The debut album from the best-selling rap artist of all time, and in my opinion it is still his best work.
2Pacalypse Now was originally released in 1991. It was not a major success, spawning no top 10 hits, and with 2Pac having a lot of difficulty marketing the album.
Although the album lacks the polish of his later albums, we are left with a more raw feel to the album, and it is by far 2Pac's most political work, discussing problems facing young black males on America, shedding light on issues such as police brutality, poverty and teenage prenancy.
The emphasis is on 2Pac's lyrical genius, rather than processed beats, and this album features some absolutely inspiring songs. "Brenda's Got a Baby" consists of just one extended verse from 2Pac, discussing the fictional character of Brenda, a teenage girl who becomes pregnant and throws her baby in the garbage. "Trapped" deals with police brutality and the first verse tells a story of Shakur being harassed by the police, and one even shooting at him.
In his later years, 2Pac began to stray away from his more political work, but his debut album was a real eye-opener in the early 1990s and the songs all stand the test of time.
The album that inspired a generation of rap artists, such as Nas and Talib Kweli, Pac's lyrics more than make up for the repetitive nature of the beats on the tracks, and we are left with an emotional, controversial and stunning debut album from the greatest rap artist of all time.
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