Shakur purposefully made Me Against the World 's lyrics more personal and reflective than previously. He believed the shooting was set up by East Coast associates and collaborators, such as The Notorious B.I.G., Andre Harrell and Sean "Puffy" Combs.Īccording to Shakur, Me Against the World aimed to show the hip-hop audience his respect for the art form. On Novemone day before the jury reached their verdict, Shakur was shot and robbed at gunpoint at the lobby of a New York recording studio. In the ensuing trial, Shakur was acquitted of seven felonies, including rape, sodomy and gun charges, but was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse for unwanted touching and was subsequently sentenced to 18 months to 4.5 years in prison. Later that year, Shakur and two associates were charged with gang-raping a female fan in Shakur's hotel room, a charge he vehemently denied. In rapid succession, however, he had become involved in a string of violent encounters.Īll for incidents in 1993, Shakur was sentenced to 15 days in jail for assaulting director Allen Hughes while filming Menace II Society, pled guilty to the attempted assault on a rival rapper and saw the charges dropped after he shot two off-duty police officers. His second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., going Platinum, had entered the top 25 on the Billboard 200, and offered two Gold singles, " I Get Around" and " Keep Ya Head Up", both entering the top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, included Me Against the World in its list of the Definitive 200 Albums of All Time.īy 1994, Tupac Shakur, age 23, was already a prominent and controversial rapper. It has been ranked by many critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album received acclaimed reviews by critics, being ranked among the best albums of the 1990s.
At the 38th Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Rap Album and "Dear Mama" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance. Me Against the World was eventually certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). While he was in prison, the album overtook Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits as the best-selling album of the year in the United States at the time. " Dear Mama" was released as the album's first single in February 1995 and would be the album's most successful single, topping the Hot Rap Singles chart, and peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Released while Tupac was imprisoned, Me Against the World made an immediate impact on the charts, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, holding the top spot for four consecutive weeks, and also topping the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Me Against the World features guest appearances from rap group Dramacydal and rapper Richie Rich. Considered by several music critics to be the best of any of his albums up to that point in his career, the album's musical production was handled by his mentor Shock G, Easy Mo Bee, Tony Pizarro, Johnny "J" and the Danish hip-hop duo Soulshock and Karlin, among others.
Lyrically, he intentionally tried to make the album more personal and reflective than his previous efforts.
2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police and poverty, the album is described as being Tupac's most introspective album.Īccording to him, Me Against the World was made to show the hip hop audience his respect for the art form. Me Against the World is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope Records and Jive Records.
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