One of the most prolific artists of our time, 2Pac’s solo career only lasted from 1991-1996, but his impact is profound. An incredibly insightful, observant storyteller, Pac’s passionate portrayal of young Black men as victims of a violent, racist society remains relevant and affecting to this day. 

Pac’s massive body of work is often viewed through the lens of his complexities —  he died when he was barely 25, and up until that point sometimes struggled with striking a balance between the fame and attention that surrounded him and continuing to be a voice for his people. 

To this day, there hasn’t been another voice like Pac — passionate, raw, profoundly emotive, and perceptive. A voice for the voiceless, 2Pac’s legacy thrives because of the richness of his lyrics and the themes he wasn’t afraid to explore.

"ARE U STILL DOWN" - JON B. FEAT. 2PAC [BONUS SONG]

Our BONUS SONG pick is a celebrated classic guest spot! On what would be his final recorded performance, Pac get seductive on this track by the R&B crooner.

"IF I DIE 2NITE"

An opportunity to flex his lyrical skills, particularly on the opening verse, “If I Die Tonight” from "Me Against The World," puts the idea that Pac was just a passionate rapper and not a lyricist to rest.

"2 OF AMERIKAZ MOST WANTED" FEAT. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG

Pac connected with Snoop Dogg on the second single released from "All Eyez On Me," “2 Of America’s Most Wanted.” Daz produced the track, which became one of Pac’s most recognizable offerings.

"IF MY HOMIE CALLS"

It sounds almost innocent compared to how paranoid and spiteful he would become after feeling so consistently betrayed later in his career. A single from his 1991 debut, 2Pacalypse Now, once again, Pac is proclaiming his loyalty to his homies, on one of his most impressive early tracks.

"STARIN' THROUGH MY REAR VIEW" FEAT. OUTLAWZ

A peek into the direction Pac may’ve been headed if he’d lived, “Starin' Through My Rearview” first showed up as a standout on the "Gang Related" soundtrack. Produced by 2Pac and Johnny J, the production and delivery was still passionate but a bit sleeker than some of his earlier offerings.

"TRAPPED"

The debut solo single from his politically-charged debut, "2Pacaplyspe Now," “Trapped” samples the Bar-Kays and James Brown as Pac raps about being trapped in a racist society and police terrorism. Shortly after the song dropped, Pac was allegedly assaulted by the Oakland police for jaywalking (he sued the department for $10 million but settled for just over $40,000).

"POUR OUT A LITTLE LIQUOR" - THUG LIFE

Easily one of the best songs from the "Above The Rim" soundtrack, and the lead single from Thug Life Vol. 1, “Our Out a Little Liquor” is Pac paying homage to the homies who are dead or locked up in prison over a Johnny J track.

"DEATH AROUND THE CORNER"

Pac spent a lot of time during the latter half of his career talking about death. It’s an integral part of the reason why he’s taken on a mythological persona.  Not even two years after “Death Around The Corner” dropped, he was gone and songs like this one suddenly felt even deeper and more significant to his legacy.

"NO MORE PAIN"

It's one of the most atmospheric songs in his catalog and he doesn't have any other track that sounds quite like this one. Over creepy, haunting production by Jodeci’s DeVante Swing, Pac delivers sinister lyrics, and it’s among the best songs on his double album, "All Eyez On Me."

"STR8 BALLIN'" - THUG LIFE

What might be Pac’s best song appeared on his 1994 compilation album, Thug Life, produced by beat legend, Easy Mo Bee. One of the things people love the most about 2Pac is that even when he veered off course, caught up in the flash of fame and the struggles of finding a balance between his everyday reality and what he wanted to see and be for his community, he loved his people.

"MADE NIGGAZ" FEAT. OUTLAWZ

Over a chilly piano line, this track is one of those songs that sums up a lot of late-career 2Pac: brazen and paranoid, cocky and fatalistic. Serving as ringmaster alongside the Outlawz, he delivers one of his darkest anthems. From the "Gang Related" soundtrack.

"HOW LONG WILL THEY MOURN ME" - THUG LIFE FEAT. NATE DOGG

Produced by Warren G and Nate Dogg, Pac wrote “How Long Will They Mourn Me” after his friend, Kato was killed (Pac also shouts out Kato on “Hell Razor”). He opens the track by dedicating the song to him, before getting into his verse, questioning how long he’ll be mourned if he dies in the streets, over gloomy, melodic production. As he surmises: “It’s kinda hard to be optimistic when your homie’s lyin dead on the pavement twisted…”

"KRAZY"

There are flashier songs that get cited more frequently on Makaveli, but “Krazy” is one of the most reflective moments on the project, a track the perfectly ties the heavy themes together. Here, he’s more exhausted and burdened than angry as he once again explores how it feels to survive when the odds are stacked against you. He questions the world around him and his sanity as he tries to navigate it all.

