2Pac – “Against All Odds”
Best Hip Hop Album Every Year Since 1986 Makaveli
Released: September 26, 1996
Going at: Nas, Dr. Dre, Mobb Deep, Bad Boy, Q-Tip, Haitian Jack, Jimmy Henchman, Stretch
Producer: 2Pac & Hurt-M-Badd
Hardest line: “This little nigga named Nas think he live like me / Talking ’bout he left the hospital, took five like me”
The final track off Pac’s last album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory , “Against All Odds” is filled with paranoia and anger. Not only did Pac go at his rap rivals like Nas and Mobb Deep, he also delved into the deep street politics that got him shot at Quad Studios in the first place. Hurt-M-Badd, the track’s producer, later told XXL that Pac wanted this track to sound like a war song.
Hurt-M-Badd: The day we made that song Tupac said “I need a war song. I wanna go to war.” He gave me an hour then came back and heard the beat, and he wanted me to add that Cameo song bassline [from “Skin I’m In”]. Once it was in ‘Pac started snapping, “This is it!” He called the Outlawz in and started reciting the hook: “This be the realest ish I ever wrote.” While ‘Pac was doing his vocals he wasn’t just recording his vocals, he was also kicking over the music stand, hitting the microphone. There was a vibe in the room. We all knew what was goin’ on. As [‘Pac] started reciting his lyrics, we was just looking at each other like, “Uh-oh, here we go again.”
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