Older headz... what was your reaction when 7 Day Theory first hit stores?

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

I was reflecting off the JMix, Hurt Em Bad interview.  About how Pac wanted a new sound.  How the sound was in fact so different from All Eyez On Me, and of course the look and feel was also different—the artwork, name change, his death—everything about the release was sort of shrouded and mystery.

You also might recall that Snoop's album was supposed drop that week and that Snoop's album had the publicity.  Snoop's release date actually got pushed back another week, and the Pac album just suddenly hit stores with almost no publicity.  It just didn't even seem real.  The album was almost too dark for my tastes upon first listen, it was as if Pac was speaking from the other side, giving a message to the living and haunting his enemies once more. 

Did ya'll really get it upon first listen?  How great the album was?  Do you all remember the talk at the time, or did you just find it unexpected?  Stumbling upon it at the record store while checking for the Snoop album?  I was 14 at the time and I had my 16 year old friend drive me to the store after school November 5th weekend hoping to find Snoop and that album was there instead (Snoop was released a week later).

[smile4menow]

I was working in a mall @ a pizza place. This was before the Internet was as prevalent obviously. I remember asking for the new pac cd and going wtf is makaveli? I hated it at first, the beats were dark and nothing like I expected. Much like any other classic it grew on me. That album is the most non-musically relevant Classic in history. The words are just off the chart astounding and timeless. He was reaching a level unmatched with his lyrical skills. It's a shame he passed away when he did.

Don't get me wrong the instrumentals also grew on me but it's more about the lyrical content for me. Songs like me and my gf, krazy, blasphemy, white mans world ect. Krazy in particular is my all time favorite song. For me it just hits on a vibe I was at in my life at the time and still to this day I bump it atleast once a day. I can't say that about any other tracks. Another example is from blasphemy: The preacher want me dead because I know he's a liar? Come on that's a ridiculous all time one drop considering.

 A classic album hits everyone in a different way but inevitably infects anyone who gives it a real chance. That album for me, is the best individual performance I've been blessed to hear.

[GangstaBoogy]

You also might recall that Snoop's album was supposed drop that week and that Snoop's album had the publicity.  Snoop's release date actually got pushed back another week, and the Pac album just suddenly hit stores with almost no publicity.  It just didn't even seem real.  The album was almost too dark for my tastes upon first listen, it was as if Pac was speaking from the other side, giving a message to the living and haunting his enemies once more. 

You just described that album perfectly.

Greatest hip-hop album ever. Well Doggystyle may have a 1a/1b argument.

[U.N.T.O.U.C.H.A.B.L.E.]

I was reflecting off the JMix, Hurt Em Bad interview.  About how Pac wanted a new sound.  How the sound was in fact so different from All Eyez On Me, and of course the look and feel was also different—the artwork, name change, his death—everything about the release was sort of shrouded and mystery.

You also might recall that Snoop's album was supposed drop that week and that Snoop's album had the publicity.  Snoop's release date actually got pushed back another week, and the Pac album just suddenly hit stores with almost no publicity.  It just didn't even seem real.  The album was almost too dark for my tastes upon first listen, it was as if Pac was speaking from the other side, giving a message to the living and haunting his enemies once more.  

Did ya'll really get it upon first listen?  How great the album was?  Do you all remember the talk at the time, or did you just find it unexpected?  Stumbling upon it at the record store while checking for the Snoop album?  I was 14 at the time and I had my 16 year old friend drive me to the store after school November 5th weekend hoping to find Snoop and that album was there instead (Snoop was released a week later).

i got it a week before it came out thanks to a girl that worked at tower records that i use to smash for tapes n shit it felt good to have it before everyone i knew lol   matter of fact she also gave me tha doggfather tape and some other shit too...but yea i was bumping that tape from that day on til today i adapted to pac's style instantly as i had heard that he had a new sound in that album its the best, most spiritual & darkest album ever & thats above niggaz4life which had the crown at the time & d.o.c.'s helter skelter

[DeeezNuuuts83]

I remember when I saw the advertisement in that week's Best Buy ad... it said:

"(2Pac) Makaveli - The Don Killuminati"

I didn't understanding why the album was under Makaveli and not physically saying 2Pac on it.  But I figured I'd buy it anyway.  So on my way back home, I was confused and thought I got duped because the album looked so simple, compared to All Eyez on Me.  It seemed like a bootleg since the booklet was literally just that single-fold one without a single picture aside from the cover, and with a handprint on the inside.

