1996 - One Nation, Volume 2

• June - August '96 : One Nation pre-session and second session recordings.
  
• 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, Volume 2 doesn't exist. In early July, 2Pac gave a "Volume 1" subtitle for these June sessions, but in August, the project was a mix up with new and old material. However, considering the specific sound unity of the June sessions, we chose to keep the original idea of two separated volumes. Even if it does not say 2Pac wasn't still thinking to record another volume of the project with artists from somewhere else. 
• Sources : handwritten tracklists.
  

at the House of Blues with Death Row, July 4

### - WORK IN PROGRESS - This is an attempt to give an idea of the direction taken by the One Nation project in August. We followed the handwritten tracklists but chose to not keep the June sessions songs, in order to purpose a two volumes compilation. The first part gathering exclusively all songs recorded in mid June, this second part gathering all "outside" songs 2Pac recorded which could have been thought for the project or could have been considered for it. The project being far from finished, we also chose to have some later remix and edits to fulfill the project. - ###

Tracklist : LISTEN

1. World Wide Dime Pieces Ghetto Star (Ant Banks Extended Remix) feat. Bad Azz & Nutt-So - edit
2. Rock That Hip Hop Toss It Up (No Diss Remix) feat. K-Ci & Jojo, Danny Boy & Aaron Hall
   
3. Smile 4 Me (Damon Thomas Remix) feat. Scarface & 816
4. Military Minds Out The Moon (Daz Extended Remix) feat. Daz, LBC Crew & Snoop Dogg - edit w 2Pac 
5. Ginseng Power Fortune & Fame feat. Kokane, Outlawz & Spice 1
6. Untouchable feat. Outlawz
7. Brotha At Armz Don't Sleep feat. Lil' Big, Outlawz & Nutt-So 
8. Fright Night What'cha Gonna Do feat. Storm
9. Frankie & Johnny Thug Luv (Extended Mix) feat. Bizzy Bone & Sylk-E Fyne - brainghost edit
10. Sex With U One Day At A Time (Rough Mix)
11. Street Life (String Layer Remix) feat. Prince Ital Joe & Snoop Dogg 
12. Reincarnation (My Only Fear of Death II) feat. Outlawz
    
    Bonus Tracks 
    
    
13. Why U Turn On Me feat. Kastro - studio footage 
14. Don't Stop, Keep Goin' (Extended Edit) feat. Dogg Pound & Nas - pacmusic edit  
15. Hit 'Em Up (Tommy D Remix) feat. Outlawz
16. Runnin' On E Freestyle feat. ? 

DETAILED TRACKLIST down the page. 

• BOLD : tracks appearing in tracklists of One Nation or eventually recorded for it.
• Producer - Go-Twice & Ant Banks (1), Demetrius Shipp & Reggie Moore (2), Darryl Harper & Damon Thomas (3), LT Hutton, Soopafly & Daz (4, 11), 2Pac, Hurt-M-Badd & Darryl Harper (5, 6, 12, 13), Chicago Craig (7), Duane Nettlesbey (8), DJ U-Neek (9), Hen Gee (10), Daz (14)

Unused Tracks :

. Homies N Thugs (Runnin' On E Freestyle) feat. Master P & Scarface

. Smile 4 Me (Mike Dean Rough Mix) feat. Scarface & 816

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...

with Snoop at the House of Blues

with -E-40 for a Music Video, July

E-40, as a regular friend of 2Pac was an expected guest for the project. He appears in All Eyez On Me, then in Gridlock'd first draft, recorded the song "Million Dollar Spot" in May but more likely for his own new album. His name again appears in One Nation drafts, and it is rumored The Click recorded one last unleaked song with 2Pac in the summer of 1996...

with Aaron Hall, K-Ci & Jojo, and...?

