Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: 2Pac, Big Syke, Niamyja Tyler Jackson, Ta'He, Outlawz (vocals); Soulshock, Karlin (various instruments, programming); Jay Valentine (various instruments); Darrell Crooks (acoustic & electric guitars, synthesizer, bass); Femi Ojetunde, Eric Jackson, Greg Dalton (guitar); Cassandra O'Neal (piano); Claudio Cueni (Fender Rhodes piano); Ronnie King (keyboards); Keith Rouster (bass); E. Allen Foreman, Zaram Lopez (programming); Darryl "Big D" Harper, Nate Dogg, Val Young (background vocals). | | Producers include: Tony Pizzaro, Damon Thomas, Daz, Johnny J, QDIII. | | Engineers include: Claudio Cueni, Ian Boxill, Brad Gilderman. | | Includes liner notes by Justin Troy. | | Personnel: Darrell Crooks (guitar, acoustic guitar, wah-wah guitar, guitar synthesizer, bass guitar); Femi Ojetunde, Greg Dalton (guitar); Claudio Cueni (Fender Rhodes piano); Ronnie King (keyboards); Nate Dogg, Val Young (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Ian Boxill; Claudio Cueni; Manny Marroquin; Tim Nitz. | | Liner Note Author: Afeni Shakur. | | Recording information: Can Am, Tarzana, CA; Pacifique, North Hollywood, CA; QDII Soundlab, Tarzana, CA; Soulpower Studios; Sound Castle Stu; Westlake studios. | | The worst aspect of Tupac Shakur's death was the uncontrollable inevitability of it all. Even if he hadn't been cruelly gunned down, anyone who was paying attention knew his story wouldn't have a happy ending. His public persona was so confused: a tempestuous mix of poet, thug, sensitive soul, and woman-chasing playa. The same elements that made his downfall so unavoidable are the ones that make it a no-brainer that he would continue to fascinate and sell records years after he took his residence in heaven's ghetto. STILL I RISE is 2Pac's fifth posthumous release. | | For all his posing and posturing, 2Pac did possess a lifetime worth of talent, talent that was crammed into his brief time in the spotlight. Even what's left over at this late date has significant artistic merit. From "Letter to the President," an earnest, simple, and direct admonition to Bill Clinton to the simple, perfectly old-school "Homeboyz" (which harkens back to his DU days), the tracks on STILL I RISE showcase what 2Pac was--an intelligent, complex talent. | | More than three years after his death, it's difficult to believe there's still unreleased 2Pac material out there, much less quality material. After no less than three posthumous albums built around what 2Pac produced when he was still alive (plus an assortment of bootlegs making the rounds), the well apparently still hasn't run dry, and Still I Rise is the inevitable result. As on the Notorious B.I.G. album released just weeks before, though, there are some pretty wide gaps on Still I Rise between rhymes actually delivered by 2Pac. There's also an undeniable -- some would say obvious -- impression that this album just doesn't bear the mark of 2Pac himself. Making up the difference in both categories is Outlawz, a quartet of rappers comprised of E.D.I., Kastro, Napoleon, and Young Noble. Together, they're more than competent at keeping the flow going between 2Pac fragments, and except for the fact that the headliner isn't an incredibly strong presence here, a neophyte would have no idea that these rhymes weren't recorded at the same time. As with 2Pac's other posthumous releases -- Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory and Stop the Gun Fight -- Still I Rise comes with four or five solid tracks that may have survived the cuts on a real 2Pac album. The title track and "Letter to the President" are obvious winners, still reliant on the syrupy G-funk that 2Pac made famous, and (thankfully) not influenced by the increasing late-'90s insurgence of muzaky hip-hop productions. And "Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)" -- 2Pac's self-produced follow-up to "Keep Ya Head Up" (from 1993's Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.) -- is a surprisingly touching message track, on the level of "Dear Mama" and "No More Pain." For any of 2Pac's fans, it'll be so good to hear his voice again on new material that the cash-in nature of Still I Rise can easily be overlooked. It's just not the album 2Pac would have produced had he still been alive. [Still I Rise is also available in a clean version.] ~ John Bush |
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