I waited until I got home to actually listen to it, and while it sounded like Pac's voice, it just felt so different.  To be honest, I didn't like it at first listen, but I was expecting more mainstream stuff that was more like an All Eyez on Me sequel... which was probably why I mostly liked Toss It Up at first.  But I remember the intro being so eerie to the point where I got goosebumps right as the heartbeat sounds kicked in.

[doggfather]

(NOT TROLLING)



to be honest, simply just dont give a f.ck. neva was a Pac fan, dont really like his music either. And in 1996 there was Xzibit and ras kass debut, Westside Connection, Snoop Dogg, Mc Eiht, Mc Ren just from the west i liked. Cant remember, but not sure i even checked in a year...

[CHUCK KNOXXX]

first time i heard it was at blockbuster music on ventura blvd in sherman oaks ca (obviously long gone now, it was a quick bus ride from north hollywood). if heads remember how that store worked you could listen to music there for free, and didnt have to purchase anything. i remember the buzz around the album atthe time at first was mixed, i distinctly remember there being a not so great review of the album in rap pages at the time ( i could be wrong tho). i was expecting something like 'all eyes' so yeah, a little disappointed too. i do rememeber liking "to live and die in LA" and 'hail mary' from jump tho. most of my homies weren't feeling it at first either, untill later that spring once more of the songs were getting burn on power and the beat if i recall correctly. i dont think toss it up as the first lead video helped much either, aside from the dre diss.

[HighEyeCue]

unlike Snoops album which I was baffled and dissapointed on first listen I loved Makaveli from the get go. Im in NY so while it was mostly a Biggie town there was love for Pac expressed by most after he died. I think Hail Mary got serious burn on HOT 97 as well as Toss It Up. They rarely played To Live and Die in LA however as they also pretty much shunned California Love earlier in the year except for mix shows

[TidyKris]

I was 14 at the time and i remember seeing it in a record shop and i was like "what the f*** is this"..the cover art alone was like something i had never seen before.

The only reason i knew it was 2Pac was the black sticker on the front that said "The last word from 2Pac"..i found it very weird.

I went back and bought it a week later and upon first listen i found the whole thing very eeire and dark...it wasnt long after he had died and the "alive theorys" were
in full effect by then. It took a whilst for me to get used to the album as it was very different from most of the stuff i was listening to at the time espeically the other Pac
albums. But it grew on me over time and has become one of my my favorite hip hop albums of all time

[jory]

 Bought it on tape.
Was amazed by it. When I first heard it it I was like 'holy mother fucking shit' I was 14 at the time

[D-TalkX]

Not my fav of 2pac's work and didn't like it when i first heard it. It sounded very rushed (at the time i didn't realize the 7 day theory meant it was recorded in 7 days.) Anyways it's grown on me over the years but imagine how good it would have been had they been able to take more time.

[CORREA]

[Blood$]

(NOT TROLLING)



to be honest, simply just dont give a f.ck. neva was a Pac fan, dont really like his music either. And in 1996 there was Xzibit and ras kass debut, Westside Connection, Snoop Dogg, Mc Eiht, Mc Ren just from the west i liked. Cant remember, but not sure i even checked in a year...

lmao

[Hack Wilson - real]

Chino xl stayed up til 5 am in his car crying and listening to the cd  when it dropped

[D-TalkX]

i got it a week before it came out thanks to a girl that worked at tower records that i use to smash for tapes n shit it felt good to have it before everyone i knew lol   matter of fact she also gave me tha doggfather tape and some other shit too...but yea i was bumping that tape from that day on til today i adapted to pac's style instantly as i had heard that he had a new sound in that album its the best, most spiritual & darkest album ever & thats above niggaz4life which had the crown at the time & d.o.c.'s helter skelter
[/quote]

hahah nice