Aaron Hall, K-Ci & Jojo 

It is still unknown when exactly was recorded the very first take of the song and if it was already with a 2Pac verse... There was an old 06/07/96 date, which could indicate first Aaron Hall recorded vocals... but it is more likely a mistake. It could be a reversed date (day-month), but the highest probability is that Aaron Hall recorded the song directly with 2Pac, Danny Boy and K-Ci & Jojo the 26th of July. 

It was firstly said 2Pac imitated Dr. Dre with a similar group of four singers around them... What is strange with that is : how could they know Blackstreet's song before its release ? Only Aaron Hall could know what Blackstreet thought to do.

Teddy Riley explained that he firstly purposed the "No Diggity" beat to Aaron Hall in the perspective of the reformation of their group Guy but Aaron declined the offer. So Teddy Riley recorded the thing with his other group Blackstreet, also re-formed (after the departure of Levi Little and Dave Hollister, labelmate of 2Pac at the time of 2Pacalypse Now with T.N.T Records, leading voice of Force One Network and backup singer for his huge early hits "Brenda's Got A Baby" and "Keep Ya Head Up"). 

But does this beat have something to do with Dr. Dre ? It is all credited to Teddy Riley ! It could be the secret of that song... Eventually Dr. Dre firstly produced the beat at Death Row Records and he left the label with some of his material. Maybe he gave the beat and the credits for it to Teddy Riley to avoid any conflict with Death Row who couldn't claim it. Consequently, Suge Knight could have learned from Aaron Hall that Dr. Dre wanted to release that beat. So they decided to record their own version of the song, making an imitation of the beat they should have in a Safety Work DAT. 

 

FULL TIMELINE

Step 0. Late May - Early June of '96. The first idea ?

2Pac conciliated with Snoop Dogg in the second half of May, very probably after the trip to Belize. So Snoop invited him to record for Tha Doggfather album, a new "Out The Moon" verse to replace Lil' C Style's one (he left LBC c. January - March), and one for "Street Life" which was a Snoop / Prince Ital duet since then. In return, 2Pac invited Snoop to record "Untouchablez" with Bad Azz and the Outlawz for his 2Pac+Outlawz new project Immortalz, and he probably also purposed him to record something for his next One Nation project project.

In the days of June 10, after having shot films for "Hit 'Em Up" and "Made Niggaz", 2Pac will record some new songs, maybe for the same project, maybe already with a new idea in head... That day, whilst he is recording in Death Row studios, he receives his bodyguard Frank Alexander's niece Lemika and her friends for Make-A-Wish foundation. They already came to see him on the filming of Gridlock'd, the previous day.

That day, they recorded "Why U Turn On Me", which is a diss towards Wendy Williams and other journalists, and "Reincarnation", at the end of which Lemika will give some words of dedication... It is very possible that this visit could influence the ideas of 2Pac, giving him the idea of a more positive album about reconciliation, about gathering people around a good cause. In the hook of "Reincarnation" he says : "I use my last breath to reach the whole nation"...

In "Untouchable", probably recorded close to it, there was almost nothing like that, even the reverse : "no offense to Nas but the whole fucking world is mine". The tone was still going to war. When did he call Buckshot, Greg Nice and Busta Rhymes to invite them to come at Death Row ? Did he already have the idea of "One Nation" ? Probably not, because it does not appear anywhere before the 14th of June... 

The 12 of June, Storm is back in Death Row and 2Pac records a new song with her in the topics of the 2Pac+Outlawz album "A war, they ain't ready for it". But the beat is produced by the old friend Duane Nettlesbey who was working on 2Pac's material in late 1993, first half of 1994 (cf. R U Still Down '94 / Exodus). In the next days and months, 2Pac will try to recall some other old friends to record with them, like Grand Puba, E-40, Spice 1, Kokane, Ice-T for the rappers, QD3, Tony Pizarro for the producers... Maybe he also conciliates with Kurupt (they weren't recording together for a few months).

