Somebody PLEASE explain this to me, cuz I'm FUCKIN HEATED!

[J Bananas]

what if Suge Knight is a zombie master and he's still commanding contract loyalty from beyond the grave?

[jeromechickenbone]

You can't look at only pac's music as being what's off and not right. All of rap is that way. Rap is dead period. It's not like it used to be and I doubt it ever will be. Don't get me wrong there are a few albums here and there that are tight but raps been slowly dying since Eazy-E passed in 95. . .

No, Pac's music DEF isn't the only thing that's off and not right.  I think it's a great barometer to measure just how much the music industry is killing itself and doesn't even realize it.  They don't understand the artistic essence of music.  They view it as a product more than they do as an art or means of expression.  They treat it like you treat any product that is sold - you develop a formula that can be mass produced, figure out a way to make a ton of it at once, make it shiny and fancy, and then sell it.  They think you can approach selling cd's the way you sell a car, toilet paper, a shirt, whatever.

But real music isn't that way, and shouldn't be sold that way.  They're trying to fit a square peg in a circle hole.  Music, regardless of genre, time, or origin has an intangible essence to it that is understood between the musician and the listener.  If a 3rd party comes in and tries to synthetically create this experience it will be obvious to both the true musician and true listener, and it won't work.

That is what has the industry so fucked up. 

thats how u gotta look at music now a days, remember its a "Business"...Creativity is part of it (but becoming less and less important) but image and mass appeal is a lot of it now, you think labels are going after the next mos def or the next E40?

You're really not getting this...

Wow.  So now MUSIC is more about business than creativity?  You think image is what you should strive for?  LOL, you've been gassed just like the majority of these other fools out there right now. Off top man, statements like that make me never even wanna give your music a try.  No offense, but it sounds like you buy into these business men selling YOU some bullshit.   You been absorbing the wrong information homey, and you're gonna fall into that trap.  I know I've heard you say you're trying to get in the music game, but I can tell you now that you've failed before you started.  That, or you really don't understand what music is about and probably have no business with it.  Who gives a flying motherfuck what these labels are chasing?  THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THEY ARE DOING, AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR DIMINISHING SALES, FOLDING COMPANIES & MERGERS, etc.

If your top priority as a "musician" (and I'm using that term VERY loosely in your case)  is #1 business and #2 Image  then #3 music, then you are the exact same as all these other fools running around out here wondering why the music industry is dying.  You're working backwards. 

Music always comes first, but what you package yourself as counts just as much....seriously, if a crossed eyed midget made the dopest most lyrical album ever, you think it will push units? Indies are coming up, but majors will always have the control power...and just to make clear, im a musician, but im not working to push out my stuff, i want to be an artist manager or booking agent, im getting to know the real business, i know a lot of true heads want the good music to be appreciated more, but lets face it, a majority of the people in the world are stupid, how the hell did becoming retarded and riding the short bus to school become the best thing in music?

Hmm...how about a black midget that was blind in one eye from trying to blow his brains out?  Like Bushwick Bill.  Geto Boys sold millions of records.  As far as stupid people in the world, yes they are there and they outweigh the intelligent people.  But why dumb down and only market to idiots?  Is that really that fulfilling?  Would you be proud of putting out bullshit rap music that you wouldn't be caught dead listening to?  It keeps going back to my point - it's just about what really drives you.  Is it the love of the music, or is it something else?  If it's something else, then we're debating over 2 completely different things.  

I'll make a quick example here.  Take ol AZ in my sig.  You talk to pretty much anybody on these boards or any douchebag industry guy and he'll tell you his last album flopped.  It dropped approximately a year ago and pushed i think 11k in its first week and likely tapered off slowly from there.  So lets say (and this is a guess) that it managed to push 25k total.  Well he did that indie, 25,000 X $11 comes out to $275,000.  Now if AZ keeps $5 on every sale he just netted himself $125k.  Now he's not ballin out of control, but he's livin comfortably.  Then add on some small club tours and what not and before you know he's stacked some good dough, made music that he wanted, didn't conform to anything that he didn't want to.  Maintained his integrity.  And I have no qualms about labeling his music as Hip Hop.  I'm hesitant to use that term with lots of shit going today.  If enough musicians take this route instead of conforming to what some business man tells them, they can take the power back.  

