"Runnin' (Dying to Live)", is a posthumous song by American rapper

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

, with an additional posthumous verse from

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

It was released as the first single from the soundtrack album '' Tupac: Resurrection'' on September 30, 2003. Produced by

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

, the song uses The Notorious B.I.G.'s vocals from a 1993 recording known as " Runnin' from tha Police", one of the few collaborations recorded by 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. during their lifetimes. 2Pac's vocals are taken from a re-recorded version intended for Thug Life's only studio album '' Thug Life: Vol. 1'' that was later scrapped due to the feud between both artists. The song peaked at #19 for the week of December 20, 2003 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming one of 2Pac's highest charting songs and his second most successful posthumous release as a lead artist.

Overview

The song is a remake of an

Easy Mo Bee Osten S. Harvey Jr. (born December 8, 1965), better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is an American hip hop and R&B record producer and DJ, known for his production work for artists such as Big Daddy Kane and Miles Davis, as well as his a ...

-produced song called " Runnin' from tha Police", recorded by Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. in 1993. Easy Mo Bee subsequently received songwriting credits on "Runnin' (Dying To Live)". The chorus is from

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American multi-instrumentalist, working as a vocalist along with playing keyboards, saxophone, and percussion. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group and their pop ...

's song " Dying to Live" (from the album '' Edgar Winter's White Trash''). "Dying to Live" was originally recorded in the key of A Major, but is pitched up to the key of C# Major. The interview of Notorious B.I.G. heard at the end of the track was recorded only a few weeks before his death.

Music video

The video contains interviews of both Tupac and

Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

It is the only song from the album to feature a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

. The video version mutes all language, violence and drug references, even Biggie's comment about two cops being shot (the radio version only censors all profanity except the word "

bitch Bitch may refer to: * Bitch (slang), a vulgar derogatory term used primarily referring to women, but is often directed towards men as well * A female dog or other canine Bitch or bitches may also refer to: Arts and media Film and television ...

es" in 2Pac's verse). In the video, it has past images and videos of 2Pac and Biggie, and once their verses end, the song fades out.

Awards and nominations

Track listing

Credits adapted from the single's liner notes.

Notes

* signifies a

remixer A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

. *"Runnin' (Dying to Live)" was originally produced by

. The song features members of the

Outlawz Outlawz was an American hip-hop group founded by Tupac Shakur and Yafeu Fula in 1995. Originally known as Thoro Headz and Young Thugs, the group attracted attention with their appearance on Tupac's song "Flex", which was the B-side of his singl ...

Yaki Kadafi, E.D.I. Mean and Kastro, as well as rapper

and

Live Squad Live Squad was an American hip hop group and production team from Hollis, Queens, New York consisting of brothers Stretch (Randy Walker), Majesty (Christopher Walker) and DJ K-Low, best known for their early collaborations with Tupac Shakur. ...

rapper and producer Big Stretch *”Still Ballin’” was originally produced by Johnny “J”, and the song featured

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has releas ...

from

Tha Dogg Pound Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip-hop duo composed of West Coast rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were among the first acts to sign to Death Row Records in 1992. Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albums starting in 1998; they left th ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2003 singles 2003 songs Tupac Shakur songs The Notorious B.I.G. songs Songs released posthumously Song recordings produced by Eminem Songs written by the Notorious B.I.G. Songs written by Tupac Shakur Gangsta rap songs Songs written by Easy Mo Bee Songs written by Eminem Songs written by Luis Resto (musician) Songs about death