''2Pacalypse Now'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991, by Interscope and Jive Records. ''2Pacalypse Now'' is Tupac's commentary on contemporary social issues facing American society, such as

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...

, police brutality, poverty,

black on black crime Race is one of the correlates of crime receiving attention in academic studies, government surveys, media coverage, and public concern. Research has found that social status, poverty, and childhood exposure to violent behavior are causes of the ra ...

, and teenage pregnancy. It featured three singles: " Brenda's Got a Baby", " Trapped", and " If My Homie Calls". ''2Pacalypse Now'' received critically acclaimed reviews from critics and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 19, 1995. In commemoration of its twenty-fifth anniversary, it was released on vinyl and cassette on November 11, 2016.

Controversy

The album generated significant controversy stemming from then-U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle's public criticism after Ronald Ray Howard murdered a Texas state trooper and his defense attorney claimed he was influenced by ''2Pacalypse Now'' and its strong theme of police brutality. Quayle made the statement, "There's no reason for a record like this to be published. It has no place in our society."

Content

''2Pacalypse Now'' features productions by Digital Underground member Shock G and Stretch, as well as guest appearances from rappers Poppi and Pogo, R&B singer Dave Hollister and Stretch himself.

Lyricism

''2Pacalypse Now'' is a socially conscious hip hop album. It serves as Tupac's social commentary on issues that plague American society, including police brutality, gang violence,

, teenage pregnancy and

. The album poetically addresses black urban concerns relevant to the present day. Although a relatively tame album compared to Shakur's later works, ''2Pacalypse Now'' was known for its violent lyrics aimed at police officers and the government in the songs " Trapped", " I Don't Give a Fuck" and "Soulja's Story".

Critical reception

''2Pacalypse Now'' received generally positive reviews from critics. Although the album's political messages, lyrics and his storytelling were praised, Tupac Shakur's debut album was criticized for its production. In a retrospective review, RapReviews gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and said: "It's not an extraordinarily long album, but it is a dense and heavy listen that will take a lot out of you if you pay close attention to the persistent theme. The beats overall fail to make much of an impression, but perhaps that is as it should be, since nothing should be allowed to outshine this kind of lyrical performance. Tupac's vitriol is carried by his sincerity and charisma, both of which would emerge as key traits of the figure that blossomed in the years to come. Over the course of Tupac's career, the political got suffused by the personal and receded from the central position it occupied on his debut".

Commercial performance

''2Pacalypse Now'' peaked at number 64 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number 13 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. On April 19, 1995, the album was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States. As of September 2011, the album has sold 923,455 copies in the United States.

Track listing

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.2Pac. "2Pacalypse Now" (Album Notes). Interscope Records. 1991. ;Notes *Additional Vocals on "Trapped" performed by Dank, Playa-Playa and Wiz *Background Vocals on "Brenda's Got a Baby" performed by Dave Hollister *Background Vocals on "Trapped" performed by Shock G *Telephone Voices on "I Don't Give ..." spoken by Mickey Cooley, Rodney Cooley and Pogo *Background Vocals on "Violent" performed by 2Pac, Raw Fusion, and Descaro "Mac Mone" Moore *Background Vocals on "Something Wicked" performed by Pee-Wee *Keyboards on "Crooked ..." played by The Piano Man *Background Vocals on "Rebel of the Underground" performed by Shock G,

Ray Luv Raymond Tyson, better known by his stage name Ray Luv, is an American Bay Area rapper from Santa Rosa, California, United States, who is best known for his contribution to the Bay Area hip hop scene in the mid 1990s. Biography Raymond Tyson was ...

, Yonni & Di-Di *Additional Vocals on "Part Time Mutha" performed by Angelique

Samples

Young Black Male *"Good Old Music" by Funkadelic *"Where Was You At" by War *"The Product" and "Dead Homiez" by Ice Cube *"I Got to Have It" by Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs Trapped *" The Spank" by James Brown *" Holy Ghost" by The Bar-Kays *"Her Silent Smile" by Tom Browne *"Save the World" by

Southside Movement The Southside Movement was an American soul and funk musical group from Chicago, Illinois. Composed of vocalist Melvin Moore, guitarist Bobby Pointer (June 19, 1945 - December 26, 2016), keyboardist Morris Beeks, bassist Ronald Simmons, drummer Wi ...

Soulja's Story *"No Name Bar" by Isaac Hayes *"Sneakin' in the Back" by Tom Scott and the

L.A. Express The L.A. Express was an American jazz fusion ensemble. Members of L.A. Express played on several Joni Mitchell albums, namely '' Court and Spark'', '' The Hissing of Summer Lawns'' and the live album ''Miles of Aisles'' between 1974 and 1975. Th ...

*" Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers *" Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss *"Let the Bass Go" and "Mind Blowin by The D.O.C. Violent *"Pirates Theme" by Home T, Cocoa Tea and Shabba Ranks *"City Under Siege" by Geto Boys *"

Rebel Without a Pause "Rebel Without a Pause" is a song by hip hop group Public Enemy and the first single from their 1988 album, ''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''. The title is a reference to the 1955 film ''Rebel Without a Cause''. History "Rebel With ...

" by Public Enemy *"Any Colour You Like" by Pink Floyd *"Halloween Theme Song" by John Carpenter Words of Wisdom *" Chameleon" by Herbie Hancock Something Wicked *"Welcome to the Terrordome" by Public Enemy *" It's Funky Enough" by The D.O.C. Crooked Ass Nigga *"Crab Apple" by Idris Muhammad *"Kool is Back" by Funk, Inc. *" Straight Outta Compton", " Gangsta Gangsta" and " Fuck tha Police" by

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...

If My Homie Calls *" Let a Woman Be a Woman - Let a Man Be a Man" by

Dyke & the Blazers Dyke and the Blazers was an American funk band led by Arlester Christian. The band was formed in 1965, and recorded up until Christian's death in 1971. Among their most successful records were the original version of "Funky Broadway" (1966) and " ...

*"Fat Mama" by Herbie Hancock *"I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" by Wattsax *"I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" by The Soul Children and Jesse Jackson *"

Around the Way Girl "Around the Way Girl" is the third single by LL Cool J from his 1990 album ''Mama Said Knock You Out''. The song later appeared on LL Cool J's 1996 greatest hits album, '' All World: Greatest Hits''. "Around the Way Girl" peaked at #9 on the ''Bi ...

" by LL Cool J *"Prelude" by

*"Theme from the Black Hole" by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

The Lunatic *"One of Those Funky Thangs" by

Rebel of the Underground *" Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers *"

The Pinocchio Theory "The Pinocchio Theory" is a 1977 single by the American Funk band Bootsy's Rubber Band. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on February 9, 1977. The single first charted in Billboard magazine's Hot Soul Singles chart in March 1977 where it pe ...

" by Bootsy Collins *"Theme from the Black Hole" by

Part Time Mutha *"

Part-Time Lover "Part-Time Lover" is a song by American R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder, released as the first single from his twentieth studio album, ''In Square Circle'' (1985). The song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, R&B, dance, ...

" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

feat. Luther Vandross *" Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss *"Part Time Suckers" by Boogie Down Productions

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2pacalypse Now Tupac Shakur albums 1991 debut albums Interscope Records albums Political hip hop albums