[ecrazy]

You can't look at only pac's music as being what's off and not right. All of rap is that way. Rap is dead period. It's not like it used to be and I doubt it ever will be. Don't get me wrong there are a few albums here and there that are tight but raps been slowly dying since Eazy-E passed in 95. . .

No, Pac's music DEF isn't the only thing that's off and not right.  I think it's a great barometer to measure just how much the music industry is killing itself and doesn't even realize it.  They don't understand the artistic essence of music.  They view it as a product more than they do as an art or means of expression.  They treat it like you treat any product that is sold - you develop a formula that can be mass produced, figure out a way to make a ton of it at once, make it shiny and fancy, and then sell it.  They think you can approach selling cd's the way you sell a car, toilet paper, a shirt, whatever.

But real music isn't that way, and shouldn't be sold that way.  They're trying to fit a square peg in a circle hole.  Music, regardless of genre, time, or origin has an intangible essence to it that is understood between the musician and the listener.  If a 3rd party comes in and tries to synthetically create this experience it will be obvious to both the true musician and true listener, and it won't work.

That is what has the industry so fucked up. 

thats how u gotta look at music now a days, remember its a "Business"...Creativity is part of it (but becoming less and less important) but image and mass appeal is a lot of it now, you think labels are going after the next mos def or the next E40?

You're really not getting this...

Wow.  So now MUSIC is more about business than creativity?  You think image is what you should strive for?  LOL, you've been gassed just like the majority of these other fools out there right now. Off top man, statements like that make me never even wanna give your music a try.  No offense, but it sounds like you buy into these business men selling YOU some bullshit.   You been absorbing the wrong information homey, and you're gonna fall into that trap.  I know I've heard you say you're trying to get in the music game, but I can tell you now that you've failed before you started.  That, or you really don't understand what music is about and probably have no business with it.  Who gives a flying motherfuck what these labels are chasing?  THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THEY ARE DOING, AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR DIMINISHING SALES, FOLDING COMPANIES & MERGERS, etc.

If your top priority as a "musician" (and I'm using that term VERY loosely in your case)  is #1 business and #2 Image  then #3 music, then you are the exact same as all these other fools running around out here wondering why the music industry is dying.  You're working backwards. 

Music always comes first, but what you package yourself as counts just as much....seriously, if a crossed eyed midget made the dopest most lyrical album ever, you think it will push units? Indies are coming up, but majors will always have the control power...and just to make clear, im a musician, but im not working to push out my stuff, i want to be an artist manager or booking agent, im getting to know the real business, i know a lot of true heads want the good music to be appreciated more, but lets face it, a majority of the people in the world are stupid, how the hell did becoming retarded and riding the short bus to school become the best thing in music?

Hmm...how about a black midget that was blind in one eye from trying to blow his brains out?  Like Bushwick Bill.  Geto Boys sold millions of records.  As far as stupid people in the world, yes they are there and they outweigh the intelligent people.  But why dumb down and only market to idiots?  Is that really that fulfilling?  Would you be proud of putting out bullshit rap music that you wouldn't be caught dead listening to?  It keeps going back to my point - it's just about what really drives you.  Is it the love of the music, or is it something else?  If it's something else, then we're debating over 2 completely different things. 

I'll make a quick example here.  Take ol AZ in my sig.  You talk to pretty much anybody on these boards or any douchebag industry guy and he'll tell you his last album flopped.  It dropped approximately a year ago and pushed i think 11k in its first week and likely tapered off slowly from there.  So lets say (and this is a guess) that it managed to push 25k total.  Well he did that indie, 25,000 X $11 comes out to $275,000.  Now if AZ keeps $5 on every sale he just netted himself $125k.  Now he's not ballin out of control, but he's livin comfortably.  Then add on some small club tours and what not and before you know he's stacked some good dough, made music that he wanted, didn't conform to anything that he didn't want to.  Maintained his integrity.  And I have no qualms about labeling his music as Hip Hop.  I'm hesitant to use that term with lots of shit going today.  If enough musicians take this route instead of conforming to what some business man tells them, they can take the power back. 

