Hieroglyphics – 3rd Eye Vision (1998)ġ55. Boogie Down Productions – Sex & Violence (1992)ġ53. A Tribe Called Quest – Beats, Rhymes & Life (1996)ġ52. As it is, it is far from flawless – but still a good album, and no doubt one the highlights of 2Pac’s epic career.ġ51. Much like Biggie’s Life After Death, it probably would have been better had the best 14 tracks been released as one album – which would have made All Eyez On Me the all-time classic it could have been. The album would have been better with fewer guests, too. But is it a flawless classic, or even 2Pac’s best album? No, and no.Ī double album, All Eyez On Me just is too long (and a little too heavy on the ‘thug’ side) for its own good, especially the second album contains a bunch of filler tracks. Packed with classic songs – like “I Ain’t Mad At Cha”, “Ambitionz Az A Ridah”, “Life Goes On”, “California Love”, “Only God Can Judge Me”, “Heartz Of Men” and “Picture Me Rollin’” – and showcasing 2Pac’s signature mix of “thug-ism” and his vulnerable, thoughtful side, All Eyez On Me surely is a landmark album. It certainly was a bestseller, selling upwards of ten million units in the US alone. All Eyez On Me probably is 2Pac‘s most popular album, released when he was at the peak of his fame (while alive). Of course, because of the number of units sold and its iconic status, All Eyez On Me is a classic. Often though this is just parroting behavior by casual Hip Hop listeners who just don’t know many other Hip Hop albums, so who really can’t compare. Many people see this album as 2Pac’s magnum opus and one the best, if not THE best, Hip Hop album ever. Now, some of you will get all upset because you want to see this album ranked higher. The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech… Just Watch What You Say! is a tight album, one of Ice-T’s best and the one that established Ice-T as one of Hip Hop’s most prominent and authentic personalities. The album’s most important theme – as evidenced in the album’s subtitle and the song “Freedom Of Speech” – is the PMRC censorship that was being imposed on Hip Hop artists at the time. The chilled-out album opener “The Iceberg”, the dope 9-minute posse cut “What Ya Wanna Do”, the personal “This One’s For Me”, the gangster tale “Peel Their Caps Back”, the thought-provoking “You Played Yourself”, the multi-layered noise on “The Hunted Child” and “Lethal Weapon” – this album is packed with dope tracks.
From the epic, ominous intro “Shut Up, Be Happy” (featuring Jello Biafra and brilliantly interpolating Black Sabbath’s classic “Black Sabbath”) to the all-out fun “My Word Is Bond” – this album has something for everybody. Ice-T‘s grittiest album, but one with great variation lyrically as well as sonically.
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