Maps of Music

Me Against the World (1995)

Where the lyrics of Me Against the World take you, and where it was really made.

Released while 2Pac was in prison, this album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and held the top spot for four consecutive weeks.

Key places

Recording studio in Burbank (1995)

Recording site The Enterprise Studios — One of the studios where the album was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio in New York City (1995)

Recording site MSR Studios — One of the New York studios where the album was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio in Los Angeles (1995)

Recording site Soundcastle — One of the Los Angeles studios where the album was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio in Los Angeles (1995)

Recording site Echo Sound Studio — One of the Los Angeles studios where the album was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio in Burbank (1995)

Recording site Encore Recording Studios — One of the studios where the album was recorded. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio in Sacramento (1995)

Recording site 12 Trak Studios — One of the studios where the album was recorded. The pin marks the city center, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Third studio album by American rapper 2Pac
• Released March 14, 1995 by Interscope Records and Out da Gutta Records, distributed by Atlantic Records
• Lyrics draw on an impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and poverty
• According to 2Pac, the album was made to show the hip-hop audience his respect for the art form
• Lyrics were intentionally made more personal and reflective than his earlier albums
• Production handled by his mentor Shock G, Easy Mo Bee, Tony Pizarro, Johnny J, and the Danish duo Soulshock and Karlin, among others
• Guest appearances from rap group Dramacydal and rapper Richie Rich

Background

• By 1994, 2Pac was already a prominent and controversial rapper
• His second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., received platinum certification and entered the top 25 on the Billboard 200
• On November 30, 1994, one day before a jury reached its verdict, he was shot and robbed at gunpoint in the lobby of a New York recording studio
• He was later convicted of two counts of sexual abuse and sentenced to 18 months to 4.5 years in prison

Recording

• The album was recorded at ten different studios
• It was mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering by Brian Gardner
• Several critics found the album's musical production the best on any of his albums to date

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, New York City, to Black Panther Party members Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland.
• Raised by his mother; moved to Baltimore in 1984 and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts.
• Moved to Marin City, California in 1988.

Career

• Debuted as 2Pac on Digital Underground's 1991 single "Same Song" under Interscope Records.
• Debut album 2Pacalypse Now (1991) established him as a central figure in West Coast hip-hop.
• Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... (1993) and Me Against the World (1995) brought critical and commercial success.
• All Eyez on Me (1996), the first hip-hop double album, produced two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, "California Love" and "How Do U Want It".
• Also acted in films including Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), and Above the Rim (1994).
• Died September 13, 1996, after a drive-by shooting in Paradise, Nevada; the 2026 trial convicted Duane Davis of orchestrating the murder.

Legacy

• Record sales exceed 75 million worldwide.
• Inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame (2002) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2017).
• Awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Cheo H. Coker at Rolling Stone called the album Shakur's best
• Allen Gordon in The Source, the leading hip-hop magazine in the United States, called it his best work by far
• Matt Hall in Select suggested it may be the first hip-hop blues LP
• Caroline Sullivan in The Guardian observed a surprisingly optimistic and thoughtful 2Pac, while criticizing the beats
• Jaleel Abdul-Adil of the Chicago Sun-Times said the album mixes toughness and tenderness
• Jon Pareles of The New York Times called the production fatalistic calm, in a commercial mold
• James Bernard of Entertainment Weekly said the vocals are buried deep in the mix
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice criticized an offensive level of self-pity

Reappraisal

• Steve Huey of AllMusic called it his most thematically consistent, least self-contradicting work
• Steve Flash Juon of RapReviews said it is the quintessential Shakur album
• MTV listed it among Tupac's certified classic albums
• Mojo called it one of the best five rap albums ever after Shakur's death

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 240,000 copies in the first week
• Held the top spot for four consecutive weeks
• Number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart
• Overtook Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits as the best-selling album in the United States while Shakur was in prison
• Certified double platinum by the RIAA, with over two million copies sold in the United States
• 3,524,567 copies sold in the United States as of September 2011
• Nominated for Best Rap Album at the 38th Grammy Awards
• Won Best Rap Album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards
• Included in NARM's Definitive 200 Albums of All Time (2008)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title track appeared in the film Bad Boys, which was released into theaters in April 1995.
• The first single, Dear Mama, was released with Old School as the B-side.
• The album was tied to a prison-era achievement: Shakur became the first artist to have a number one album while serving a prison sentence.
• Shakur's virtual appearance at the Coachella Festival on April 15, 2012 led to the album selling 1,000 copies the following week, up 53% from the previous week.
• The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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