Samples :
- Nu Shooz - "I Can't Wait" (melody, bassline interpolation)
09. Frankie & Johnny (by Young Noble & Hussein) / ? - UNRECORDED (?)
?. The song appears scratched in an early tracklist of Ghetto Starz (mid August), and was then transferred to One Nation album. The planned instrumental would have been presumably made from Sam Cooke's famous song. Maybe in the end,they would have invited guests for a more ambitious thing.Samples :Sam Cooke - "Frankie & Johnny" (melody ? vocals interpolation ? topic ?)
09. Thug Luv feat. Bizzy Bone & Silk-E-Fyne / DJ U-Neek
- 1996/06/22-26 (?). Released in Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's The Lost Archives vol. 1 (2013,
Harmony Howse). Initially there were three versions of this original. The first and real original features Bizzy Bone and a short verse from Silk E Fyne, the second with Layzie Bone instead of Sylk E-Fyne and the 3rd added verses from the other Bones. The first one is very probably the only one made during 2Pac's life... The song appears in a One Nation Vol. 1 tracklist. But, considering the fact that the song disappeared the One Nation tracklists very earlier even if 2Pac still wanted to have Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as guests, either he gave the song to them and wanted a new recording with them, either he gave them the responsibility to make an improved second version, what could be the other versions we have. Either they just remixed the track later for the Bone's album The Art of War (1997, Ruthless). A concept of the song appears in an early tracklist of Outlawz 1st album ("Euthanasia", cf. Immortalz), but it was then probably just an Outlawz concept. 2Pac had already recorded with Silk E-Fyne and her group Gangsta Bitch Mentality the song "Breathin", probably for the early Lil' Homies compilation.
- Samples :
- Sly & The Family Stone - "Sing A Simple Song" (snare, kick)
10. Sex Wit U / ? - UNRECORDED (?)
?. Nothing is known about that concept song, except that the idea could have been inspired by the Heavy D hit from 1994.Samples :Heavy D & The Boyz - "Sex Wit U" (melody ? vocal interpolation ? topic ?)
10. Don't Sleep feat. Lil' Big (A.M.W.), Napoleon, Kadafi, Kastro & Nutt-So / Daz & Chicago Craig
- 1996/08/10. This song is said to have been recorded for Nutt-So solo album but it was finally not in the Betrayal released
album (four years later). There is a
remix made by GO Twice, with Edi instead of Lil'Big, its music sounds
great but it doesn't always fit well with the verses and has probably
been made circa 1997-1999. Lil' Big was a regular partner of Nutt-So and his group Street Thugs (cf. Not To Be Fucked With) and recorded also two songs for MC Hammer shelved Death Row album Too Tight. But his group American Most Wanted was in itself a well known group in the Bay Area, who released two albums in 90 (Criminals) and in 95 (The Real Mobb, published in Shot records, label hold by D-Shot of The Click, credited as executive producer).
11. One Day At A Time (Spice 1 Remix) feat. LP, Spice 1 & Headstrong (chorus) / Hen Gee
-
1996/08/29 (~) - 09-12 (?) (guests added). Recorded at Ice-T's home studio. It is said that the guests gave their verses after
Pac's death... So the demo with Pac solo (with alternate vocals) is the real original,
awaiting for Outlawz verses or for One Nation guests : E-40 & The Click ? Outkast & The Goodie Mob ? Ice-T himself ? Hen-Gee is known for his album Brothers with DJ Evil-E in 1991. In 1996, he was producing for Ice-T and Spice 1. Spice 1 pretends to have recorded the song with Pac very short time before Las Vegas shooting... So maybe he was with 2Pac the 29th at Ice-T's home. Or more likely Spice 1 was confusing with "Fortune & Fame" recorded the 20th of August... but maybe he recorded his verse for the song before the death of 2Pac, who knows ? Nothing in his lyrics seem to reflect the death of 2Pac, but he's also speaking in the intro like if the song was already aimed for his album...
- Samples :
- Tara Kemp - "Hold You Tight" (inspiration, drums interpolation)
12. World Wide Stampede (Time After Time) feat. OFTB, Kurupt, Kadafi & Michel'le (chorus) / Derrell (OFTB) & Darryl Harper
- 1996/03/31. Probably recorded for OFTB shelved second album I Come Up Hard and finally released in OFTB's The Missing D.R. Files (2007, WIDEawake).
13. Street Life (String Layer Remix) feat. Prince Ital Joe, Snoop Dogg & Val Young / Daz, LT Hutton & Soopafly
- 1996/03/21 (Daz & Ital) - 04/04 (Snoop replaced Daz) - 06/11 (2Pac added). The first take by Prince Ital Joe & Daz is said to be a reference for Snoop Doggy Dogg, to help him with the writing of his new album Tha Doggfather (like Pac's "This Ain't Livin'", cf. Doggfather original sessions). 2Pac added in June like he did in "Out The Moon" to replace Lil C-Style. In September, after the death of 2Pac, Snoop took off both songs from his album (he said by respect for 2Pac). After that, the song eventually was intended to be included in Gridlock'd or Gang Related soundtracks.
- Samples :
- The Crusaders - "Street Life" (chorus interpolation)
- Biz Markie & T.J. Swan - "Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz" (drumline interpolation)
14. Reincarnation (My Only Fear of Death) feat. Hussein, Edi & Kastro / Darryl Harper & Hurt-M-Badd
- 1996/06/10. There is an alternate version with a speaking outro by Frank Alexander's niece Lemika, a disabled girl representing for the Make A Wish Foundation, who was invited to assist the recording sessions of the day (but it is more likely just a studio take, not the last mix of the song...). In this song, Tupac reuses the concept of his unreleased song recorded in late '93 (a concept he took from Syke partner Mental Illness from their group Evil Mind Gangstas, and transformed into a song and a kind of desperate poetic going through his whole work (cf. Out On Bail).
15. Pac's Life (Rough Mix) / Darryl Harper
- 1996/07/29. Awfully remixed in Pac's Life (2006). Is it an incomplete song awaiting for Outlawz verses, or just an outro ? I'd say the most beautiful addition we could imagine for this track, and to conclude this album, would be some Shock G vocals...
- Samples :
- Prince - "Pop Life" (concept, melody interpolation)
BONUS TRACKS :
I wonder, of course, if Tupac would include Untouchable?
ReplyDeleteIf Tupac specifically diss Nas in his verse....
Probably Sex With U contains a sample by Heavy D & The Boyz (Sex Wit You)
ReplyDeleteUntouchable is in NO WAY a diss to Nas ! On the contrary, it is a dedicatory : "no offense to nas but the whole fuckin world is mine" !!! The surprising thing is to have chosen the song for One Nation in August when he had many Nas disses in Makaveli...
ReplyDeleteIn June he had only love and admiration to Nas ! ...Until he listened to The Message the 3rd of July. Then recorded War Gamez (with one verse of Untouchable recycled), U don't have 2 Worry (with subliminal lines against nas and the firm : one love...), and House of blues. Or the reverse for the last two.
Very interesting again for sex & wit u from heavy d.
ReplyDelete