By Edem Latsu Nukafu
On March 14, 1995, 2Pac’s album “Me Against the World” was released to critical acclaim.
This album is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time and features the hit singles like “Dear Mama”, ” Me Against The World”, ” So Many Tears”, “Old School”.
The aftermath of its release saw the album reached number one on the Billboard 200, surpassing Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits album. The album marked a historic milestone for 2Pac as it became the first number one hip-hop album released by an incarcerated artist.
■ Here Are Some Facts About “Me Against The World” by 2Pac :
1. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records.
2. The album was produced by Shock G, Easy Mo Bee, Tony Pizarro, Johnny “J” and Soulshock & Karlin, among others.
3. “Me Against the World” features guest appearances from Dramacydal and Richie Rich.
4. The album was recorded at ten different studios and was mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
5. On December 6, 1995, this album brought a ridiculous amount of commercial success. Debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album has been certified double platinum selling over 3.5 million copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen Music.
6. “Me Against the World” was nominated for Best Rap Album and “Dear Mama” was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 38th Grammy Awards.
7. The album has been widely praised as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, with many critics ranking it among the best albums of the 1990s.
8. The album was included in the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” and was ranked number 170 on a list of 200 albums by artists of various musical genres.
9. Along with being #1 in the US, the album also ranked #23 in Germany and #20 in Sweden.
10. The singles from the project “Dear Mama,” “So Many Tears” and “Temptations” all made appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Dear Mama” peaked at Number #9, “So Many Tears” hit Number #44 and “Temptations” claimed the Number #68 spot.
11. In the year after its release, the album received the Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Album. The project was Tupac’s most positively reviewed album and has been called the magnum opus of his career.
“Dear Mama” is a tribute song by Tupac Shakur to his biological beloved mother, Afeni Shakur. It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from his third studio album, “Me Against the World” . The song details the family’s struggles with penury, Afeni’s drug addiction and Tupac’s love and appreciation for her.
“Dear Mama” is conscious lyricism tune and have gained commercial success, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. It has been consistently ranked among the best hip-hop songs of all time and was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2010.
Finally, the subject matter and tone of this project were a lot more serious and introspective than anything he had previously released.
Much less high energy than the tunes from his previous album “Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z ..”. This album exhibited true reflection on his life and career path as a rap artist along with shining light on some of his personal struggles with paranoia and self-loathing.
Writer’s email: edemlatsu093@gmail.com
