Thug Passion

Thug Passion

All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Redman, Method Man, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, E-40, K-Ci & JoJo, and the Outlawz, among others. The album features productions by Shakur alongside a variety of producers including DJ Quik, Johnny "J", Dr. Dre, DJ Bobcat, Dat Nigga Daz, DJ Pooh, DeVante Swing, among others. It was the only Death Row/Interscope release that was distributed through PolyGram in the United States. A gangsta rap album, 2Pac raps about his experiences of living in poverty and in luxury; critics particularly note that 2Pac widely diverges from the social and political consciousness of 2Pacalypse Now (1991) and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993). The album includes the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "How Do U Want It" (featuring K-Ci and JoJo) and "California Love" (with Dr. Dre, featuring Roger Troutman) and the hip-hop ballad "I Ain't Mad at Cha", along with the Snoop Doggy Dogg collaboration "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" as a promotional single. It featured four singles in all, the most of any of Shakur's albums. Moreover, All Eyez on Me made history as the first ever double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption globally. All Eyez on Me was the second album by 2Pac to chart at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 566,000 copies in the first week. Seven months later, 2Pac was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting. The album won the 1997 Soul Train Music Award for Rap Album of the Year posthumously, and was also posthumously nominated for Best Rap Album at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997. Shakur also won the award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at the American Music Awards of 1997. Upon release, All Eyez on Me received instant critical acclaim, and it has been ranked by critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. It was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2014, with shipments of over 5 million copies (each disc in the double album counted as a separate unit for certification), and in 2020 was ranked 436th on Rolling Stone's updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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