Pac's Life

Pac's Life
Studio album by
2Pac
ReleasedNovember 21, 2006 (2006-11-21)
Recorded
  • 1995–1996 (vocals: 2Pac & Yaki Kadafi) (production: "Soon As I Get Home")
  • 2005–2006 (production, guest vocals)
StudioCan-Am Studios (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
Genre
Length55:06
Label
Producer
2Pac chronology
Live at the House of Blues
(2005) 		Pac's Life
(2006) 		Best of 2Pac
(2007)
Singles from Pac's Life
  1. "Untouchable"
    Released: February 27, 2006
  2. "Pac's Life"
    Released: October 21, 2006
  3. "Playa Cardz Right"
    Released: October 21, 2008

Pac's Life is the tenth and final studio album, and sixth posthumous album by American rapper 2Pac, released on November 21, 2006 on Amaru Entertainment. The album serves as Shakur's tenth and final studio album since Amaru Entertainment completed the redo of Shakur's original discography, from 2Pacalypse Now to The 7 Day Theory. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart.[1]

Background

Shakur's vocals were recorded during his time spent on Death Row Records, excluding the two bonus tracks found on the UK and JP editions of the album. Of all the songs featured on the album, including the bonus tracks, only one song—"Soon As I Get Home"—is in its original, un-altered form, all others being remixes with updated beats and features. A broad range of artists contributed to the album, including Outlawz, Krayzie Bone, Snoop Dogg, Chamillionaire, Ludacris, A-3, Big Syke, Papoose, Keyshia Cole, Jay Rock, Young Buck, Ashanti, T.I., Lil' Scrappy, Nipsey Hussle, three posthumous appearances by Kadafi, and Jamal Woolard, who became famous for portraying The Notorious B.I.G. in the 2009 biopic Notorious and in the 2017 biopic All Eyez on Me.

The album's title track and lead single features singer Ashanti and fellow rapper T.I.. The two featured artists also participated in the filming of the song's music video, filmed at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts. The World Premiere of "Pac's Life" was on at 7:30 PM on BET's Access Granted on Wednesday, November 22. The video was also featured on BET's behind-the-scenes filming of "Pac's Life".

Promotion

The album was recorded in Van Nuys, California. A week of events was conducted for the celebration of the release. It kicked off on Saturday November 11 at the Vaknin Gallery with "All Eyez On Me: Hip-Hop's Legendary Performers and Photographers," where photographers displayed their material. On Tuesday November 14, at the same venue, a VIP party previewing Pac's Life took place from 7:00pm – 10:00pm. The events were then shifted to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (TASCA) where coat drives were held on Wednesday, November 15 and Friday, November 17 everyone who brought a winter coat received two admission tickets to the Pac's Life album release party. On Monday November 20, a "Pac's Life Teen Art" competition took place from 6-8 PM, where children ages 13–17 competed in an art exhibit contest.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Pitchfork4.1/10[3]
RapReviews6.5/10[4]
About.com[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
PopMatters8/10[7]
HipHopDX[8]

Reviews from critics and fans were mixed, with the general consensus being that while 2Pac's vocals were undoubtedly strong, the modern production sounded commercialized. AllMusic wrote: "This isn't to say that there is not some great material on Pac's Life, because there is ..., but the power of 2Pac's words is often lost behind the modern production ... and new verses from artists like Ludacris, Lil Scrappy, Ashanti, and Young Buck."[9]

Commercial performance

Pac's Life debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 159,000 copies in its first week.[1] This became 2Pac's tenth US top-ten album and his seventh posthumous album to reach the top-ten.[1]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Untouchable" (Swizz Beatz Remix) (featuring Krayzie Bone)Swizz Beatz4:16
2."Pac's Life" (featuring T.I. & Ashanti)L.T. Hutton3:38
3."Dumpin'" (featuring Hussein Fatal, Papoose & Carl Thomas)Sha Money XL4:27
4."Playa Cardz Right" (Female) (featuring Keyshia Cole)Ivan "Orthodox" Barias & Carvin "Ransum" Haggins4:33
5."What'z Next" (featuring A3 & Jay Rock)Salih Williams4:18
6."Sleep" (featuring Young Buck & Chamillionaire)Sha Money XL4:10
7."International" (featuring Nipsey Hussle & Young Dre)Capital L.S4:02
8."Don't Sleep" (featuring Lil' Scrappy, Nutso, Yaki Kadafi & Stormy)E.D.I. Mean3:36
9."Soon As I Get Home" (featuring Yaki Kadafi)QD33:40
10."Playa Cardz Right" (Male) (featuring Ludacris & Keon Bryce)Sha Money XL4:54
11."Don't Stop" (featuring Big Syke, Yaki Kadafi, Hussein Fatal, E.D.I., Young Noble & Stormy)L.T. Hutton5:25
12."Pac's Life" (Remix) (featuring Snoop Dogg, T.I., Ashanti & Chris Starr)L.T. Hutton3:39
13."Untouchable" (featuring Yaki Kadafi, Hussein Fatal & Gravy)Sha Money XL4:25
UK Edition/iTunes Bonus Track
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
14."Dear Mama" (Remix) (featuring Anthony Hamilton)Frank Nitty5:42
Japanese Edition Bonus Track
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
15."Scared Straight"Ivan "Orthodox" Barias & Carvin "Ransum" Haggins3:29

Charts

Release history

Country Release date
Australia November 18, 2006
Europe November 20, 2006
United States November 21, 2006
Japan[21] December 13, 2006

References

  1. ^ a b c "Jay-Z Reclaims His 'Kingdom' With No. 1 Debut". Billboard. November 29, 2006. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Brown, Marisa. "2Pac - Pac's Life". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom. "2Pac - Pac's Life". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  4. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash'. "2Pac :: Pac's Life". RapReviews. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  5. ^ Rott, Ivan. "2Pac - Pac's Life (Amaru / Interscope) - 2Pac - Pac's Life Review". About.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  6. ^ Serpick, Evan. "Tupac Shakur: Pac's Life". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  7. ^ Huff, Quentin B. "2pac: Pacs Life". PopMatters. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "2Pac - Pac's Life". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  9. ^ "Pac's Life - 2Pac". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 287.
  11. ^ a b "2 Pac - Pac's Life". lescharts.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  12. ^ "GFK Chart-Track". Chart-track.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  13. ^ "2Pac – 'Pac's Life' Ranking" (in Japanese). Oricon. January 1, 2007. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Steffen Hung (September 28, 2007). "2 Pac - Pac's Life". hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  16. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c ((( Pac's Life > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums ))). All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on January 30, 2010.
  18. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  19. ^ "YEAR-END CHARTS RAP ALBUMS 2007". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  20. ^ "YEAR-END CHARTS RAP ALBUMS 2007". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  21. ^ "Pac's Life".