All Eyez on Me

All Eyez on Me is the fourth and final studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the final to be released during his lifetime. It was released on February 13, 1996 – just seven months before his death – by Death Row and Interscope Records with distribution handled by Polygram. 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. It was produced by Shakur alongside a variety of producers including DJ Quik, Johnny "J", Dr. Dre, DJ Bobcat, Dat Nigga Daz, Mr. Dalvin, DJ Pooh, DeVante Swing, among others. The album was mixed by DJ Quik. 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, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... and Me Against The World. The album includes the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "How Do U Want It" and "California Love" 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 murdered 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 was praised for its innovation in the rap genre; it has since 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 in 2014, with shipments of over 5 million copies, and in 2020 was ranked 436th on Rolling Stone's updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Background

In October 1995, Suge Knight and Jimmy Iovine paid the $1.4 million bail necessary to get Shakur released from Clinton Correctional Facility, on charges of sexual abuse. At the time, Shakur was broke and thus unable to make bail himself. All Eyez on Me was released following an agreement between Knight and Shakur which stated Shakur would make three albums under Death Row Records in return for them paying his bail. Fulfilling part of Shakur's brand new contract, this double-album served as the first two albums of his three-album contract.
Euthanasia was the initial title of the album until it was changed to All Eyez on Me during the recording process. Shakur explained to MTV's Bill Bellamy in December 1995 saying:
All Eyez on Me was originally intended for a Christmas 1995 release but was pushed back as Shakur continued to record music and shoot music videos for the album.

Recording and production

The album features guest spots from 2Pac's regulars, such as former-Thug Life members and The Outlawz, as well as Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, George Clinton, Rappin' 4-Tay, The Click, Method Man & Redman among others. The song "Heartz of Men" samples a portion of Richard Pryor's comedy album That Nigger's Crazy. Most of the album was produced by Johnny "J" and Daz Dillinger, with help from Dr. Dre on the songs "California Love", which he himself appeared in also as an album guest spot, and "Can't C Me", which was Clinton's appearance. DJ Quik also produced, mixed and made an appearance on the album, but had to use his real name on the credits because his contract with Profile Records prevented him from using his stage name.

Lyrical themes

The songs on All Eyez on Me are, in general, unapologetic celebrations of living the "Thug Lifestyle". Though there is the occasional reminiscence about past and present friends, it is a definite move away from the social and political consciousness of 2Pacalypse Now and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.... The songs on the album along with the name of the album itself, allude to the feeling of being watched. With songs like "Can't C Me" and "All Eyez on Me", 2Pac makes it known that he feels the presence of surveillance, most notably by the police and those wishing to do him harm. The album also references the fact that 2Pac is under the attention of many fans, being his fourth studio album and his first after spending almost a year in jail.

Singles

The first single, "California Love" featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman was released, December 3, 1995. This is perhaps 2Pac's best-known song and his most successful, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and 12 weeks at number one in New Zealand. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997. A remix version also produced by Dr. Dre appeared on the album. The song has since been certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" featuring rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, was released as a promotional single on, May 7, 1996. The video was directed by one of 2Pac's production partners, Gobi M. Rahimi and was filmed four months prior to the September 1996 shooting of 2Pac. The prelude for the song shows a parody of Biggie Smalls and Puff Daddy in discussion with Shakur about the November 1994 shooting. The beginning of the scene where Tupac is speaking to Biggie is in reference to the scene in the film Scarface in which Tony Montana speaks to his alleged killer before shooting him. The song peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
The second single, "How Do U Want It" featuring R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, was released, June 4, 1996. It was paired with "California Love" as a double A-side single, with 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted and the non-album track, Hit 'Em Up serving as the B-sides. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. There were three videos filmed for the song: two in the same set for the single in April 1996. The video was directed by Ron Hightower and produced by Tracy D. Robinson. These two are distinguished by MPAA rating. The video portrays a wild sex party with Jacuzzi, mechanical bull riding, cage dancing and pole stripping. All actors and actresses are dressed in Renaissance-era costumes, though all clothes are removed for the nude clip. The adult-material video also features numerous porn stars, including Nina Hartley, Heather Hunter, and Angel Kelly. The limousine segment seen in the clean version is the same except no nudity. The third one is the concert version, mostly them performing on stage. There are cameo appearances by K-Ci & JoJo, and fellow group member of Digital Underground Shock G both in the concert and studio segments.
"I Ain't Mad at Cha" featuring singer Danny Boy, was released in Europe and parts of Oceania shortly after Shakur's death as the final single from the album, on September 15, 1996. For the video the song was re-recorded with a live band. The new track was recorded at Can-Am Studios by Conley Abrams. The video was filmed on May 15, 1996.