The 14th of June, 2Pac receives Greg Nice, they recorded a first song "My Own Style" with Edi and a newcomer named Young Noble who was hanging with the Outlawz for a time... 2 days later, the Boot Camp Clik and Capital LS arrive and they really start to record track by track for that new project.

Step 1. Circa June 21-22. Volume One "7 Dayz" / "East Meetz West"

Circa June 22, 2Pac wanted to release almost the whole June session with Asu, Greg Nice, LS, Boot Camp Clik... in one album as a "Volume One". 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).

So what was he 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", freshly recorded (June 21~) 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... On the other hand, the song "Untouchablez" was now transferred to the project.

Then, Tupac was very probably planning to invite other rappers for new songs, like he planned in the first tracklists he wrote for the project : Scarface, E-40, Outkast, Goodie Mob, Grand Puba, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah...

If 2Pac then dropped the "Volume 1" subtitle, he was very probably still thinking to have a One Nation 2.

Step 2. July of '96. Any new things ?

circa the 6th of July, 2Pac reworked "Never Call U Bitch Again (Solo)", either for One Nation or more likely for his Outlawz LP, or for his fresh new diss them all project, because it will be the first track of the first Safety DAT of Killuminati...

In July 13, 2Pac goes to see E-40 to shot a music Video for "Rapper's Ball". Unfortunately, it seems they didn't record any song at that time. Probably 2Pac invited him to come soon to L.A....

Circa July 25, 2Pac had to drop his songs produced by Johnny J from his projects, so "Secretz of War" could be removed from One Nation.

In late July, 2Pac records with Aaron Hall, Danny Boy, K-Ci & Jojo... but the song didn't enter directly his Killuminati album...? Was it for a Aaron Hall's project ? or is it possible to see it as a song aimed for One Nation ?

Step 3. 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 4. 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 5. 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 conciliate with Johnny J... 

Step 6. August 20-29. New recordings.

The 20th, 2Pac receives some old friends : Kokane from Above The Law, and Spice 1, who with he records "Fortune & Fame".

The 29th of August, he records solo with Ice-T producer Hen Gee... Who was expected to record with him ? Ice-T maybe, E-40 ?

 

2Pac with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
at the American Music Awards, Jan. 29

Since the concert in the memory of Eazy-E, 2Pac met Ruthless people and invited them to come and record with him. Sylk E-Fyne and her group Ganksta Bitch Mentality between January and March. In June 14 when 2Pac started to draw his plans for One Nation, he again wanted to invite the Bones Thugs-N-Harmony. They presumably invited him to come and record a song at their place in Cleveland. 2Pac was supposed to go to Italy with Kidada Jones as soon as the One Nation sessions were finished the 22nd of February... Consecutively, he left Death Row one day earlier and passed by Cleveland to record "Thug Luv" with the Bones. 

DETAILED TRACKLIST

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

01. Ghetto Star (Ant Banks Remix) feat. Bad Azz / Ant Banks - Nutt-So EDIT

• 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). Recently Bad Azz would have admitted he didn't know where the acapella came from and that Nutt-So was in it. We ignore the date Ant Banks made the beat (maybe before Pac's death or not long after, otherwise they would have known it was 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)

02. Toss It Up (No Diss Remix) feat. Danny Boy, Aaron Hall, K-Ci & Jojo / Dr. Dre REMIXED By Demetrius Shipp & Reggie Moore 

