''2Pacalypse Now'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on November 12, 1991, by Interscope and Jive Records. ''2Pacalypse Now'' is Tupac's commentary on contemporary social issues facing American society, such as

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...

black on black crime Race is one of the correlates of crime receiving attention in academic studies, government surveys, media coverage, and public concern. Research has found that social status, poverty, and childhood exposure to violent behavior are causes of the r ...

, and teenage pregnancy. It featured three singles: " Brenda's Got a Baby", " Trapped", and " If My Homie Calls". ''2Pacalypse Now'' received critically acclaimed reviews from critics and was certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA) on April 19, 1995. In commemoration of its twenty-fifth anniversary, it was released on vinyl and cassette on November 11, 2016.

Controversy

The album generated significant controversy stemming from then-U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle's public criticism after Ronald Ray Howard murdered a Texas state trooper and his defense attorney claimed he was influenced by ''2Pacalypse Now'' and its strong theme of

. Quayle made the statement, "There's no reason for a record like this to be published. It has no place in our society."

Content

''2Pacalypse Now'' features productions by Digital Underground member Shock G and Stretch, as well as guest appearances from rappers Poppi and Pogo, R&B singer Dave Hollister and Stretch himself.

Lyricism

''2Pacalypse Now'' is a socially conscious hip hop album. It serves as Tupac's social commentary on issues that plague American society, including

, gang violence,

, teenage pregnancy and

. The album poetically addresses black urban concerns relevant to the present day. Although a relatively tame album compared to Shakur's later works, ''2Pacalypse Now'' was known for its violent lyrics aimed at police officers and the government in the songs " Trapped", "

I Don't Give a Fuck "I Don't Give a Fuck" is a protest song by American rapper Tupac Shakur, 2Pac and the fourth track of his debut studio album ''2Pacalypse Now'' (1991). The song, which features rapper Pogo, deals overtly with police brutality and racism. In the ...

" and "Soulja's Story".

Critical reception

''2Pacalypse Now'' received generally positive reviews from critics. Although the album's political messages, lyrics and his storytelling were praised, Tupac Shakur's debut album was criticized for its production. In a retrospective review, RapReviews gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and said: "It's not an extraordinarily long album, but it is a dense and heavy listen that will take a lot out of you if you pay close attention to the persistent theme. The beats overall fail to make much of an impression, but perhaps that is as it should be, since nothing should be allowed to outshine this kind of lyrical performance. Tupac's vitriol is carried by his sincerity and charisma, both of which would emerge as key traits of the figure that blossomed in the years to come. Over the course of Tupac's career, the political got suffused by the personal and receded from the central position it occupied on his debut".

Commercial performance

''2Pacalypse Now'' peaked at number 64 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number 13 on the US

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine that ranks contemporary R&B, R&B and hip hop music, hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. Th ...

charts. On April 19, 1995, the album was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

by the

(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States. As of September 2011, the album has sold 923,455 copies in the United States.

Track listing

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.2Pac. "2Pacalypse Now" (Album Notes). Interscope Records. 1991. ;Notes *Additional Vocals on "Trapped" performed by Dank, Playa-Playa and Wiz *Background Vocals on "Brenda's Got a Baby" performed by Dave Hollister *Background Vocals on "Trapped" performed by Shock G *Telephone Voices on "I Don't Give ..." spoken by Mickey Cooley, Rodney Cooley and Pogo *Background Vocals on "Violent" performed by 2Pac, Raw Fusion, and Descaro "Mac Mone" Moore *Background Vocals on "Something Wicked" performed by Pee-Wee *Keyboards on "Crooked ..." played by The Piano Man *Background Vocals on "Rebel of the Underground" performed by Shock G,

Ray Luv Raymond Tyson, better known by his stage name Ray Luv, is an American Bay Area rapper from Santa Rosa, California, United States, who is best known for his contribution to the Bay Area hip hop scene in the mid 1990s. Biography Raymond Tyson was ...

, Yonni & Di-Di *Additional Vocals on "Part Time Mutha" performed by Angelique

Samples

Young Black Male *"Good Old Music" by Funkadelic *"Where Was You At" by War *"The Product" and "Dead Homiez" by Ice Cube *"I Got to Have It" by Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs Trapped *"

The Spank "The Spank" is a song written by James Brown and Charles Sherrell and recorded by Brown. It was released as a single in 1978, backed by Brown's recording of the Elvis Presley song " Love Me Tender". It charted #26 R&B.White, Cliff (1991). "Disc ...

" by James Brown *" Holy Ghost" by The Bar-Kays *"Her Silent Smile" by Tom Browne *"Save the World" by Southside Movement Soulja's Story *"No Name Bar" by Isaac Hayes *"Sneakin' in the Back" by Tom Scott and the L.A. Express *" Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers *" Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss *"Let the Bass Go" and "Mind Blowin by The D.O.C. Violent *"Pirates Theme" by Home T, Cocoa Tea and Shabba Ranks *"City Under Siege" by Geto Boys *" Rebel Without a Pause" by

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

*"Any Colour You Like" by Pink Floyd *"Halloween Theme Song" by John Carpenter Words of Wisdom *" Chameleon" by Herbie Hancock Something Wicked *"Welcome to the Terrordome" by

*" It's Funky Enough" by The D.O.C. Crooked Ass Nigga *"Crab Apple" by

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians suc ...

*"Kool is Back" by

Funk, Inc. Funk, Inc. was an American jazz funk/soul jazz group, founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, in 1969 by Bobby Watley, Eugene Barr, Steve Weakley, Jimmy Munford and Cecil Hunt. During the 1970s they were signed to the Prestige Records ...

*" Straight Outta Compton", " Gangsta Gangsta" and " Fuck tha Police" by N.W.A If My Homie Calls *" Let a Woman Be a Woman - Let a Man Be a Man" by Dyke & the Blazers *"Fat Mama" by Herbie Hancock *"I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" by Wattsax *"I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" by The Soul Children and Jesse Jackson *" Around the Way Girl" by LL Cool J *"Prelude" by N.W.A *"Theme from the Black Hole" by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

The Lunatic *"One of Those Funky Thangs" by

Rebel of the Underground *" Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers *" The Pinocchio Theory" by Bootsy Collins *"Theme from the Black Hole" by

Part Time Mutha *" Part-Time Lover" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

feat. Luther Vandross *" Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss *"Part Time Suckers" by Boogie Down Productions

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2pacalypse Now Tupac Shakur albums 1991 debut albums Interscope Records albums Political hip hop albums