Author Topic: The Evolution of All Eyez on Me  (Read 227 times)

CORREA

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The Evolution of All Eyez on Me
« on: April 25, 2016, 06:40:43 AM »
This is a good post from the homie Jimmy Bonez, at t.n thought I'd share for people who enjoy a good read.

Hey guys, I thought I would try to give you a break down of the creation All Eyez on Me, for any of you who were curious...

September 13th, 1995

At this time 2Pac had a written draft penned as "The Supreme Euthanasia", it was mostly a "wishlist" of who and what he wanted on the album, it should be note that this is a single CD album.
Of these songs; Secretz of War, Don't Make Enemiez, Hold Ya Head, Too Late, The Struggle Continues, Only God Can Judge Me, Scared Man & The Heartz of Men were eventually physically created but only two made the album.
The vast majority of these songs had their lyrics already written at this time, they appear in 1995 booklets along with Thugz Mansion & How Do U Want it among others, the ones that were recorded are vastly different from what 2Pac intended, many featured rappers he'd grown to admire over the years, and many featured people he'd worked with before being sent to prison.

01 - Intro (Secretz of War) Eventually recorded as a full song
02 - Don't Make Enemiez Was recorded under the title Enemiez and remains unheard
03 - Hold Ya Head Was recorded much later than intended and ended up on Killuminati
04 - Too Late Was also recorded later than intended, just after the album was released
05 - Da Struggle Kontinuez Was created for the album, but scrapped for unknown reasons
06 - Only God Can Judge Me Although originally one verse, it Made the final album
07 - Makin Moves
08 - No Witnesses
09 - If U want Me 2 Stay
10 - Til I C L.A.
11 - Scared Man It's unknown what this is, but at the very least an instrumental was created
12 - 'N Da Morning
13 - 5 Levelz of the Game
14 - The Heartz of Men Made the final album, was originally intended to be produced by Johnny J
15 - Outro (The Supeme Euthanasia)

October 4th, 1995

This was a more realistic look at the album than the first, the name was shortened to "Euthanasia", made only two weeks after the last tracklist, songs had written lyrics only as 2Pac was still in jail, but it's clear he had a better view of what he wanted.
All except one track, and two interludes were eventually recorded for All Eyez on Me, showing 2Pac already had his mind set on what he wanted to do.
It was dated from around 10 days before 2Pac started recording.

01 - Intro
02 - Rise on Em This eventually evolved into When We Ride, also titled When We Rise
03 - When I Get Free It's unknown if 2Pac intended to use the old 1994 recording, or if he already penned the new verse but this was recorded
04 - Life Goes on This Made the final album
05 - Secretz of War Upgraded from Interlude to full song, this was recorded but was eventually scrapped, 2Pac later than rerecorded it for One Nation in '96
06 - Wonda Why They Call U Bitch It's unlikely that 2Pac wanted to use the old song, as Stretch produced it, but this was rerecorded and made the album
07 - Skandalouz This Made the final album
08 - Only God Can Judge Me This Made the final album
09 - Da Struggle Kontinuez Was recorded for the album, but scrapped for unknown reasons
10 - Till I C L.A.
11 - Enemiez Wit Me May have started as a rerecording of the old song, but was rerecorded and remains unheard at the moment
12 - The Heartz of Men This Made the final album
13 - Suka For Love This eventually evolved into Heaven Ain't Hard 2 Find, however this version was likely a rerecording of the '94 song
14 - Some Day Soon (Outro)

October 13th-20th, 1995

As soon as 2Pac was released he set out to record his album, still titled Euthanasia. 2Pac worked exclusively with Daz Dillinger the first night, Johnny J was called in the next day, and he worked almost nonstop for that first week.

Within the first week of his release 2Pac had recorded:
- Ambitionz Az A Ridah
- I Ain't Mad At Ya
- All Eyes On Me
- When I Get Free
- How Do You Want It
- Shorty's Gonna Be A Thug
- Picture Me Rollin
- Come With Me (Interlude)
- 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
- Skandalous
- All About You
- Wonda Why They Call U Bitch
- Still I Rise
- Secretz of War
- Life Goes On

During a stay at a hotel 2Pac penned a new title for the album, "When I Get Free" along with a tracklist of songs:
01 - Intro
02 - All Eyez on Me
03 - Ambitions az a Ridah
04 - Shorty Wanna Be a G
05 - How Do U Want it
06 - I Ain't Mad at Cha
07 - When i Get Free
08 - Picture Me Rollin
09 - Come With Me
10 - Wonda Why They Call U Bitch
11 - Secertz of War
12 - Life Goes On
13 - Till I C LA

October 20th-31st, 1995

2Pac had now begun working with many other producers, DJ Pooh, Kurt Kobain & Doug Rasheed. 2Pac took a Human Dogg song, thought to be titled "Funkin Up the Backseat" for use on Only God Can Judge Me, it is possible Rather Be Ya Nigga was also taken from Rasheed at this time.
For the Struggle Kontinues 2Pac had Johnny J recreate their first track together, "Thug Life".