• 1996/07/06 (?) - 07/25 (?) (new mix). Released in Greatest Hits (1998, Death Row) with a 2Pac's second verse added. 
• Story. Was said to be initially aimed for an 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 same Dr. 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... Or 2Pac recorded the song with a dream team of R&B for his own project over an old Dr. Dre beat in order to compete him on his battlefield...
• 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). Released in Death Row's Greatest Hits (1996). Alternate mix in Scarface's The Untouchable (1997, Rap-A-Lot).
• Story. Included in One Nation late tracklists. Darryl Harper produced the original unleaked version with a plain sample of Sara Smile's "Hail and Oates". This very first version could be from the 13th and could have Outlawz verses instead of Scarface's one, maybe then intended for Ghetto Starz album (the concept firstly appears in Outlawz 1st LP tracklist, cf. Immortalz). Scarface probably heard the thing and wanted to be part of it and so the song became a One Nation track. Scarface was already expected in April (cf. Gridlock'd Original early draft). Damon Thomas aka Assassin was probably asked to make a remix because the sample was hard to clear or too simple. After 2Pac's death, the song was very likely given to Scarface but with an agreement for Death Row to release their version. But it is not totally clear which version is the first, considering the fact that Mike Dean's early one has some unused vocals and 816 singers... He could have came with Tone Capone at the same time than Scarface in August.

04. Out The Moon (Daz Remix) feat. Snoop Dogg, Bad Azz, Soopafly, Techniec, Tray Deee & Lil' C-Style / LT Hutton, Soopafly & Snoop Doggy - EDITED with 2Pac by Funkmaster C

• 1995/07/19-22 (Daz Remix) - 1996/05/31 (~) (2Pac replacing Lil C-Style in original version). Original version with 2Pac released in Gridlock'd OST (1997, Death Row). 
• Story. The track was initially recorded for the first LBC Crew's album Haven't You Heard ? (Original). But after the project was scrapped (circa March 96 ?) because of a dispute between Lil' C-Style and Snoop Dogg (upon royalties, as usual), Snoop asked 2Pac to replace Lil' C-Style and the song was transferred to Tha Doggfather LP. But after 2Pac's death, Snoop removed all songs with 2Pac (cf. Tha Original Doggfather). The song was then given to Gridlock'd Soundtrack, whereas the Daz remix remained unused.

05. Fortune & Fame feat. Kokane, Edi, Kadafi & Spice 1 / Hurt M Badd & Darryl Harper

• 1996/08/20. Remixed in Better Days (2002, Amaru). 
• Story. 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). Kokane, who is the cousin of 187um of Above The Law answered the invitation. At that time, he had released two solo albums, Addictive Hip Hop Muzick in 1991 and Funk Upon A Rhyme in 1994, both produced by Cold 187um on Ruthless, the second one being entirely recorded at Echo Studios (2Pac was recording Thug Life Original with them in 1993). Spice 1 was already called in the introduction of June version of "Secretz of War" (One Nation, Volume 1), and eventually recorded songs with MC Hammer at that same period for his unreleased album Too Tight ("Can U Feel It pt. 1" and "The Beat"). In his 1997 album The Black Bossalini partially produced by Paris (2Pac wanted to work with him in the 2Pacalypse Now days), there are some reminisces of 2Pac's final project : Kokane will be featured on 3 tracks, Big Syke in one, Ice-T, Yukmouth of Luniz, MC Breed, Ant Banks will produce 2 tracks, Hen-Gee in one, Pee Wee also plays guitar in one... and Spice 1 opened his album by a song dedicated to 2Pac "The Thug In Me". 
• 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. Released in Pac's Life (2006, Amaru Ent.).
• Story. Included in One Nation August late tracklists, it leads to the idea that 2Pac wanted a compilation of various tracks recorded since at least early June. In most of the available leaked mixes, Kadafi's verse is not well mixed in. Pac's verse "after the fire comes the rain, after pleasure there's pain..." was re-used in the beginning of July the "Drunken freestyle", in "War Gamez" and in "Killuminati", before 2Pac decided to re-purpose the song to One Nation. The words "No offense to Nas but the whole fuckin world is mine" are initially not a diss, but a dedication. Hurt-M-Badd explained how 2Pac was studying Nas' lyrics even after he started to diss him in Killuminati. After the conciliation of the two rappers, 2Pac would have possibly invited him for this song... One Nation was a more or less "diss free" album (difficult for him to hold that...), whereas Killuminati was initially a whole dissing project (cf. Rulez of the Game).
  
