Tupac's poetic wisdom shines in End of Time
LAURA ROMPF
Scene Music Critic
Tupac's lyrics have always been the backbone of his albums and his latest release, Until the End of Time, is no different. Whether the lyrics are reinventing an old hit or creating a brand new song, they demonstrate Tupac's intelligence and create an strong album overall.
Since his death in 1996, Tupac has released seven albums, and because several songs remain unreleased, don't expect the albums to stop anytime soon. However, while some of Puff Daddy's remixes of old hits seem to fill albums with easy radio-hit singles, Tupac's remakes are more genuine.
In the first single off the album, "Until the End of Time," Tupac uses the chorus from an '80s hit, "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister. Tupac's lyrics adapt the song to his own life and make the song seem like a Tupac original. "Until the End of Time" actually shows up twice on the album, as the second disc contains the RP remix. The song has an overall dark feeling as Tupac says, "Perhaps I was addicted to tha dark side/ Somewhere inside my childhood I missed my heart die... My attitude got me walkin' solo/ Ride out alone in my low-low/ Watchin' tha whole world move in slow mo/ For quite times and steer fearless to tha ocean."
Tupac's player attitude shines through in his song "Thug N U Thug N Me," which also has two different versions, one on each disc. As a self-proclaimed player, Tupac obviously had his way with women. The lyrics of "Thug N U Thug N Me" are playful and flirty like "Owwwh I'm excited/ Cuz it's a party in my bedroom, you're invited." With K-Ci and Jo Jo singing alongside Tupac, the song is strong.
In the song, "When Thugs Cry," Tupac laments about the thug lifestyle to which he became accustomed. He says, "Still homie keep it real, how does it feel?/ to loose your life over somethin' you did as a kid/ you all alone no communication, back on the phone/ don't get along with you pops and plus, your moms is gone/ Where did we go wrong?" The thoughtful lyrics show Tupac's talent as a poet and rapper.
"When Thugs Cry" is an emotional song, but the album carefully mixes fun party hits alongside the deep tracks. "N**** Nature," featuring little Mo, has an upbeat tempo with light-hearted lyrics. The song is similar to "It's All About You" from Tupac's album "All Eyez on Me."
In another deep song on the album, "F***** with the wrong N****," Tupac explains how his thug lifestyle is a direct result of his upbringing. He says, "God forgive me for my lifestyle/ A negative figure/ But why they f**king with the wrong n****? ... I was raised by thugs/ Schooled by killers/ Learned my mathematic skills from real drug dealers."
Overall, the album's lyrics provide a strength that is noticably lacking in several current rappers. Tupac's talent as a poet is unmatched. On one hand, it is sad that someone with such intelligence could not escape the lifestyle that surrounded him. However, it was that very lifestyle that inspired Tupac's poetry.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, April 24, 2001
