Amaru Entertainment/Interscope/UMe announce the release of THE BEST OF 2PAC – Part 1: Thug and THE BEST OF 2PAC – Part 2: Life, the 2 CDs are retrospective collections showing the complex creativity of this lyrical genius. The CDs will be available on December 4, 2007.
2PAC is the top-selling rap artist of all time. His force was evident during the height of his popularity in the Nineties, but his influence as the voice of the streets continues to echo today throughout urban culture. He has become an eternal icon of youthful brilliance and rebellion with an immeasurable impact on each new generation.
These two separate CDs also show us why anyone listening to the breadth of his work knows that behind the laconic delivery lies a vision. 2PAC’s uncanny ability enabled him to represent the disenfranchised he hoped to galvanize with his philosophy of T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. (which stood for “The Hatred U Give Lil Infants F***s Everybody”). “I didn’t create the thug life. I diagnosed it,” Tupac stated.
Each album contains one previously unreleased recording and one new remix along with nine classic tracks. Each album is available in edited and explicit versions. The collections were assembled with the assistance of his mother, Afeni Shakur, who is also the executive producer of the albums. The CDs represent different key phases of 2PAC’s evolution and shows how his talent hit a high note right from the start and never wavered.
THE BEST OF 2PAC – Part 1: Thug features the previously unreleased “Resist the Temptation” and a fresh mix of “Dear Mama,” featuring Anthony Hamilton, whose original Grammy-nominated version went Platinum and charted Top 10 Pop and #1 Rap. Also included are “Trapped” (2PAC’s debut single), the Grammy-nominated “California Love” (with Dr. Dre), the double Platinum, #1 Pop/#1 Rap, Grammy-nominated “How Do U Want It” with K-CI & JoJo, and Top 10 Rap “So Many Tears.” The remaining tracks are “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” “I Ain’t Mad At Cha,” “Hail Mary,” “Changes,” and “Unconditional Love.”
THE BEST OF 2PAC – Part 2: Life highlights the previously unreleased recording of “Dopefiend’s Diner” featuring 2PAC using a vocal sample of the melody line of “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega in addition to the acoustic remix of “Thugz Mansion” featuring all three verses by 2PAC. The album also brings together the Top 5 Rap “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and Gold, Top 15 Pop/#2 Rap “Keep Ya Head Up.” The tracklisting adds “Definition of a Thug Nigga,” “When I Get Free,” “Until the End of Time” (RP Remix), “Never Call You Bitch Again,” “They Don’t Give a Fuck About Us,” “Still Ballin” (Nitty Remix) and “Ghetto Gospel.”
2PAC has sold nearly 40 million albums in the U.S. alone, where he has claimed 11 Platinum-or-better awards. Eight of those are for posthumous releases.
1996’s The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory from 2PAC’s Makaveli alter ego hit #1 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop while going quadruple Platinum, a mark also reached by the following year’s R U Still Down? (Remember Me) which charted #2 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop. 1998’s Greatest Hits, #3 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop, is currently nine times Platinum. In 2000, Still I Rise scored #6 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop while going Platinum. The next year’s Until the End of Time, #1 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop, reached triple Platinum and 2002’s Better Dayz, #5 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop, double Platinum. 2004’s Loyal to the Game charted #1 Pop and #1 R&B/Hip-Hop and was certified Platinum. The soundtrack to Tupac: Resurrection that same year hit #2 Pop and #3 R&B/Hip-Hop and was also Platinum.
A portion of the profits of the albums will go to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (“TASF”).
THE BEST OF 2PAC – PART 1: Thug
1. 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
2. California Love (Original Mix)
3. So Many Tears
4. I Aint Mad At Cha
5. How Do U Want It
6. Trapped
7. Changes
8. Hail Mary
9. Unconditional Love
10. Dear Mama (featuring Anthony Hamilton – NEW MIX)
11. Resist the Temptation (Previously Unreleased)
THE BEST OF 2PAC – PART 2: Life
1. Definition of a Thug Nigga
2. Still Ballin’ (NITTY REMIX)
3. Until the End of Time (RP REMIX)
4. Never Call U Bitch Again
5. They Don’t Give a Fuck About Us
6. Keep Ya Head Up
7. Ghetto Gospel
8. Brenda’s Got a Baby
9. Thugz Mansion Acoustic Remix (NEW REMIX)
10. When I Get Free
11. Dopefiend’s Diner – (Previously Unreleased)
www.2PACLegacy.com www.tasf.org
About The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation:
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation was founded by Afeni Shakur to provide training and support to artists who aspire to enhance their creative talents. TASF fosters an environment that encourages freedom of expression, serves as a resource for the arts, and empowers through education. To date, more than 700 students have benefited from the program with a broad range of training available via the Annual Performing Arts Day Camp held at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (home of the Foundation in Stone Mountain, GA).