What was your first impression of 2pac’s 7 Day Theory album??

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

This should be interesting especially for those that heard it when it first came out because there was so much going on at the time and the album was shrouded in mystery—there was even a name change and none of the usual cast of characters from Death Row—all unknown producers creating this effect where it didn’t even seem real—there wasn’t even really any promotion for the album I just happened to see it on the shelves when walking through the mall the weekend of Nov 5th when it dropped which was by the way only one week ahead of Doggfather.  So it was totally unexpected, Pac was not even alive and releasing an all new official album??  It was a surreal feeling.

So I’m going to breakdown the experience track for track and hope others will share their stories as well…

“Bomb First” — the intro was so eery with the news reporter intro and Pac talking shit East/West and had a mysterious quality.  The track was the hardest shit I ever heard in my life my ears weren’t even ready for it I was expecting something like “How Do You Want It” so I thought the track was like some underground shit that just got released.  Can’t honestly say I realized how great the track was on first listen.

“Hail Mary” -  this one I got right away.  The track was larger and bigger than anything I’d heard before and though I was only 14 and not the most seasoned of hiphop heads I can say this one hit me hard on first listen instant classic.  Maybe the most epic rap track ever recorded.  I thought the church bells were some of the illest production I ever heard and I looked thru the liner notes and there was like nothing there and names I’d never heard of.  Is this album real?

“Toss It Up” - there was too much going on in the beat of this track and too much R&B it went over my head and I didn’t even catch the Dre diss I even maybe skipped because of the long intro can’t remember.

“Live and Die in LA” I thought the intro was so dope with the radio show call in but I didn’t realize how nice this track was till I saw the video.

“Blasphemy” - so hard core I thought it was too religious and over my head first listen.

“Life of an Outlaw” — shit went so hard it was over my head, “Napoleon would you die for me.. Hell Yeah” I even felt the track was too dark and depressing

“Just Like Daddy” — too dark and depressive and over my head

“Krazy” — this track I got right away was a big fan of LBC Crew and thought Bad Azz was next big thing at the time thought this was a great track like a “Dear Mama” kind of track sentimental

“White Man’s World” thought it was racist and skipped this one

“Me and My Girlfriend” it took me 6 months before I finally got this track and realized it’s greatness

“Hold Ya Head” — same as “Me and My Girlfriend” when I listened through this album again in the spring around May I fell in love with this track too

“Against All Odds” -  I think it took 2 years before I realized how great this joint was

Long story short on first listen the album was so Epic it largely went over my head, save for just two tracks “Hail Mary” and “Krazy”.

[Suga Foot]

I remember knowing that it was coming out.  And I had heard on the radio that dre's line in Been There Done That "Ain't tryin to wait around for Illuminati" was a diss to Pac.  Not sure if that's true or not.  But I can remember at the time when 2pac died, he was kind of everywhere for a year or 2 after.  They were still playing videos from All Eyes on Me on TV, Hail Mary video, Scarface "Smile" video, Videos from Gridlockd and Gang Related.  I also remember Nas' It Was Written Album was out around the same time, and Westside Connection "Bow Down".  So there was a lot of stuff coming around at the same time.  So 7 Day theory didn't have as big of an impact as All Eyez On Me (At least where I was). 

Bow Down was a way bigger album and it definitely got more attention from me at the time.  I think I definitely took the album for granted.  I liked All Eyes on Me more, and still listened to that when I had 7 Day Theory.  When 2Pac died, I think I lost interest a bit.  I didn't buy R U Still Down, I had moved on.  Years later I went back and picked it all up. 