Critical reception and legacy

All Eyez on Me received widespread critical acclaim. Spin magazine gave it 7 out of 10 and said: "As long as you don't expect philanthropy from Tupac, you'll find honesty and some pleasurably twisted scenarios." The record ranked No. 3 on Entertainment Weeklys list of Top 10 albums of 1996. AllMusic stated, "Maybe it was his time in prison, or maybe it was simply his signing with Suge Knight's Death Row label. Whatever the case, 2Pac re-emerged hardened and hungry with All Eyez on Me, the first double-disc album of original material in hip-hop history. With all the controversy surrounding him, 2Pac seemingly wanted to throw down a monumental epic whose sheer scope would make it an achievement of itself. But more than that, it's also an unabashed embrace of the gangsta lifestyle, backing off the sober self-recognition of Me Against the World. Sure, there are a few reflective numbers and dead-homiez tributes, but they're much more romanticized this time around. Despite some undeniable filler, it is easily the best production 2Pac's ever had on record".
In the Los Angeles Times, Cheo Hodari Coker praised the album: "All Eyez on Me, a 27-song, 133-minute gangster's paradise, finds the rapper even more venomous than he was before his 11-month incarceration for sexual abuse. He displays no remorse for his tough life, and even less feeling for his enemies. The only thing jail time did for 2Pac was make his creative fires burn even hotter—he raps here with a passion and skill matched in gangsta rap only by Snoop Doggy Dogg and the Notorious B.I.G. And with such producers as DJ Pooh, DJ Quik, Dr. Dre and Johnny J laying down the tracks, he finally has a musical team worthy of his talent."
Jon Pareles of The New York Times considered the album typical gangsta-rap fare, but with superior production. "Standard images of ghetto desperation turn up...but far more of 2Pac's rhymes are about living in luxury: driving a plush car, drinking cognac, smoking weed and having all the women he wants." Pareles notes that, "while 2Pac used to show some sympathy for women, he has returned to hard-line gangsta machismo, with women as either gold-digging 'bitches' or heavy-breathing, pliant 'hos'." The Guardian gave the album two stars out of five, declaring it "one of these angry recriminatory discs would have been more than enough, thanks." finding that "too much of the two hours is consumed by self-justifying rants like Only God Can Judge Me and Skandalouz." The review concluded that "There is some delicious g-funk here but 2Pac's attitude sours the whole thing."
"It's like a Cali thug-life version of Pink Floyd's The Wall – pure gangsta ego run amok over two CDs," complained Rolling Stone. "At that length, the album's all-hard-all-the-time tone approaches caricature." Nonetheless, the album was included in the magazine's essential recordings of the 1990s.

Accolades

Asterisk signifies unordered lists.

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
FNAC	France	The 1000 Best Albums of All Time	2008	461
Rock & Folk	France	The Best Albums from 1963 to 1999	1999	*
Babylon	Greece	The 50 Best Albums of the 1990s	1999	48
Hip-Hop Connection	United Kingdom	The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995–2005	2006	35
The New Nation	United Kingdom	Top 100 Albums by Black Artists	2005	64
Q	United Kingdom	The Ultimate Music Collection	2005	*
Q	United Kingdom	90 Albums of the 90s	1999	*
Apple Music	United States	100 Best Albums	2024	62
rap.About.com	United States	100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums	2008	80
rap.About.com	United States	Best Rap Albums of 1996	2008	1
Tom Moon	United States	1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die	2008	*
Entertainment Weekly	United States	The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008	2008	87
Ego Trip	United States	Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–1998	1999	14
Rolling Stone	United States	The Essential Recordings of the 90s	1999	*
Rolling Stone	United States	100 Best Albums of the Nineties	2010	50
Rolling Stone	United States	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	2020	436
Complex	United States	The 90 Best Rap Albums of the '90s	2014	10

Commercial performance

All Eyez on Me debuted at number-one on both the US Billboard 200 and the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 566,000 copies in its first week, becoming 2Pac's second number one album on the chart. The album was eventually certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. As of September 2011, All Eyez on Me has sold 5,887,630 in the United States, making it 2Pac's highest-selling album. It has charted on the Billboard 200 for 105 weeks in total.
In the United Kingdom, the British Phonographic Industry certified the album silver on January 1, 1997, followed by gold on July 22, 2013, and platinum on November 14, 2014, for sales of over 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
It was re-released in 2001 as enhanced CDs containing the "California Love" music video. Both discs contained the same data track. It was also re-released as a Dual-Disc in 2005.

Lawsuit

In July 1997, anti-rap activist C. Delores Tucker sued 2Pac's estate in federal court, claiming that lyrics naming her in "How Do U Want It" and "Wonda Why They Call U Bytch" inflicted emotional distress, were slanderous, and invaded her privacy. The case was dismissed in 2001.

Track listing

Track listing adapted from the album booklet

Notes

"All About U" features uncredited verses from Hussein Fatal and Yaki Kadafi
"Life Goes On" features vocals from Stacey Smallie and Nanci Fletcher.
"California Love " features background vocals from Barbara Wilson, Nanci Fletcher, and Danette Williams. The full original version can only be found on promo vinyl versions.
"Can't C Me" features additional vocals from Nanci Fletcher
"Got My Mind Made Up" originally was a Dogg Pound song featuring Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck, The Lady of Rage, and RBX, but their vocals were removed when Daz gave 2Pac the song for his album.
"Wonder Why They Call U Bytch" originally featured former Bad Boy Records singer Faith Evans, but her vocals were replaced by Jewell.
"Check Out Time" features background vocals from Natasha Walker.
"Ratha Be Ya Nigga" features background vocals from Stacey Smallie.