Pac songs hurt the most by way of being remixed, and then vice versa...

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

I'm one of the few that likes the remixed album version of Pac's songs better than the bootleg versions.  I feel like when Pac recorded those tracks they were mostly unfinished, so Afeni's people had the right to go in and touch them up and finish them.   Also, sample clearances were surely an issue on many.  For a while they were only using people like Johnny J and the Outlawz and cats who were cool with Pac to go in and touch up the tracks production and vocals.   I think that strategy worked very well, from R U Still Down, to Still I Rise, and up to Until The End of Time, those were all classic albums.  Better Dayz wasn't a classic, but it was a still a solid offering considering that they were finally running out of Pac tracks.

But there are some songs that were ruined by way of the album remix.  Some worse than others.   Here's my list.

2 Worst Remixes

1.  "Play Your Cards Right"-  The original, I had on bootleg since 1998 and still to this day it is on my main mix of music I keep on my ipod.  One of my favorite Pac songs of all time.  Maybe they couldn't get sample clearance.  The sample on that track is fucking dope, and I don't know if it's KC and JoJo on the original but it sounds like them.   The lyrics could of been soft, considering it has an R&B sound, but the lyrics are deep and contemplative, whether it's Pac or the Outlawz spitting.   Then finally this track was remixed and released on the Pac's Life album.  I was disgusted to see they had matched Pac up with artists like Keyshia Coles for that album.  The new version isn't even listenable in my opinion, I only got through about 20 seconds.

2.  "Thug In Me" Lady V was the original.  This track, Pac even bragged about in interviews when he was alive.   So you know it was something he considered releasing on an album.  That shit was fucking dope.   But then they remixxed it for Until The End of Time into "Thug In U, Thug In Me".  They put KC and JoJo on the track, I didn't have a problem with that, but the beat sounded overdone.   Not a horrible track, but still a significant downgrade from the smoothed out O.G. version.

2 Best Remixes

1.   "Until The End of Time".  This mix that was the title track for the album was so good that it was the single for the double platinum album.   They used the Mr. Mister 80's sample which I loved.   The OG version wasn't bad, it was a track called "If I Had 2" that uses the "Just The Two of Us" sample.   It was a soft song, that is listenable but certainly unfinished.   They took something decent and made classic!

2.   "I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto".   This song already had some of Pac's greatest and deepest lyrics.  The problem was just the beat.  They really went back in and perfected it and what emerged was a larger than life single and video that propelled the R U Still Down album to double platinum!

[Hack Wilson - real]

RUSD and Still I Rise had some dope remixes that made you forgive some of the wack ones  (I'm Getting Money should never have been remixed, same with Tattoo Tears)



but after that they really just went the pop route and it was clear Johnny J lost his touch

[KURUPTION-81]

though some were remixed well a lot were ruined, with beats not matching lyrics, hooks out of place and random artists appearing on the tracks.

personal remixed favourites for me hell 4 a hustler and street fame .

[Hack Wilson - real]

my favorite remixes are:

black jesus
street fame
enemies with me  (but they had to be dickheads and remove Stretch and MAjesty)
military minds
m.o.b.
letter to the president
u don't have to worry
loyal to the game w/ syke and dj quik

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

my favorite remixes are:

black jesus
street fame
enemies with me  (but they had to be dickheads and remove Stretch and MAjesty)
military minds
m.o.b.
letter to the president
u don't have to worry
loyal to the game w/ syke and dj quik

agree with most of those

[GangstaBoogy]

I liked "runnin (dying to live)" - shit was actually kinda brilliant. What's ya phone number nu-mixx was 100x better than the original. Until the end of time, etc

Worst were everything Eminem did on Loyal 2 the Game other than Thugs Get Lonely Too ( thank God for Nate Dogg).

[Mietek23]

but after that they really just went the pop route and it was clear Johnny J lost his touch

Johnny 'J' never lost his touch - most of his beats on "UTEOT" and "BD" were dope, but some of the chours downplayed the tracks as a whole. But he did some great remixes for those CD's, like "Breathin", "World Wide Mob Figgaz", "This Ain't Livin" and "Fuck Em All" all sounded a lot better and more complete than the OG's.

[Fresh Bone]

I think This Ain't Livin' is the best "remix" that Amaru Records did. At the time, it sounded like a completely new, unreleased song, like Last Onez Left. That beat is one of Johnny J's hardest. Sounds so in time with the flow, lyrics, etc as if 'Pac rapped to that version, not the original, which I thought was not as raw. Shame they edited the Snoop references.

The whole Loyal To The Game album was the lowest point, just Eminem fans won't say it. When you twist a dead man's words to make you look good, that's too far.