• Samples : 
• Everything But The Girl - "Single" (melody)

07. Don't Sleep feat. Lil' Big (A.M.W.), Napoleon, Kadafi, Kastro & Nutt-So / Daz & Chicago Craig

• 1996/08/10. Released in Pac's Life (2006, Amaru Ent.).
• Story. This song is said to have been recorded for Nutt-So solo album Betrayal but it was neither in the demo EP of it in 1996 nor in the advanced unofficial version (four years later)... There is a late remix made by GO-Twice, with Edi instead of Lil' Big, its music sounds great but it doesn't fit well with all the verses and has probably been made circa 1997-1999 (maybe for the retail album). 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, probably around that time. But his group American Most Wanted was in itself a well known group in the Bay Area ; they 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 the executive producer).

08. Whatcha Gonna Do feat. Storm / Duane Nettlesbey

• 1996/06/12. Remixed in Better Dayz (2002).  
• Story. There is no mention of the One Nation concept here, the song was recorded two days before the arrival of Greg Nice (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 (half of Vibe Tribe with Norman Whitfield Jr.) produced or engineered 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, Thug Life : Volume 1). Maybe the song was initially thought for the Outlawz LP Immortalz, which had no Storm featuring in the tracklists we have from April-early June. On the other hand, the beat is quite different and rather fits the One Nation project.
• 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 - EDITED By Brainghost with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony retail verses

• 1996/06/21 (~). Remixed in The Art of War (1997, Ruthless) with alternate Bones verses. Released in Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's The Lost Archives vol. 1 (2013, Harmony Howse). 
• Story. A concept of the song (subtitled "still waters") appears in an early tracklist of Outlawz 1st album in late April (cf. Immortalz). But it was only recorded two months later, at the end of the One Nation sessions, apart of the rest. Having to go to Italy with Kidada Jones soon, 2Pac left Death Row one day earlier and went to Cleveland where he recorded the song. The song is listed in a tracklist of the One Nation album, but without any credits to the Bones... maybe before 2Pac recorded the song (so it was then maybe still a song with Outlawz). Initially there were three versions of this original. The first and real original features Bizzy Bone and a short verse by Silk E Fyne, the second with Layzie Bone instead of Sylk E-Fyne and the 3rd one with the two other Bones. The first one is very probably the only one made during 2Pac's life... Layzie claimed to be the third to jump on the track. The song appears in a One Nation Vol. 1 tracklist. But, considering the fact the song disappeared after that, either 2Pac gave them the song very early, or he gave them the responsibility to improve the song, what could be the other versions we have. 2Pac had already recorded with Silk E-Fyne and her group Gangsta Bitch Mentality the song "Breathin", probably for the mysterious 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. One Day At A Time (First Take) / Hen Gee

• 1996/08/20-29 (~). Remixed in Resurrection (Amaru / Interscope).
• Story. Lyrics have strong similarities with "Fame". This unfinished take has a slightly different 2Pac vocals take than the completed version with Spice 1. Was it waiting for Outlawz verses or more likely for One Nation guests ? We could think to E-40 and The Click, Outkast & The Goodie Mob but more likely Ice-T because the song was recorded at his homestudio. Hen-Gee was known for his album Brothers with DJ Evil-E (Ice-T's DJ) in 1991 ; in 1996, he was then producing for Ice-T and Spice 1. Delray Richardson claims he had a song titled "Just Cruisin'" with Jeeve and Melle, recorded in 96/03/14 over that beat, intended for his own solo project (that's why him and Jeeve are credited as writers for the song in Resurrection), before Hen Gee gave the beat to 2Pac. Delray and Jeeve appear in Melle Mel & Scorpio 1997 album Right Now, Melle Mel is featured in the song "Baby Come & Get It" which could contain some original vocals of "Just Cruisin" - but nothing sure...
• Studio : recorded at Ice-T's home studio. 
• Samples : 
• Tara Kemp - "Hold You Tight" (inspiration, drums interpolation) 

