On Tupac's birthday a couple days ago, we celebrated by making a list of his most influential tracks."California Love," "Changes," and "Keep Ya Head Up" were a few of the most influential tracks 2Pac created, but there's a whole lot more than to his output than just the hits. Today, we've decided to honor him by taking a peak at some of his lesser-known cuts.
Tupac left behind an incredible body of work. So much, in fact, that he's released seven posthumous albums since his passing. There's been some massive hits, like "Until The End Of Time" and "Thugz Mansion," but also some gems that didn't really get any mainstream love. We're focusing on those joints today. Without any further ado, here's a Throwback Thursday dedicated to 2Pac's deep cuts.
2Pac - Soulja's Story
Tupac raps as two characters here: himself and Soulja. The first verse, Soulja's, is toned down like chopped & screwed music, so if you've ever wanted to hear 2Pac with some Houston flavor, look no further.
2Pac - Point The Finga
You can tell that this is an old school cut just by the style, but Big D The Impossible crafted a pretty futuristic beat for 1993. It's funky, fresh, and a solid dose of 90s hip hop.
Thug Life - Str8 Ballin'
Thug Life was a group Tupac started in '93. In addition to himself, it featured Big Syke, Stretch, Mopreme Shakur, The Rated R, Macadoshis, and Kato. While they only released one album, Thug Life: Volume 1, their name is a huge part of Pac's legacy.
2Pac - Heaven Ain't Hard 2 Find
If you made it to the end of Tupac's classic double album All Eyes on Me, then you know about this one. If not, get acquainted, because this is some more of that classic Pac.
2Pac - Heavy in the Game (feat. Richie Rich, Ebony Foster & Lady Levi)
Tupac sounds so nice over that G-funk sound. While he experimented with a variety of production, this one is funky as hell, and features some of his lesser-known pals.
2Pac - Black Jesuz (feat. Outlawz)
Here's a not-so-popular cut with Pac and the Outlawz. "Searchin' for Black Jesuz..."
2Pac - Nothing To Lose
The second posthumous album from 2Pac was 1997's 26-track double album R U Still Down? (Remember Me). The upbeat track "Nothing To Lose" was just one of the many great records on it.
2Pac - Lil Homies
2001's Until The End Of Time was a high profile posthumous release from Tupac. The double album had the huge title track, but it also had some great deep cuts like "Lil Homies."
2Pac - How Do You Want It (Live at The House of Blues)
Live albums aren't exactly as popular in hip hop as they are in other types of music. However, 2Pac's Live at the House of Blues proves our subject was a great concert to see.
Royce Da 5'9" - Hip Hop (Inspiration Remix) feat. Big Pun, Big L, Biggie & 2Pac [Prod. Statik Selektah]
Statik Selektah pieced together this tribute to a few of hip hop's fallen soldiers. It's nice to hear Pun, L, Biggie, and Pac all on the same track, even if it's unfortunate circumstances that united them.