[Hack Wilson - real]

i never cared for This aint livin remix but i love the original



i do like what they did to Breathin and Last Ones Left remixes


fuck em all too

[Russell Bell]

u guys heard that song "euro killa" by pac?  super rare bootleg with daz on the boards danny boy on the hook and suge doing the behind the scenes in studio assaults on engineers and i heard even possible sexual assault on pac himself cause he took too many takes, dont if theres a remix, but this pac thread reminded me of that song.  had it way back in the day. 

[MOBNigga06]

I'm one of the few that likes the remixed album version of Pac's songs better than the bootleg versions.  I feel like when Pac recorded those tracks they were mostly unfinished, so Afeni's people had the right to go in and touch them up and finish them.   Also, sample clearances were surely an issue on many.  For a while they were only using people like Johnny J and the Outlawz and cats who were cool with Pac to go in and touch up the tracks production and vocals.   I think that strategy worked very well, from R U Still Down, to Still I Rise, and up to Until The End of Time, those were all classic albums.  Better Dayz wasn't a classic, but it was a still a solid offering considering that they were finally running out of Pac tracks.

But there are some songs that were ruined by way of the album remix.  Some worse than others.   Here's my list.

2 Worst Remixes

1.  "Play Your Cards Right"-  The original, I had on bootleg since 1998 and still to this day it is on my main mix of music I keep on my ipod.  One of my favorite Pac songs of all time.  Maybe they couldn't get sample clearance.  The sample on that track is fucking dope, and I don't know if it's KC and JoJo on the original but it sounds like them.   The lyrics could of been soft, considering it has an R&B sound, but the lyrics are deep and contemplative, whether it's Pac or the Outlawz spitting.   Then finally this track was remixed and released on the Pac's Life album.  I was disgusted to see they had matched Pac up with artists like Keyshia Coles for that album.  The new version isn't even listenable in my opinion, I only got through about 20 seconds.

2.  "Thug In Me" Lady V was the original.  This track, Pac even bragged about in interviews when he was alive.   So you know it was something he considered releasing on an album.  That shit was fucking dope.   But then they remixxed it for Until The End of Time into "Thug In U, Thug In Me".  They put KC and JoJo on the track, I didn't have a problem with that, but the beat sounded overdone.   Not a horrible track, but still a significant downgrade from the smoothed out O.G. version.

2 Best Remixes

1.   "Until The End of Time".  This mix that was the title track for the album was so good that it was the single for the double platinum album.   They used the Mr. Mister 80's sample which I loved.   The OG version wasn't bad, it was a track called "If I Had 2" that uses the "Just The Two of Us" sample.   It was a soft song, that is listenable but certainly unfinished.   They took something decent and made classic!

2.   "I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto".   This song already had some of Pac's greatest and deepest lyrics.  The problem was just the beat.  They really went back in and perfected it and what emerged was a larger than life single and video that propelled the R U Still Down album to double platinum!

Homie you hit the nail on the head! I completely agree about these four songs. The OG Thug In Me and the OG versions of Playa Cardz Right are two of my most played Pac songs. Some of the dopest music he ever made - meanwhile the remixes are awful.

[Hack Wilson - real]

also Brian "if i had to" original does not use the just the 2 of us sample, that is the Shock G remix

but it's easy to confuse since both were on the old school bootlegs

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

Johnny 'J' never lost his touch - most of his beats on "UTEOT" and "BD" were dope, but some of the chours downplayed the tracks as a whole. But he did some great remixes for those CD's, like "Breathin", "World Wide Mob Figgaz", "This Ain't Livin" and "Fuck Em All" all sounded a lot better and more complete than the OG's.

Damn right... Johnny J is so under-rated for the work he's done with Pac.  Tracks like "This Ain't Livin", and like someone said below "Last Ones Left" and so many more were outstanding.

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

The whole Loyal To The Game album was the lowest point, just Eminem fans won't say it. When you twist a dead man's words to make you look good, that's too far.

No homie.. I don't blame Em for Loyal To The Game.  At that stage in the process Em was really scraping the bottom of the barrel on Pac material.  The fact he was able to come up with that joint with Elton John I think is a credit to Em, and also he had a couple of nice joints on the Pac's documentary soundtrack.

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

Homie you hit the nail on the head! I completely agree about these four songs. The OG Thug In Me and the OG versions of Playa Cardz Right are two of my most played Pac songs. Some of the dopest music he ever made - meanwhile the remixes are awful.

 

Word.. the bootleg I had with "Play Your Cards" also had "Soon As I Get Home" and another banger on it that nobody mentions "You Can't Fade Me".  I've been bumping those tracks for so many years.   

Speaking of "You Can't Fade Me", did they ever remake that song, and anybody else love that one?