A few new songs were recorded by now:
- The Struggle Continuez
- Better Dayz
- Better Dayz w/ Big Syke
- I'd Rather Be Ya Nigga
- U Can Call Me Up
- Only God Can Judge Me
- M.O.B.
- When We Ride
- There U Go

Towards the end of October, 2Pac had used his time to create working track list of his Euthanasia album, this is the first physical copy of the album:
01 - Ambitionz Az A Ridah
02 - All About U
03 - Picture Me Rollin
04 - 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
05 - Skandalouz
06 - I'd Rather Be Ya Nigga
07 - I Aint Mad At Ya
08 - Shorty Wanna Be A Thug
09 - Only God Can Judge Me
10 - Life Goez On
11 - Wonda Why They Call U Bitch
12 - Secretz of War
13 - Still I Rise
14 - All Eyez On Me
15 - How Do You Want It
16 - U Can Call Me

November, 1995

Within a month 2Pac had scrapped the title "Euthanasia" and had now switched to "All Eyez on Me".
Dj Quik worked on mastering several of the initial tracks, and produced both Late Night & Heartz of Men during this time. It's around here when 2Pac decided to create a duel disc album, rather than a single CD.

It was also at this time that 2Pac began taking unused songs from deathrow artists:
- Can't C Me (Belonged to Dr Dre, and at one point DPG as well)
- Blunt Tyme (Belonged to Dr Dre, but it was apparently never used)
- Got My Mind Made Up (Belonged to DPG)
- California Love (Was a Dr Dre solo song, produced by LayLaw of Above the Law)
- Holla At Me (Was initially an Rn B track made by Battlecat)

And by late November 2Pac had recorded:
- Letter 2 My Unborn Child
- Late Night
- Heartz of Men
- Run Tha Streetz
- Holla At Me
- Holla At Me ("Remix") (Battlecat didn't like the idea of releasing the original next to the other songs he'd heard, so he mixed it to sound like the rest of the album)
- Check Out Time
- Tradin War Stories
- Ain't Hard 2 Find
- Fair Exchange
- Can't C Me
- Thug Passion
- What'z Ya Phone #?
- California Love (Album "RMX" is actually the original track)
- California Love (Dr Dres Remix mistakenly labeled as the original)

December, 1995

At this point the album was largely finished, he had recorded a few more songs and had created a track list almost identical to the retail album.

2Pac had now recorded the last of the album songs:
- Heaven Ain't Hard 2 Find
- No More Pain

The album was almost considered finished, mixing was largely complete and a duel CD track list was created:
01 - Ambitions Az A Ridah
02 - All About U
03 - Skandalouz
04 - Got My Mind Made Up
05 - How Do You Want It
06 - 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
07 - No More Pain
08 - Hearts Of Men
09 - Life Goez On
10 - Only God Can Judge Me
11 - Tradin War Storiez
12 - California Love (RMX)
13 - I Ain't Mad At Cha
14 - Whatz Ya Phone #

01 - Can't See Me
02 - Shorty Wanna Be A Thug
03 - Holla At Me
04 - Wonda Why They Call U Bitch
05 - When We Ride
06 - Thug Passion
07 - Late Nite
08 - Picture Me Rollin
09 - Check Out Time
10 - Ratha Be Ya Nigga
11 - All Eyez On Me
12 - Run Tha Streetz
13 - Ain't Hard 2 Find
14 - Heaven Ain't Hard to Find

January, 1996

Around this time Dr Dres remix of California Love was swapped out with the original, though no one had bothered to change the credits when they were sent to have the album printed. Meaning the song was credited to Dr Dre rather than Laylaw of Above the Rim.
DJ Quik was getting grief due to being signed to another studio at the time, it is because of this it is thought 2Pac pulled Late Night from the album, leaving us with the track list that was eventually released in February.

An idea of a EP tape had also been considered, it was however combined with the How Do U Want it single, considered tracks were:
- 2 of Amerikkaz Most Wanted (LP Version)
- 2 of Amerikkaz Most Wanted (Clean Single Remix)
- California Love (Long Radio Edit)
- Hit Em Up
- How Do U Want it (Daz Remix) - (Later rerecorded as War Gamez)

After the release of All Eyez on Me in February 2Pac began recording for an, eventually scrapped, Rn B styled album, titled "Are U Still Down?"
 

GangstaBoogy

Re: The Evolution of All Eyez on Me
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2016, 01:58:00 PM »
Bsttlecat didn't produce "Holla At Me". Bobcat did.
"House shoes & coffee: I know the paper gone come"