11. Street Life (String Layer Remix) feat. Prince Ital Joe & Snoop Dogg / Daz, LT Hutton & Soopafly

• 1996/03/21 (Daz & Ital) - 04/04 (Snoop replacing Daz) - 05/20 - 06/11 (~) (2Pac added). UNRELEASED.
• Story. The first take by Prince Ital Joe & Daz is said to be a reference for Snoop Doggy Dogg, to help him for his new album Tha Doggfather (like Pac's "This Ain't Livin'", cf. Doggfather Original). 2Pac added in late May - early June, after they conciliated with Snoop during the trip to Belize, 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 was kind of forgotten.
• Samples : 
• The Crusaders - "Street Life" (chorus interpolation)
• Biz Markie & T.J. Swan - "Make The Music With Your Mouth, Biz" (drumline interpolation)

12. Reincarnation (My Only Fear of Death) feat. Hussein, Edi & Kastro / Darryl Harper & Hurt-M-Badd

• 1996/06/10. UNRELEASED.
• Story. The song was recorded a few days before the beginning of One Nation sessions in June. 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, clearly 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 Big Syke's partner Mental Illness from their group Evil Mind Gangstas (cf. Out On Bail), and transformed into a song and a kind of desperate poetic going through his whole work. At the same time, lyrics like "I used my last breath to reach the whole nation" perfectly fit the end of this project. Difficult to understand why the song was never added to the project, nor released in any form...

BONUS TRACKS :

13. Why U Turn On Me (Rough Mix) feat. Kastro / 2Pac

• 1996/06/10. Remixed in Until The End of Time (2001). 
• Story. This is a Wendy William diss but it was recorded the same days than "Untouchable"/"Reincarnation", pre-One Nation sessions. There is an unfinished long mix and a shorten one, two Reels with "Untouchable". In a studio footage, you can see Kastro trying a verse for the song.
  
• Samples :
• The Gap Band - "Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" (melody interpolation)

14. Don't Stop, Keep Goin' (Edit Version) feat. Dogg Pound & Nas / Daz - PacMusic Nas EDIT

• 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) without any Nas' verse. Original version finally released in Tha Last of Tha Pound compilation album in 2004.
• Story. The first version was recorded in summer of 1995 with Nas eventually for a follow up album to Dogg Food then titled Dogg Shit. Probably because of the feud between the Dogg Pound and Biggie (because of the boycott of "New York, New York" video, cf. Thug Pound), they replaced Nas verse  by 2Pac who had similar enemies (New-York, Bad Boy Records ; Napoleon also had a beef with Mobb Deep). Kurupt re-recorded his verse with small differences : "Kurupt, Daz and Nas" becoming "Kurupt, Daz reside". He also has 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 an East/West One Nation song and to make true the dream of a 2Pac/Nas featuring.
  
• Samples :
• The Sequence - "Funk You Up" (chorus interpolation) 

. Hit 'Em Up (Tommy D Remix) feat. Hussein, Kadafi, Edi, Prince Ital Joe & Capucine Jackson (backing) / Johnny J REMIXED By Tommy D Daugherty

• 1996/03/28 - 06/06 (DAT) (new vocals, replayed instrumental). 
• Story. Probably planned to be a B-side and a radio/TV friendly version of the diss single (what a strange oxymoron...). This is the last version of the song, which has totally new vocals take with alternate polished lyrics. It has also the original Prince Ital outro hook (cf. Thug Life : Volume II) and a new live played instrumentation of the sample orchestrated by Tommy D. Daugherty, who will be the main engineer of Killuminati, The 7 Day Theory, and maybe a part of We Got Kidz (instrumentalists who have made remix work for R U Still Down), Radio version of "I Ain't Mad At Cha" and remix of "I Get Around" earlier in May. 2Pac gives dedication to Smif N Wessun of Boot Camp Clik at the end of the song. They were probably already invited to come to Los Angeles for One Nation project...
  
