2pac
All Eyez On Me

Perhaps it was the time spent in prison, or perhaps more simply signing with Suge Knight's Death Row Records. Whatever the reason, it remains a fact: with "All Eyez On Me," 2pac returns to success much harder and angrier than he ever was before. "All Eyez On Me" is the definition of the gangsta lifestyle, totally opposite to his previous work, "Me Against The World," where the intelligent, deep, and introspective 2pac reigned.

This side of 2pac remains in only two tracks: "I Ain't Mad At Cha" & "Life Goes On," the first dedicated to his brothers who pulled themselves out of the street life's mess, the second describes the good times spent with friends who met a premature death.
There are two contrasting elements that divide the judgment of the album: on one hand, this is the best production 'Pac has ever had (Dr. Dre, Johnny J), but on the other, the lyrics, apart from the two tracks mentioned above, are far from what 2pac's style was—intelligent and original, in "All Eyez On Me" the focus is more on self-celebration and an exaggeration of street life. The only explanation perhaps is that 2pac had signed with Death Row only because Suge, the record label owner, would get him out of prison by paying his bail; Pac was contractually obliged to record 2 albums with Death Row, from which he had already planned to leave after the contract ended to dedicate himself to his own record label, which never saw the light of day. Returning to the album, the beats are wonderfully powerful and 2pac seems to literally soar over them, perhaps also thanks to his excellent flow and his amazing metric, giving us an album that is a true treasure of rap music.

It ranges from rap to funky, passing through R&B and the West Coast sound. All of this allowed the rapper to churn out an infinity of singles from this album, one above all the featuring with Dr. Dre in "California Love," which unfortunately only appears here in remixed version. Noteworthy collaborations include those with Snoop Dogg (2 of Americaz Most Wanted), Method Man & Redman (Got My Mind Made Up), Big Syke (All Eyez On Me, Picture Me Rollin' & Check Out Time), Kurup (Check Out Time), and his crew the Outlawz (two notable ones being Thug Passion & Tradin' War Stories).
In conclusion, "All Eyez On Me" is a classic of rap made in the U.S.A. without a shadow of a doubt, it is one of the best-selling rap albums of all time with over 10 million copies sold, 9 times platinum and the most representative single, "California Love" remained at the top of the Billboard Chart for 12 weeks. An album that can be listened to anywhere and at any time: at the beach, in the car with the volume all the way up, or while smoking your morning cigarette or the one after lunch. A manifesto for all lovers of the West Coast sound and beyond, an album to recommend to any fan of Rap.