Thug Life Vol 1

[On The Edge of Insanity]

Thug Life Volume 1

Released in 1994, just as the popularity of 2 Pac was starting to rise, this album only ever went Gold as far as sales which was a major disappointment compared to the sales figures for Pac’s first two albums. Apparently the first version of the album was rejected by the record company because it was deemed to be too ghetto for the mainstream audience, but after a few changes were made the album was finally released in it’s current form.

Bury Me A G (feat Natasha Walker) – the opening track on the album, and it’s a good indication of what is going to follow. The track has a definite ghetto edge to it, and is a really deep song talking about life on the streets, and how they all want to be remembered. A great hook courtesy of Pac and Natasha Walker makes this song a classic in my opinion. 5/5

Don’t Get It Twisted – this is a more hardcore track than the opening track, with a harder beat and more aggressive flows from all the members. All the group blend together well despite the fact that their flows vary quite a lot. I like the hook on this one, and everybody comes tight. 4/5

Shit Don’t Stop (feat Y.N.V) – this song is more of an upbeat party type track, with a haunting and very memorable hook from the Y.N.V ladies. Pac produces his normal tight verse, with the other members also doing their bit to keep Pac’s vibe going throughout the track. 4/5

Pour Out A Lil Liquor – this is a Pac solo and this is really the sort of track that sets him apart from other rappers, in that this song is really deep, showing his emotions following the death of a close homie. This is one of my favourite Pac songs ever and is a definite classic. 5/5

Stay True – the rest of Thug Life return for this track which basically talks about staying loyal to your homies, and how to live a Thug Life. Pac kicks the track off with a killer first verse, and is then followed by great performances by Mopreme and Syke. Great track. 4.5/5

How Long Will They Mourn Me? (feat Nate Dogg) – this track is produced by Warren G who lays down a great laid back ghetto beat for Pac and co to rap about looking back after they die to see what effect it has on their family and homies. As ever Nate Dogg brings along a great hook to the table which really adds to an already tight track. 5/5

Under Pressure – for me this has to be the worst song on the album just because you never really get into the flow of the song. Pac comes tight as ever although the rest of Thug Life don’t really bring their best performances on this track. It’s just an average track. 3/5

Street Fame – this is quite a dark track, talking about being well known in the hood and how to get there. The beat is kind of eerie, as is the hook. Everybody performs well on this track and it brings the standard back to that of the rest of the album, after the disappointing track that came before it. 4/5
Cradle To The Grave – this track has to be considered a classic. The hook is great and the song just has that ghetto party feel to it. The track talks about the struggle of black people in the hood, being put in prison, being persecuted by the cops and other struggles. Everybody comes really tight on this track, especially Syke who really impressed me on this track. A really deep track and the longest on the album. 5/5

Str8 Ballin – another track about black life in the hood, giving white people a definition of Ballin’.  Another strange but memorable hook and a great performance by Pac make this track great. 4/5

As you can probably see from the high scores of all of the songs on the album, this really is one of my favourite albums. Even though it only sold Gold, how many copies an album sales has never been a good indication of its quality and this proved to be the case with this album. The only real problem that I have with this album is that it is a little too short, and another two or three tracks would have most likely turned it into a classic album. The good thing is that all of the tracks are tight and none of them drag on like what sometimes happens on group albums such as the Wu when there is sometimes one too many verses. If the album was longer it would be a classic but even in it’s current state it is still a must have album for any Pac fan, or in fact probably anybody who like slightly more ghetto music than today’s commercial rappers.

Overall: 8.5/10

[ImmortalOne]

Overall, this is one of Pac's most underrated albums. It only went gold, but I think its a better album than "Strictly 4 My Niggaz", though not quite as good as "2Pacalypse Now". Bury Me A G, Pour Out A Little Liquer, Shit Dont Stop, Under Pressure, and Cradle To The Grave are my fav joints. This is definatly a HARDCORE album, probably Pac's rawest album.

Id give it a 4/5...........

[West Coast Veteran]

This album is a classic to me. Every song is a banger. The lyrics and subject matter are intelligent and not worthless. The production is top notch. The length is fine with me since other classics like The Diary and Illmatic only have ten songs.

[On The Edge of Insanity]

I'm upping this so that Tinman can read it because he cannot find it.