- Before meeting Shock G, 2Pac and his group Strictly Dope recorded many tracks around 1989-1990 with DJ Fuse and Chopmaster J who were members of the Digital Underground.
- At the time of 2Pacalypse Now, Chopmaster J developed his side group called Force One Network and remixed some Strictly Dope songs.
Tracklist - Discogs page / Listen in YouTube / grab it there
2. The Case Of The Misplaced Mic (Force One Mix) feat. Ray Luv
3. Let Knowledge Drop feat. Ray Luv*
4. Never Be Beat feat. Ray Luv
5. A Day In The Life feat. Ray Luv*
6. My Burnin' Heart
7. Minnie The Moocher feat. Ray Luv*
8. The Case Of The Misplaced Mic II (Original Mix) *
9. Static mix I (Force One Playa Mix)
10. Static mix II (Force One Radio Mix)
Various editions :
- 1997 - 1 in 21 : A Tupac Shakur Story (with Force One Network & Strictly Dope) (AIM)
// This first edition had only 6 songs of that album and "Static" Extended mix and Silent Mic mix instrumental. - 1997 - The Remixes : A Tupac Shakur Story (AIM)
// Companion to "1 in 21", it gathers some alternate mixes of the already available songs like Original raggamuffin "Static" version. - 2000, april the 18th - The Lost Tapes (with Strictly Dope) (ZYX / Herb 'N Soul)
- 2007, June the 12th - Beginnings : The Lost Tapes 1988-1991 (Koch/ Amaru)
// exactly the same edition than in 2000, it is just a fully official release with Amaru agreement.
Presentation from the 1997's edition :
Look carefully to the cover of this 2000's edition... Same picture than in 1997, but what happened to the middle finger ?
Presentation from the 2000's edition :
Peace,
Chopmaster J"
Strictly Dope is Tupac, Ray "Luv" Tyson & Chopmaster J
In 1988, when they moved with his family in Marin City, Tupac started to rap with different rappers from the Bay Area, he first joined Clark Gable group One Nation Emcees with Ryan D and maybe Ant Dog. Then he formed Strictly Dope with Ray Luv, DJ Dize and other guys like Mike Cooley (who will then appear in Mouse Man & The Wycked pictures in 92, and be dedicated in "Hell Razor" in 93 : "This goes out to my nigga Mike Cooley).
2Pac also
used to go to the poetry classes of Leila Steinberg. She pushed him and Ray to
read and write, hosted them at her home. She became their manager and helped to
find a concert in spring of 1989.
By this way, they have been pointed out by Digital Underground's manager Atron Gregory, who offered them a recording session with Digital Underground's producers DJ Fuse and Chopmaster J, at Chopmaster J's home studio in Oakland in summer of 89. Probably the tape came to the ears of Shock G who decided to have them as roadies and dancers during their upcoming Digital Underground tour. That leads Shock G to invite 2Pac in the movie song "Same Song", great first exposure for a beginner like 2Pac, appearing in the video dressed as an African prince (a bit like Mobutu with leopard patterns).
He probably started to record new songs (or made new recording for old ones) for a solo album with Atron Gregory and TNT studios, like "Neva Surrender", "Tearz of a Clown" or "Static" featuring Chopmaster's new group Force One Network (with Julian Brooks & Cooley Ranks). This is probably with this Strictly Dope tape and with these new songs, that 2Pac came to get a contract with Interscope in 1991.
DETAILED TRACKLIST
(Special thanks to Bomb1st members Filla and Dominator for samples credits)
- 1989 (?). Also released in Resurrection (2003, Interscope). There is an original One Nation Emcees version of the song with same Pac verse but featuring Ryan D instead of Ray Luv, probably the first version of the song, recorded in 1988. There is also an alternate version with a female chorus, probably a Force One remix.... 2Pac also rapped his verses in live in 1989 over "Self Destruction" (KRS-One anthem) featuring Ryan D, the Jungle posse and Ant Dog...
- Samples :
- James Brown - "Funky Drummer" (drums)
- 1989 - 1991
(?) (new mix). With Darrell savage as a credited co-producer, this version is probably a remix version from 1991, like for "Static" remixes, made
for Force One Network album.
- 1989. This song has a Force One (?) remix version recently leaked (shorten without Ray Luv).
- 1989. This song has a prior version with Ryan D & One Nation Emcees (cf. The Early Years).
- Samples :
- The J.B.'s - "Hot Pants Road" (horns, bassline)
- N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton" (vocals : "I'm a bad muthefucker and you know this")
- 1989.
- Samples :
- Grover Washington Jr. - "Black Frost" (melody)
- 1989. There is a recently leaked snippet from an alternate version of the song. More likely a Force One Remix than an One Nation Emcees original.
- Samples :
- Cab Calloway - "Minnie The Moocher" (concept)
- 1989. In fact, it is more likely the original version, and not the part 2.
- 1991. Released as "Playa mix" in 1 in 21 (1997, AIM) and in Static single (1997, AIM). The original features Wicked J & Cooley Ranks, like unreleased "Fade Away" (cf. Tales of a 90's N.I.G.G.A.), and has probably been recorded in late 90 - beginning of 91, or maybe not long before the African Liberation Day concert in Sacremento (25th of May), where they all three performed together. They were probably the original line-up of the group then called Force One Crew.
- Samples :
- Digital Underground - "Same Song" (vocals : "2Pac go ahead and rock this")
- 1991. Released as "Radio mix" in 1 in 21 (1997, AIM) and in Static single (1997, AIM). "Radio mix" means it is a short version of the extended club one. Like the other mix, this one repeats two times the 2Pac verse, introduced by the famous Shock G line "2Pac, go ahead and rock this" taken from "Same Song". These mixes have probably been made for Force One Network album, before Chopmaster J lost his work in the firestorm and before he incorporated Dave Hollister as main voice of his group (cf. The MME Program 1).
- Samples :
- Digital Underground - "Same Song" (vocals : "2Pac go ahead and rock this")
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