| Field | Value |
|---|
| name | 2Pacalypse Now |
| type | studio |
| artist | 2Pac |
| cover | 2pacalypse now.jpg |
| released | |
| recorded | September 1990 – October 1991 |
| studio | Starlight Sound (Richmond, CA) |
| genre | * Hip-hop |
| length | |
| label | * TNT |
| producer | * Atron Gregory (exec.) |
| next_title | Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... |
| next_year | 1993 |
| misc | {{Singles |
| name | 2Pacalypse Now |
| type | studio |
| single1 | Trapped |
| single1date | September 25, 1991 |
| single2 | Brenda's Got a Baby |
| single2date | October 20, 1991 |
| single3 | If My Homie Calls |
| single3date | December 20, 1991 |
- political hip-hop
- Interscope
- Big D the Impossible
- J-Z
- Live Squad
- Pee-Wee
- Raw Fusion
- Shock G
2Pacalypse Now is the debut solo studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991, through TNT Recordings and Interscope Records, while EastWest Records America, a division of Atlantic distributed the album. The recording sessions took place at Starlight Sound Studio in Richmond, California. The album was produced by the Digital Underground production team the Underground Railroad, made up of Big D the Impossible, Shock G, Pee-Wee, DJ J-Z, Raw Fusion, and Live Squad. It features contributions from Stretch, Angelique, Dave Hollister, Pogo, Poppi, Ray Luv and Shock G among others. The album's title is a reference to the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now.
In the United States, the album reached number 64 on the US Billboard 200, number 13 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number three on both the Heatseekers Albums and Catalog Albums charts. On April 19, 1995, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 500,000 copies. In commemoration of its twenty-fifth anniversary, it was re-released on vinyl and cassette on November 11, 2016, which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Vinyl Albums chart.
The album produced three singles with accompanying music videos: "Trapped", "Brenda's Got a Baby" and "If My Homie Calls". The second single off of the album, "Brenda's Got a Baby", made it to number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, number three on the Hot Rap Songs and number 55 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales. The song "I Don't Give a Fuck" from the album was included in 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in-game radio station Radio Los Santos.
Content
2Pacalypse Now is a socially conscious hip-hop album. It serves as the artist's commentary on contemporary social issues facing American society, such as racism, police brutality, poverty, gang violence, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse. 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".
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 Highway Patrol 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".
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."
Personnel
- Tupac "2Pac" Shakur – lyrics, vocals, co-producer
- Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs – background vocals (tracks: 2, 12), keyboards (track 8), producer
- Playa-Playa – outro vocals (track 2)
- Dank – outro vocals (track 2)
- Wiz – outro vocals (track 2)
- Mickey Cooley – telephone voice (track 4)
- Rodney Cooley – telephone voice (track 4)
- Pogo – telephone voice (track 4)
- Ronald "Money-B" Brooks – background vocals (track 5), producer
- David "DJ Fuze" Elliot – background vocals (track 5), producer
- Descaro "Mac Mone" Moore – background vocals (track 5)
- Ramon "Pee-Wee" Gooden – background vocals (track 7), producer
- Randy "Stretch" Walker – rap vocals (tracks: 8, 11)
- Dave Hollister – vocals (track 10)
- Roniece Levias – vocals (track 10)
- Raymond "Ray Luv" Tyson – background vocals (track 12)
- Yonni – background vocals (track 12)
- Di-Di – background vocals (track 12)
- Poppi – vocals (track 13)
- Angelique – background vocals (track 13)
- Deon "Big D the Impossible" Evans – producer
- Jeremy "J-Z" Jackson – producer
- Live Squad – producers
- Darrin Harris – engineering
- Steve Counter – engineering
- Marc Senasac – engineering
- Matt Kelley – engineering
- Kenneth K. Lee Jr. – mastering
- Atron Gregory – executive producer
- Kevin Hosmann – art direction
- Victor Hall – photography
- David Provost – photographic prints
- Tom Whalley – A&R
- Leslie Gerard-Smith – coordinator
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1992) | Peak |
|---|
| position | US Heatseekers Albums (*Billboard*) |
| 3 | | |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1992) | Position | US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (*Billboard*) |
|---|
| 39 | | |
References
- (November 28, 2015). "THUG LIFE: VOLUME 1 [OFFICIAL ALBUM], OCTOBER 11, 1994". 2PacLegacy.
- (November 30, 1991). "2Pac Files Claim Against Oakland". BPI Communications, Inc..
- Walker, Angus. (November 13, 2016). "Tupac's "2Pacalypse Now" Released On Vinyl For The First Time".
- Vaught, Seneca. (Spring 2014). ["Tupac's Law: Incarceration, T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E., and the Crisis of Black Masculinity"](https://www.academia.edu/8258642/Tupacs_Law_Incarceration_and_the_Crisis_of_Black_Masculinity ). Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men.
- Chadwick, Justin. (November 8, 2021). "Revisiting 2Pac’s Debut Album ‘2Pacalypse Now’ (1991) {{!}} Tribute".
- (September 23, 1992). "Quayle Calls for Pulling Rap Album Tied to Murder Case".
- Brown, Marisa. "2Pacalypse Now 2Pac".
- McCann, Ian. (April 1997). "Q Reviews: reissue reviews".
- Woods, Emilee. (February 24, 2009). "2Pac 2Pacalypse Now".
- (2004). "(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide". [[Simon & Schuster]].
- Hull, Tom. (August 3, 2015). "Grade List: 2Pac".
- "2Pac Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)".
- "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1992".