I agree with you, but a Major pushing you >>>>>>You by yourself trying to become big....unless your the bigger than big and have a way over the top single, then you are not going to make music your only job, you are prob. going to have a 9-5 and have music as your night job, and some cats cant handle that and quit, thats what happens. there is sooo much more that goes on with the indie route, i bet AZ if he did sell that much would have HALF of that (Managers, Booking Agents, Promoters, Marketing, Distribution, Publishing) he cant do it himself, if he did, he would be the most powerful man in the industry.
Thats why good independant music doesnt get heard much, because majors are not backing them, and thats why a majority of true heads that like good music become upset...I get you, but just understand they need to make money, they cant stop living their lavish lifestyles, i really dont give a fuck about all that, i just want to bring up someone who has GOOD music and let them be heard, i dont want my nephews to like retards who ride around in yellow short busses and going stupid and being dumb....its going to take a lot of work, but at least i can say I tried to change the state of Rap music

[jeromechickenbone]

You can't look at only pac's music as being what's off and not right. All of rap is that way. Rap is dead period. It's not like it used to be and I doubt it ever will be. Don't get me wrong there are a few albums here and there that are tight but raps been slowly dying since Eazy-E passed in 95. . .

No, Pac's music DEF isn't the only thing that's off and not right.  I think it's a great barometer to measure just how much the music industry is killing itself and doesn't even realize it.  They don't understand the artistic essence of music.  They view it as a product more than they do as an art or means of expression.  They treat it like you treat any product that is sold - you develop a formula that can be mass produced, figure out a way to make a ton of it at once, make it shiny and fancy, and then sell it.  They think you can approach selling cd's the way you sell a car, toilet paper, a shirt, whatever.

But real music isn't that way, and shouldn't be sold that way.  They're trying to fit a square peg in a circle hole.  Music, regardless of genre, time, or origin has an intangible essence to it that is understood between the musician and the listener.  If a 3rd party comes in and tries to synthetically create this experience it will be obvious to both the true musician and true listener, and it won't work.

That is what has the industry so fucked up. 

thats how u gotta look at music now a days, remember its a "Business"...Creativity is part of it (but becoming less and less important) but image and mass appeal is a lot of it now, you think labels are going after the next mos def or the next E40?

You're really not getting this...

Wow.  So now MUSIC is more about business than creativity?  You think image is what you should strive for?  LOL, you've been gassed just like the majority of these other fools out there right now. Off top man, statements like that make me never even wanna give your music a try.  No offense, but it sounds like you buy into these business men selling YOU some bullshit.   You been absorbing the wrong information homey, and you're gonna fall into that trap.  I know I've heard you say you're trying to get in the music game, but I can tell you now that you've failed before you started.  That, or you really don't understand what music is about and probably have no business with it.  Who gives a flying motherfuck what these labels are chasing?  THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THEY ARE DOING, AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR DIMINISHING SALES, FOLDING COMPANIES & MERGERS, etc.

If your top priority as a "musician" (and I'm using that term VERY loosely in your case)  is #1 business and #2 Image  then #3 music, then you are the exact same as all these other fools running around out here wondering why the music industry is dying.  You're working backwards. 

Music always comes first, but what you package yourself as counts just as much....seriously, if a crossed eyed midget made the dopest most lyrical album ever, you think it will push units? Indies are coming up, but majors will always have the control power...and just to make clear, im a musician, but im not working to push out my stuff, i want to be an artist manager or booking agent, im getting to know the real business, i know a lot of true heads want the good music to be appreciated more, but lets face it, a majority of the people in the world are stupid, how the hell did becoming retarded and riding the short bus to school become the best thing in music?

Hmm...how about a black midget that was blind in one eye from trying to blow his brains out?  Like Bushwick Bill.  Geto Boys sold millions of records.  As far as stupid people in the world, yes they are there and they outweigh the intelligent people.  But why dumb down and only market to idiots?  Is that really that fulfilling?  Would you be proud of putting out bullshit rap music that you wouldn't be caught dead listening to?  It keeps going back to my point - it's just about what really drives you.  Is it the love of the music, or is it something else?  If it's something else, then we're debating over 2 completely different things. 

