- Darryl "Big D" Harper, producer of 5 songs on Killuminati album, 3 on Still I Rise / Ghetto Starz, 1 or 2 on One Nation + original "Pac's Life", "Catchin' Feelins", "Smile"...
- Singer on "White Man'z World" and on the superhit "Consider Me", erroneously attributed to 6 Feet Deep, initially supposed to be in Gridlock'd original Soundtrack.
- With Tyrone Wrice aka Hurt M Badd (ex-B-Rezell), they were the less known workers of the so-called "wack room", but the main ingredients of Killuminati (10 tracks over 12).
- Source : DAT inventory.
### - We followed the tracklists of the two "Darrell Harper" tapes, as listed in Death Row DAT inventory. We don't know if all tracks contain vocals or if it is mainly beats to be given to other Death Row artists. - ###
Tracklist :
- Throw Ya Hands Up - such a title appears in a Too Gangsta For Radio early DAT, and in a 2001 tape with many names, among them Ray J (signed on the Row at the time)
- I'll Funk
- Untitled #1
- OJ Theme - Darryl Harper
- Lost and Found
- Girls - appears in a floppy attributed to "Freddy (?)" in 03/27/96
- Untitled #2
- Why - only the good die young (?), instrumental to "As The World Turnz" (?)
- Systers Gotta Have It - new let 'em have it (?), instrumental to "High Speed" (?)
- Why Does It Hurt - Darryl Harper (?)
- New Mellow Rap Beat
- New One For Keesha
- Debate
- Farewell Tupac - Darry Harper - LINK
- I'm For U - Hugg - (in Hugg's project DAT 96/08/05)
Darryl Harper interviewed by The Art of Dialogue, 2021
Introduced to Death Row in mid 1995
In his interviews, Darryl Harper tells how he had the chance to join Death Row, a little time before 2Pac came, in the summer of 1995 (he was notably at the Source Awards). He was introduced into Cam-Am studios by a friend named Chuck, notably met that day Snoop Dogg and gave some vocals for a LT Hutton introduction skit to a track. Then he started to write songs for Kevyn Lewis' (pianist and studio manager) protégée singer CeGe (is it possible he wrote the song "Cavi" for her ? track eventually produced by Sneed or Dre... recorded circa November 1995). Finally meeting Suge Knight in the kitchen, he made him listen to a demo tape he made with the help of Wilton Felder of The Crusaders, and Suge hired him. Around that period, he was also intensively following the OJ Simpson case, what led him to write and record a whole song upon that topic in the first months of 1996.
In terms of production, Darryl was a "novice" (his words), "learning how to use the equipment". To work on Death Row was an opportunity for him to learn with professional engineers and artists and to improve his own skills. That's why he was only working in the so-called "wack" room. Some people were making fun of that, some others, like Big Syke, used to come and visit, maybe took him some beats...
Ghostwriting for 6 Feet Deep, producing for 2Pac
Mainly hired for his writing skills, he was in charge of writing for 6 Feet Deep. A first song wasn't convincing : it was criticized at the meeting in February 21 (but Darryl wasn't happy with the way the group vocalized his text). Then he wrote and sung "Consider Me" as a reference track for them. All liked it and 2Pac wanted to have the song for his then project of soundtrack for Gridlock'd (cf. Original sessions). But 2Pac was still seeing him as a member of 6 Feet Deep.
They get closer in June 1996, when 2Pac received Lemika and Make A Wish Foundation at the Death Row studios (circa June 10). This day, 2Pac was beginning to work with Hurt-M-Badd as a producer (he was already giving him some vocals, notably "Fair Exchange", "Play Ya Cardz", "Just Watchin"). Hurt-M-Badd learnt how to produce at the same time than Darryl and alongside him, in the "Wack" room. A week later, whilst Darryl was working on a beat, 2Pac came in, listened to it and decided to get the beat for his then project One Nation. The 17th of June 1996, he recorded the song "Military Minds" over it with the Boot Camp Clik. Then 2Pac got used to come and listen to his work to get new beats from him.
Interview with JMix Exclusive, 2017
Darryl Harper's projects at Death Row ?
The first 7 tracks tape has very likely that title "Darryl Harper Compilation" written on it. But it is not clear if Darryl Harper really had a project of "compilation" with other artists from Death Row, or if it was only "demo" material with his solo work and instrumentals to be given to other Death Row artists... But in that case, where are all the other important tracks ("Can't Hide", "Consider Me") he was working on around that time, they would be there too ? And as well, some tracks of these tapes are nowhere else to be found in Darryl material so they were could very well have been recorded with other artists... That's why we tend to think Darryl Harper got a real project of compilation on Death Row.