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

I remember knowing that it was coming out.  And I had heard on the radio that dre's line in Been There Done That "Ain't tryin to wait around for Illuminati" was a diss to Pac.  Not sure if that's true or not.  But I can remember at the time when 2pac died, he was kind of everywhere for a year or 2 after.  They were still playing videos from All Eyes on Me on TV, Hail Mary video, Scarface "Smile" video, Videos from Gridlockd and Gang Related.  I also remember Nas' It Was Written Album was out around the same time, and Westside Connection "Bow Down".  So there was a lot of stuff coming around at the same time.  So 7 Day theory didn't have as big of an impact as All Eyez On Me (At least where I was). 

Bow Down was a way bigger album and it definitely got more attention from me at the time.  I think I definitely took the album for granted.  I liked All Eyes on Me more, and still listened to that when I had 7 Day Theory.  When 2Pac died, I think I lost interest a bit.  I didn't buy R U Still Down, I had moved on.  Years later I went back and picked it all up.

Yeah man but do you remember the feeling the first time you heard Bomb First or Hail Mary?? You can’t recall your first time listening to the album like where u were at or anything?

But yeah I feel you on what you were saying about what a crazy year that was

[teecee]

In some ways, it felt like a return to MATW.  My favorite tracks were Krazy, White Mans World, and To Live and Die in LA.   I didn’t feel the anti-Dre disses, and I didn’t like a few tracks.  Overall, I thought it was a step below MATW (my fav Pac album) and AEOM…and thought it was his third best album.   That’s still how I feel

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

In some ways, it felt like a return to MATW.  My favorite tracks were Krazy, White Mans World, and To Live and Die in LA.   I didn’t feel the anti-Dre disses, and I didn’t like a few tracks.  Overall, I thought it was a step below MATW (my fav Pac album) and AEOM…and thought it was his third best album.   That’s still how I feel

I think it’s really his best but because All Eyez On Me has more tracks I give the nod to All Eyez On Me as the greatest album in recorded history and the 7 Day Theory the second greatest

[HighEyeCue]

I remember buying the CD and then listening to it and not feeling the same as I did when I first heard AEOM...my mom an pop store got it a few days early on a Saturday this was when albums were released on Tuesdays...Bomb First was a great first track, it got me immediately hyped and Hail Mary sounded unbelievable when I first heard it...but the rest of the album was kind of hit or miss to me, it wasn't until a week later when I bought Doggfather and was disappointed I went back to 7 Day Theory and it really started to grow on me...I now to this day think it Pac's best work and I don't think he had peaked yet when he passed

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

I remember buying the CD and then listening to it and not feeling the same as I did when I first heard AEOM...my mom an pop store got it a few days early on a Saturday this was when albums were released on Tuesdays...Bomb First was a great first track, it got me immediately hyped and Hail Mary sounded unbelievable when I first heard it...but the rest of the album was kind of hit or miss to me, it wasn't until a week later when I bought Doggfather and was disappointed I went back to 7 Day Theory and it really started to grow on me...I now to this day think it Pac's best work and I don't think he had peaked yet when he passed

Yeah.. when it wasn't anything like All Eyez On Me I assumed it was some kind of underground bootleg album that got pressed up posthumously.  Then, when the video for "Live And Die in L.A." started to blow up I realized the album was for real; but it still wasn't until late in the spring that I was able to wrap my mind around it and comprehend its greatness.

[BIGWORM]

When I first bought it and popped the cassette in, I was like WTF is this trash! I was expecting the more POP style he had on AEOM. I was disappointed. I just bever understood what it was.

However, a couple months later I realized that this is what he meant in the liner of the AEOM album "to my true fans, in 96 it will be rectified." I felt AEOM was for everyone more polished and POP and friendly for the ladies. But on the "7 Day Theory" He was really saying some deep stuff. It grew on me and I loved it. Below is my list of top 4 Tupac albums.