I'll make a quick example here.  Take ol AZ in my sig.  You talk to pretty much anybody on these boards or any douchebag industry guy and he'll tell you his last album flopped.  It dropped approximately a year ago and pushed i think 11k in its first week and likely tapered off slowly from there.  So lets say (and this is a guess) that it managed to push 25k total.  Well he did that indie, 25,000 X $11 comes out to $275,000.  Now if AZ keeps $5 on every sale he just netted himself $125k.  Now he's not ballin out of control, but he's livin comfortably.  Then add on some small club tours and what not and before you know he's stacked some good dough, made music that he wanted, didn't conform to anything that he didn't want to.  Maintained his integrity.  And I have no qualms about labeling his music as Hip Hop.  I'm hesitant to use that term with lots of shit going today.  If enough musicians take this route instead of conforming to what some business man tells them, they can take the power back. 

I agree with you, but a Major pushing you >>>>>>You by yourself trying to become big....unless your the bigger than big and have a way over the top single, then you are not going to make music your only job, you are prob. going to have a 9-5 and have music as your night job, and some cats cant handle that and quit, thats what happens. there is sooo much more that goes on with the indie route, i bet AZ if he did sell that much would have HALF of that (Managers, Booking Agents, Promoters, Marketing, Distribution, Publishing) he cant do it himself, if he did, he would be the most powerful man in the industry.
Thats why good independant music doesnt get heard much, because majors are not backing them, and thats why a majority of true heads that like good music become upset...I get you, but just understand they need to make money, they cant stop living their lavish lifestyles, i really dont give a fuck about all that, i just want to bring up someone who has GOOD music and let them be heard, i dont want my nephews to like retards who ride around in yellow short busses and going stupid and being dumb....its going to take a lot of work, but at least i can say I tried to change the state of Rap music

Cool man.  If you get your foot in the door you better do something worthwhile goddamnit!  No but really, it's still completely fucked what they've done with 2pacs music. 

[ecrazy]

You can't look at only pac's music as being what's off and not right. All of rap is that way. Rap is dead period. It's not like it used to be and I doubt it ever will be. Don't get me wrong there are a few albums here and there that are tight but raps been slowly dying since Eazy-E passed in 95. . .

No, Pac's music DEF isn't the only thing that's off and not right.  I think it's a great barometer to measure just how much the music industry is killing itself and doesn't even realize it.  They don't understand the artistic essence of music.  They view it as a product more than they do as an art or means of expression.  They treat it like you treat any product that is sold - you develop a formula that can be mass produced, figure out a way to make a ton of it at once, make it shiny and fancy, and then sell it.  They think you can approach selling cd's the way you sell a car, toilet paper, a shirt, whatever.

But real music isn't that way, and shouldn't be sold that way.  They're trying to fit a square peg in a circle hole.  Music, regardless of genre, time, or origin has an intangible essence to it that is understood between the musician and the listener.  If a 3rd party comes in and tries to synthetically create this experience it will be obvious to both the true musician and true listener, and it won't work.

That is what has the industry so fucked up. 

thats how u gotta look at music now a days, remember its a "Business"...Creativity is part of it (but becoming less and less important) but image and mass appeal is a lot of it now, you think labels are going after the next mos def or the next E40?

You're really not getting this...

Wow.  So now MUSIC is more about business than creativity?  You think image is what you should strive for?  LOL, you've been gassed just like the majority of these other fools out there right now. Off top man, statements like that make me never even wanna give your music a try.  No offense, but it sounds like you buy into these business men selling YOU some bullshit.   You been absorbing the wrong information homey, and you're gonna fall into that trap.  I know I've heard you say you're trying to get in the music game, but I can tell you now that you've failed before you started.  That, or you really don't understand what music is about and probably have no business with it.  Who gives a flying motherfuck what these labels are chasing?  THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THEY ARE DOING, AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR DIMINISHING SALES, FOLDING COMPANIES & MERGERS, etc.

If your top priority as a "musician" (and I'm using that term VERY loosely in your case)  is #1 business and #2 Image  then #3 music, then you are the exact same as all these other fools running around out here wondering why the music industry is dying.  You're working backwards. 