• Samples : 
• Dennis Edwards - "Don't Look Any Further" (replayed bassline, melody and drumline, concept)
  
• Junior M.A.F.I.A. - "Player's Anthem" (concept)
• Junior M.A.F.I.A. - "Getting Money (Remix)" (concept, vocals interpolation)
• MC Lyte & Audio Two - "10% Dis" (vocals interpolation : "beat biter, dope style taker")

. Runnin' On E Freestyle (Homies N Thugs) feat. Scarface ? / 2Pac 

• 1996/08/17 (~). 2Pac's part was released in Scarface's My Homies (1997) with studio recorded verses from Scarface and Master P (obviously not in the original). The 2Pac recorded freestyle over "Runnin On E" beat, around the time Scarface came to record "Smile". Maybe initially 2Pac purposed him to record a verse for "Runnin on E" (recorded August 13 with Outlawz and Nutt-So - with an outro dedicated to Boot Camp Clik, so the song was intended for One Nation and it would have given something like Fatal+2Pac+Scarface+Nutt-So, what a dream team !). So they gave a freestyle over the beat, before Scarface listened to the first Darryl Harper's version of "Smile (Sara Smile Version)" (also recorded the 13th of August, but probably more likely for Ghetto Starz maybe with Outlawz verses)... And so "Runnin On E" was given to Ghetto Starz project, and "Smile" to One Nation. So maybe the full "Runnin On E" freestyle has Scarface...

. Danny Boy - A Change Is Gonna Come (Freestyle at Brotherhood Crusade) / - FREESTYLE

• 1996/08/15. The song is announced in Gridlock'd early DAT in May. Suge asked him to sing that song live acapella that day. 2Pac also planned to have an outro titled "A Change Gonna Come" in one of the Outlawz Immortalz tracklist. It could be a proof that Danny Boy recorded a version of the famous Sam Cooke's song between May and July.
  
• Sam Cooke - "A Change Is Gonna Come" (lyrics)

 

. Smile 4 Me (Mike Dean Rough Mix) feat. Scarface & 816 / Darryl Harper REMIXED by Mike Dean & Tone Capone

• 1996/08/13 - 17 (Scarface added, remix). Included in One Nation late tracklists. Remixed in Death Row's Greatest Hits (1996) by Damon Thomas with the same chorus. Released in Scarface's The Untouchable (1997, Rap-A-Lot) with new elements and a new chorus by Rap-A-Lot artist Johnny P. 
• Story. Darryl Harper produced the original unleaked version with the sample of Sara Smile's "Hail and Oates", maybe with Outlawz verses for the Ghetto Starz album (a first concept of the song appeared in an early tracklist of the 2Pac+Outlawz Immortalz album project). Scarface arrived at Death Row studios, 2Pac made him listen at some records he was working on like probably "Runnin On E" and "Smile". Scarace heard the thing and wanted to be part of it and so the song was transferred to One Nation. It was then given to Rap-A-Lot team Mike Dean and Tone Capone in order to give a whole new mix, considering that the original beat was too simple (according to Mike Dean) and the sample difficult to clear. The song was presumably given to Scarface only after 2Pac's death (maybe with an agreement for Death Row for releasing a remix of it right before...). Tone Capone, close to Luniz was then starting to work for Rap-A-Lot West, notably for Seagram's second album Souls On Ice (released posthumously in 1997, Seagram having been killed in a drive-by shooting the 31st of July of 1996...), where will be featured Scarface, Spice 1 and Yukmouth of Luniz...

. Don't Sleep (Rough Mix) 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).

. One Day At A Time (Spice 1 Remix) feat. LP, Spice 1 & Headstrong (chorus) / Hen Gee

• 1996/08/29 (~) - 09-12 (?) or 2004 (?) (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) 

picture morphed in a drawing,
at the Brotherhood Crusade, the 15th of August 96