"BRENDA'S GOT A BABY" - 2PAC

On “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” the second single from his 1991 solo debut, "2Pacalypse Now," his sorrow and pain are palpable on the track, which is about a 12-year-old girl named Brenda, a victim of statutory rape who ends up pregnant by her boyfriend/cousin, gives birth on a bathroom floor, and winds up crushed under the weight of it all.

"BURY ME A G" - THUG LIFE

Another song where contemplating death is the theme, “Bury Me A G” (which samples The Isley Brothers)  is the opening track from Thug Life, Vol. 1 sets the tone for the project.

"HIT 'EM UP" FEAT. OUTLAWZ

Arguably the most inflammatory diss track in the history of diss tracks, this 1996 B-side(!) was released as tensions between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment were boiling. Pac infamously took shots at The Notorious B.I.G., Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Mobb Deep, with the Outlawz riding along.

"AMBITIONZ AZ A RIDAH"

Laced by stark pianos and a menacing whisper hook, “Ambitionz az a Ridah” was an immediate favorite from All Eyez On Me. Daz Dillinger was at the top of his game with the production, and 2Pac’s confident swagger nudged the track to the top of his discography. 

"TEMPTATIONS"

With cameos by everyone from Isaac Hayes to Jasmine Guy, the star-studded video for “Temptations” was shot while Pac was incarcerated; but even without his charisma, is one of Pac’s most memorable. The song, produced by Easy Mo Bee, is one of the lighter moments on Me Against The World, and a great example of his playboy side.

"PAIN" FEAT. STRETCH

Originally featured as a bonus track from the Above the Rim soundtrack, the Earl Klugh-sampling “Pain” is a fan favorite, even though it’s hard to find (the original hasn’t been available on the soundtrack for years, and it isn’t streaming anywhere).  It’s moving, raw, haunting, and incredible how well he articulates the soul-deep sorrow and trauma caused by limited options in a profoundly racist system.

"CALIFORNIA LOVE" FEAT. DR. DRE

The single that officially announced Pac as the newest member of Death Row, “California Love,” featured on his double album "All Eyez On Me,"  became a celebratory statement for both the label and the rapper. The song is energetic and boastful as Pac parties on the Dr. Dre track as a newly free man, with Roger Troutman lending his synth-vocals to the hook.

"I GET AROUND" FEAT. SHOCK G, MONEY B

One of Pac’s most notable songs came in 1993 when he dropped “I Get Around” as the second single from his sophomore album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.  It’s another gem produced by Shock G, who also memorably features on the song along with his Digital Underground co-star, Money B. A perfect summertime jam, the song dropped in June and is still guaranteed to liven up a party to this day.

"DEAR MAMA"

One of Pac’s most instantly recognizable songs came on his 1995 album, Me Against The World, a melancholy, often tortured album that played a key role in establishing 2Pac as one of the most emotive, thought-provoking artists in rap. Pac is paying homage to his mother, Afeni Shakur, who also appears in the video, acknowledging both the hard times and the good.

"HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME"

Recorded following the 1992 L.A. riots, you can hear Pac’s rage on this banger from his second album, 1993’s Strictly From My N.I.G.G.A.Z when he raps: “To my brothers on the block better stay strapped, black/And accept no substitutes/I bring truth to the youth tear the roof off the whole school/Oh no, I won't turn the other cheek/In case ya can't see, that's why we burned the other week..."

"HAIL MARY" FEAT. OUTLAWZ

“Hail Mary” has one of the most popular rap openings of all-time: “I ain’t a killer but don’t push me…” and sets the tone for the dark, haunting track that’s a standout on 2Pac’s final album, Don Kilumanti: The 7 Day Theory (known to rap fans simply as Makaveli), and one of Pac’s most well-known songs.

"KEEP YA HEAD UP"

2Pac’s heart for the community is a huge part of why he’s a Hip Hop icon, and it’s never clearer than on “Keep Ya Head Up” where he summarizes much of his intent in a single bar: "Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice/I say the darker the flesh and the deeper the roots/I give a holler to my sisters on welfare/Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care.” Dedicated to the recently-murdered Latasha Harlins, Shakur's godson and the young daughter of Cheryl "Salt" James.

"SO MANY TEARS"

The second single from Me Against the World, Pac is in his element on “So Many Tears.” The song was produced by his longtime friend and frequent collaborator, Shock G, and it’s a standout offering from both of them.  Raw and affecting, Pac’s questioning his spirituality, examining it against the backdrop of his bleak reality, a theme that he explored regularly throughout his latter career, and especially on this album. This is a quintessential 2Pac song that encompasses what fans loved the most about him.