Music always comes first, but what you package yourself as counts just as much....seriously, if a crossed eyed midget made the dopest most lyrical album ever, you think it will push units? Indies are coming up, but majors will always have the control power...and just to make clear, im a musician, but im not working to push out my stuff, i want to be an artist manager or booking agent, im getting to know the real business, i know a lot of true heads want the good music to be appreciated more, but lets face it, a majority of the people in the world are stupid, how the hell did becoming retarded and riding the short bus to school become the best thing in music?

Hmm...how about a black midget that was blind in one eye from trying to blow his brains out?  Like Bushwick Bill.  Geto Boys sold millions of records.  As far as stupid people in the world, yes they are there and they outweigh the intelligent people.  But why dumb down and only market to idiots?  Is that really that fulfilling?  Would you be proud of putting out bullshit rap music that you wouldn't be caught dead listening to?  It keeps going back to my point - it's just about what really drives you.  Is it the love of the music, or is it something else?  If it's something else, then we're debating over 2 completely different things. 

I'll make a quick example here.  Take ol AZ in my sig.  You talk to pretty much anybody on these boards or any douchebag industry guy and he'll tell you his last album flopped.  It dropped approximately a year ago and pushed i think 11k in its first week and likely tapered off slowly from there.  So lets say (and this is a guess) that it managed to push 25k total.  Well he did that indie, 25,000 X $11 comes out to $275,000.  Now if AZ keeps $5 on every sale he just netted himself $125k.  Now he's not ballin out of control, but he's livin comfortably.  Then add on some small club tours and what not and before you know he's stacked some good dough, made music that he wanted, didn't conform to anything that he didn't want to.  Maintained his integrity.  And I have no qualms about labeling his music as Hip Hop.  I'm hesitant to use that term with lots of shit going today.  If enough musicians take this route instead of conforming to what some business man tells them, they can take the power back. 

I agree with you, but a Major pushing you >>>>>>You by yourself trying to become big....unless your the bigger than big and have a way over the top single, then you are not going to make music your only job, you are prob. going to have a 9-5 and have music as your night job, and some cats cant handle that and quit, thats what happens. there is sooo much more that goes on with the indie route, i bet AZ if he did sell that much would have HALF of that (Managers, Booking Agents, Promoters, Marketing, Distribution, Publishing) he cant do it himself, if he did, he would be the most powerful man in the industry.
Thats why good independant music doesnt get heard much, because majors are not backing them, and thats why a majority of true heads that like good music become upset...I get you, but just understand they need to make money, they cant stop living their lavish lifestyles, i really dont give a fuck about all that, i just want to bring up someone who has GOOD music and let them be heard, i dont want my nephews to like retards who ride around in yellow short busses and going stupid and being dumb....its going to take a lot of work, but at least i can say I tried to change the state of Rap music

Cool man.  If you get your foot in the door you better do something worthwhile goddamnit!  No but really, it's still completely fucked what they've done with 2pacs music. 

i know, but it aint going to stop, once people bought into those singles remixed and all, then it was all over, they'll prob. never release the OGs to any of those tracks in CDQ, EVER! like the saying goes "a few bad eggs ruins the whole batch"

[The "Untouchable" DJR]

i agree 100% which is why i dont own a single post makaveli tupac album

Props Jrome I also agree 100% with you!!

I only bought Still I Rise because back then I thought it was all original material, and Nu-Mixx Klazzickz because of that 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted remix...

To be honest I think the ONLY people who should be allowed to do something with Pac's music are the ones he worked and was cool with before he died but I rather have all of his music being released like it was when he recorded it. And I'm probably gonna catch some heat for this but I didn't mind when artists/producers from Death Row reworked or used his Makaveli era-music because that's the label he was at at the time of his death, the end result might not always have been that good but at least these people are/were affiliated with the label Pac represented so strongly so to me that makes it (more) acceptable...

[Noname]

i agree 100% which is why i dont own a single post makaveli tupac album

[Detox Is A Myth!!!]

I swear to God, the music industry is failing because it has some of the most clueless fucks in the world running it.  Seriously.  I don't know the exact number, but hasn't 2pac sold like 30 million albums?  And the vast majority of those sales span from 2pacalypse Now to what, maybe UTEOT?  Everything since UTEOT has sold less and less.