1-MATW
2-7 Day Theory(The Don KILLilluminati)
3-AEOM
4-Thug Life

[Sccit]

probably his best album

being from LA, i remember they were playing “to live & die in LA” heavy on the radio and that was my introduction before getting the album

i really related to that song and fell in love wit the sunny vibes in the music and the video

the album sounded less polished so it wasn’t really as catchy as all eyez on me.. as a kid, i was diggin it, but like u, didn’t really wrap my head around it til later

hail mary was another cut that got mad radio play and actually was the most catchy on the album, so those songs you can’t avoid loving as a child .. i remember when prince ital joe part came on i thought it sounded weird and like it wasn’t really part of the song.. like the radio dj was talking over the end or something …

the rawness of that album is still unmatched til this very day .. the only other album that comes close in rawness is mac dre’s  “heart of a gangsta”

classix

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

When I first bought it and popped the cassette in, I was like WTF is this trash! I was expecting the more POP style he had on AEOM. I was disappointed. I just bever understood what it was.

However, a couple months later I realized that this is what he meant in the liner of the AEOM album "to my true fans, in 96 it will be rectified." I felt AEOM was for everyone more polished and POP and friendly for the ladies. But on the "7 Day Theory" He was really saying some deep stuff. It grew on me and I loved it. Below is my list of top 4 Tupac albums.

1-MATW
2-7 Day Theory(The Don KILLilluminati)
3-AEOM
4-Thug Life

yeah.. I think my experience may have been quite common.  i mean, I didn't think it was trash, but i did think that it wasn't All Eyez On Me level (which it definitely was the same standard just less tracks).  And there is some word in interviews that it might have been originally intended to be like an underground swap meet kind of thing, but I doubt they would have filmed two full videos unless it was going to be a big release.  So it was probably supposed to be a bit of both.  Like you said about the AEOM liner notes, something for the true fans.

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

probably his best album

being from LA, i remember they were playing “to live & die in LA” heavy on the radio and that was my introduction before getting the album

i really related to that song and fell in love wit the sunny vibes in the music and the video

the album sounded less polished so it wasn’t really as catchy as all eyez on me.. as a kid, i was diggin it, but like u, didn’t really wrap my head around it til later

hail mary was another cut that got mad radio play and actually was the most catchy on the album, so those songs you can’t avoid loving as a child .. i remember when prince ital joe part came on i thought it sounded weird and like it wasn’t really part of the song.. like the radio dj was talking over the end or something …

the rawness of that album is still unmatched til this very day .. the only other album that comes close in rawness is mac dre’s  “heart of a gangsta”

classix

word.. that was the feeling on certain parts of it, like the Prince Ital Joe part, if you think of all the minor ingredients that went into it and the sequencing/mixing it was a masterpiece and tribute to Pac because he was working with mostly no-names.

I remember being at a local grocery store Hy-Vee and at the time I was only 14 so we looked up to the older G'z that had cars and boomin' systems in that era so some cat had a bangin system pulled up right in front of the hy-vee and just parked there with "Hail Mary" blasting out the speakers, you remember little shit like that about the era the way Death Row/Pac was big then and on radio and playing out speakers.

I remember the older jocks seniors my school not even the headz but they were just like the star baseball/football players they always used to do the "Yeah, Yea!!" line from Bomb First--that became like a catch phrase around school.  Then a couple years later Ice Cube took that phrase and used it to launch his lead single and whole album with the War disc "Push Rhymes Like Weight". 

(Everyone stealing the slang Pac made.  Even that thread where Pac actually might've been the first to say "GFunk" on a record.)

[Dee Tha AK]

It was like "jewels being handed to an innocent child"

[doggfather]

you guys are miracle!

after 2 decade u can remember your 1st impression?! 

i cant remember yesterdays lunch... 

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

you guys are miracle!

after 2 decade u can remember your 1st impression?! 

i cant remember yesterdays lunch... 

Can you even remember where you were when you heard that planes crashed into the World Trade Center?

[HighEyeCue]

its kind of interesting that the 7 Day Theory track "Hail Mary" got more radio play in NYC than any of the tracks on AEOM...the DJs here were riding with Biggie during the height of the East/West war but once Pac passed they started to play more of his music