The track "I'm 4 U" is listed in a Death Row tape titled "Hugg Reasons 8/5/96", with 5 other tracks. Hugg was a singer and a friend of Suge Knight (his track "Miss Well To Do" recorded the 8th of June 96 is listed in Gridlock'd original in September 18 on side of Darryl's "Consider Me"). So, that Hugg "I'm 4 U" existing for at least two weeks, we can think it was copied like that on Darryl's tape, not just as a beat. But we don't know if it includes some vocals by Darryl Harper or only Hugg ones...
The song "Why Does It Hurt" was certainly added in its new August 27 mix. Considering "I'm 4 U" was added after "Farewell 2Pac", we know the last material was added to that tape after the recording of it in mid September 1996 ; Darryl told he wrote it the day he learnt 2Pac was dead (September 13).
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That REEL with Why/Sisters Gotta Have was recorded the 22nd of August (same date as the opening of that second Darryl Harper's tape - so the tape was initially for Darryl's project and only in a second time for 2Pac). Maybe it originally contained naked beats to be used by 2Pac (like mostly thought), maybe it had complete songs because it is not that usual to have plain beats copied on a REEL (but it happens)... The fact the new title and biffing are made with another color pen tends to indicate the new songs were added not the same day... (but is the date itself not added on a different day than the first copy of music elements ? usually it is noted the very first day they used the REEL...)
What we can be sure of, 2Pac re-used that REEL the 25th for the recording of "As The World Turnz" / "High Speed". Were both songs recorded that same day ? Why only one new title was added, why only the second was biffed... Maybe the front of the REEL could give more details... Obviously, the second track recorded on that REEL, "High Speed", has nothing to do with the concept "Sisters Gotta Have It", what would explain the biffing. On the other hand, the word "Why" is nowhere to be found in "As The World Turns"...
A song titled "Why" appears in the early tracklist "If Heaven Had a Ghetto" (presumably written circa late July / early August of 1996). Maybe 2Pac asked Darryl to have a beat for that concept and finally recorded something else when he got the beat...
But we can't deny "Why" is clearly the same topic than the song "The Good Die Young", the word central in the chorus : "does anybody have an answer why / Can anybody tell me why (the good die young ?)"... Is it possible to think that the song was at a time given to Darryl Harper for his own project ? And at a time, the song having been copied in Darryl Harper's DAT, 2Pac finally overwrote the thing with a new song...
So we could imagine that other tracks were for other Death Row less known artists... "Sisters Gotta Have It" could be a BGoti song (a group of girls singing and rapping, a bit in the like of Y?N-Vee, recently dropped from Motown with their first album shelved - but they only appear in Death Row inventory in late 96 for Christmas on Death Row), but it any other female singer/rapper...
We highly doubt it could be a 2Pac song, but there could be some Outlawz on it (we sometimes thought it was another title for "Breathin (GBM Version)", but it was too far). It could be Storm and Val Young for a remix/new version of "Let Them Have It" (originally produced by LT Hutton but was very likely not satisfying...).
"Consider Me" credited to 6 Feet Deep by 2Pac in his interview for Gridlock'd... is logically not in that compilation. But even "Because of You" is not listed in the DAT inventory (maybe a later thing, after Pac's death).
List of material in Death Row inventory
- I Don't Want You No Mo
- Promise To Love You
Darryl Harper says he joins Death Row not a long time before 2Pac, probably during the summer of 95. So it is way possible that this first DAT was made in October 95. Maybe Darryl copied/recorded old songs he had before in Cam-Am professional studios. Then he didn't use them on his further projects of compilation because he learnt how to produce within the time, improved a lot.
Another possibility would be there is a mistake and Darryl recorded these new songs in late September 96, after Pac's death....
- Why Does It Hurt ?
- Instrumental
- When Jesus Come
- Untitled
- OJ Theme
- Player Hater
- Can't Hide
- Throw Ya Hands Up
- I'll Funk
- Untitled
- OJ Theme
- Lost and Found
- Girls
- Untitled
- Somebodies got a crush
- Slow Ride
- Untitled #1,
- Untitled #2
- I'm For You
- Why - only the good die young (?)
- Systems Gotta Have It - sisters gotta have it (?)
- Why Does It Hurt
- New Mellow Rap Beat
- New One For Keesha
- Debate
- Farewell Tupac
- I'm For U
As usual, this DAT was opened for copy the 22nd, but was filled up track by track potentially much later. "Farewell 2Pac" was of course recorded and copied after his death the 13th of September.
- Why Does It Hurt
- Untitled w/ riff
That song would definitely be the key track of the project, a single. Darryl worked on it from February to late August ! Could it the same thing than "Why" ???