Is it because all of the sudden 2pac became less of an artist?  Is he dropping wack lyrics now? Thats impossible cuz the niggas been dead for 10 years. I know, the verses that they are using now are horrible throw away tracks that Pac would have never used.   I know what it is, he's been gone for so long now that the youth doesn't really know who 2pac is and he is not appealing to them whatsover.  *Sam Jackson Voice*  WRONG ANSWER MOTHERFUCKER!

So again, why are these albums not selling like they used to?  I'll tell you the answer - IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!!!   The assfucks in charge of these posthumous releases have completely desecrated 2pac's music.  They destroyed his SONGS - stripped his vocal off of the music that HE picked to rhyme over.  They trash that music and get some asshole that has no business "fixing" his beats so they sound more modernized and radio friendly for 2006. 

Then, they trashed the featured artists that 2pac respected and worked with, and instead throw on some flavor of the week rapper / R&B singer that some businessman clown thinks is marketable to today's hip hop audience.  WHAT THE FUCK!

Then, they alter Pac's verses - speed em up, slow em down, and half the time his rap cadence doesn't even match the beat of the bullshit that they paste it to.  Then they have the fucking audacity to actually CHANGE HIS LYRICS so it sounds like he's shouting out G-Unit or whoever the fuck they throw on there.  They manipulate it to play up the "2pac is alive" angle.  Great strategy - let's get some more album sales out of some gimmickery!  Fuck the music, people will buy the album to hear for themselves if there is some juicy conspiracy theories!

These people in the industry are doing all of these tactics in an effort to tap into the new / younger market.  These kids aren't familiar with 2pac, but they know all about Lil Scrappy, 50 Cent, T.I, Ashanti.  So let's put them all over the album!! FUCKING GENIUS!!  Nevermind the 30 FUCKING MILLION people who bought his albums when they were done the way he intended.  These same people would easily purchase more 2pac music if was in its original form.  I guarantee every album would go multi plat.  But the way they've been putting these latest albums together, they have successfully turned it into completely disposable trash just like 95% of all the other mainstream bullshit released today.  The beauty of Pac's catalog to me is that I can still learn from it and interpret it differently after all these years.  This shit that they're doing today is all but completely worthless.  Congratulations on pissing on the man's grave.

They don't do this in other genres.  You don't hear about leftover Elvis joints being remixed by today's hottest producers or back by todays hottest bands.  Why not?  CUZ IT'S A FUCKING RETARDED IDEA!!!  Let's take a fuckin Elvis vocal and get the douchebags from Nickelback to be the backing band.  Let's change his shit so it sounds like he's shouting out Nickelback during the songs!  We'll market him like he's a brand new artist and we'll get incredible sales that way!

I mean why the fuck is this acceptable?  I want to hear ALL of 2pac's leftovers, mainly because everything I have accumulated over the years which was unofficially released is damn good, even classic.  The only drawback is it's not CDQ.  It's been said that at the time of his death he had approximately 200 songs that were unreleased, and a very large chunk of that was done within the last year of his death.  In that time frame, i'd say 95% of his music was top notch and not wack bullshit that shouldn't be released.  So do they not see that if they released this music in it's natural state in CDQ that the same 30 MILLION people that supported him while he was alive would likely be supporting this as well? 

Some people will say "they couldn't get the samples cleared".  Sample clearance is usually a timing issue moreso than a $ issue.  They've had ample time to clear that shit.  It's BULLSHIT!  Paying for those samples would cost as much as the corny fuckin samples that Eminem used.  They won't pay some scrill to clear a sample, but they can get peeps like 50 cent, Ashanti, T.I. on the album?  You think those motherfuckers are ALL doing it out of the kindness of their heart?  I don't.  They're not using the og samples because they're trying to update the sound

They've transformed 2pac from a true Hip Hop Icon into a generic watered down piece of trash.

I agree.  Good post.  Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what I, you or we think.

[Westcoastfanatic]

Topicstarter is right. And Suge started all this bullshit to keep Death Row alive after 1996.

[KURUPTION-81]

Great topic, i personally believe everything should be released in the form it was created, thats how pac wanted it. Regardless if its good or not thats the way it was made.

[d-nice]

What is sad is Afeni is not a music mind. She obviously has some people around her telling her how the album should sound and everything. Meanwhile Pac tracks are being sold to the highest bidder. Now beats are a person's opinion. There have been alot of artists that said they could make better beats for the album, but for the most part (excluding Em, that LTTG was weak) it is the fans opinion. The sad part is the people that really represented Pac and know what he stood for have nothing to do with these albums anymore. Pac had alot of leeches around him and it's really sad that they are leeching off his legacy.

[Juronimo]

You can't look at only pac's music as being what's off and not right. All of rap is that way. Rap is dead period. It's not like it used to be and I doubt it ever will be. Don't get me wrong there are a few albums here and there that are tight but raps been slowly dying since Eazy-E passed in 95. . .

No, Pac's music DEF isn't the only thing that's off and not right.  I think it's a great barometer to measure just how much the music industry is killing itself and doesn't even realize it.  They don't understand the artistic essence of music.  They view it as a product more than they do as an art or means of expression.  They treat it like you treat any product that is sold - you develop a formula that can be mass produced, figure out a way to make a ton of it at once, make it shiny and fancy, and then sell it.  They think you can approach selling cd's the way you sell a car, toilet paper, a shirt, whatever.

But real music isn't that way, and shouldn't be sold that way.  They're trying to fit a square peg in a circle hole.  Music, regardless of genre, time, or origin has an intangible essence to it that is understood between the musician and the listener.  If a 3rd party comes in and tries to synthetically create this experience it will be obvious to both the true musician and true listener, and it won't work.

That is what has the industry so fucked up. 

You must be reading my mind homeboy.

I had this exact conversation with one of my boys the other day. I was saying that the industry was selling music like coca cola or toothpaste, put a bunch of music that sounds the same and mass produce it. Your short term profit increases, as you're just selling the same thing over and over again.

Music has become a commodity just like any other product that can be manufactured which is why it sounds the way it does. Unfortuantely, true fans of music will stop buying and the music industry will end up destroying itself in the process, especially with the prevalance of internet bootlegging. Why spend $18 for a cd with 3 good songs if you can download it for free?

Music is not like coca cola or toothpaste.

[WestCoasta]

I'm done with buying albums


I'ma only buy albums I know that are gonna be good from now on... which I can only say about 1 or 2 artists 

[NFX]

Back in the day an album was considered a single cohesive body of work. It was about where the artists minds were at at the time. They wanted to get a few singles on there but the important aspect of making an album was from the artistic POV. like "This is where my mind is at. This is my statement to the world."

Now the labels have more of a say in what gets released and of course they want what generates the most money. Singles. Hits that get radio play. Fuck the concept.

Truth is most "artists" are content to work this way. Because they just have to follow the proven formulas to keep making money. Bitches, Bling, Cars, Latest Fad alcholoic beverage, sex, murda. They don't even try to make it interesting anymore. They just need a dope beat and they can jabber about the usual.

Pac had his share of bubblegum lyrics too, BUT he would also take a concept like say Gun Violence and twist it into a relationship "Me and My Girlfriend" or not be afraid to show a softer side "Keep ya head up" and "Dear Momma", he could be deadly serious about things "Brendas got a baby", and even a bit preachy "Changes" but he did it all with as a man who needed to express himself because the content, the message was more important that the sales. Thats a true artist.

Thats why even though you have greats liek Jay-Z and Biggie, they cannot touch Pac because he did more than just the materialistic bullshit. One of the reasons I love the West (born and raised)  is because a majority of it is still not materialstic. And you can often hear the struggle, the real struggle. I don't need to hear about some motherfucker who has to tell me how many carats he got or boast about the fact his car could feed 5 families for a year.

Damn I miss Pac..

EDIT: Oh yeah.. I still like the newly released Pac shit. I may not like the production, but I can tune that out and hear the words just fine. Something like Ghetto Gospel is just as relevent today as when he recorded it and I'm glad I could hear it in any form.

[acgrundy]

I'm done with buying albums


I'ma only buy albums I know that are gonna be good from now on... which I can only say about 1 or 2 artists 

yep.  I won't buy an album unless its a classic, and I haven't heard a classic in over 5 years