Pac's Life Explained

Pac's Life
Type:studio
Artist:2Pac
Cover:2pac-Pac's_Life.jpg
Border:yes
Recorded:
  • 1995–1996 (vocals: 2Pac & Yaki Kadafi) (production: "Soon As I Get Home")
  • 2005–2006 (production, guest vocals)
Studio:Can-Am Studios (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
Prev Title:Live at the House of Blues
Prev Year:2005
Next Title:Best of 2Pac
Next Year:2007

Pac's Life is the tenth and final studio album, and sixth posthumous album by American rapper 2Pac, released on November 21, 2006 on Amaru Entertainment. The album serves as Shakur's tenth and final studio album since Amaru Entertainment completed the redo of Shakur's original discography, from 2Pacalypse Now to The 7 Day Theory. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart.

Background

Shakur's vocals were recorded during his time spent on Death Row Records, excluding the two bonus tracks found on the UK and JP editions of the album. Of all the songs featured on the album, including the bonus tracks, only one song—"Soon As I Get Home"—is in its original, un-altered form, all others being remixes with updated beats and features. A broad range of artists contributed to the album, including Outlawz, Krayzie Bone, Snoop Dogg, Chamillionaire, Ludacris, A-3, Big Syke, Papoose, Keyshia Cole, Jay Rock, Young Buck, Ashanti, T.I., Lil' Scrappy, Nipsey Hussle, three posthumous appearances by Kadafi, and Jamal Woolard, who became famous for portraying The Notorious B.I.G. in the 2009 biopic Notorious and in the 2017 biopic All Eyez on Me.

The album's title track and lead single features singer Ashanti and fellow rapper T.I.. The two featured artists also participated in the filming of the song's music video, filmed at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts. The World Premiere of "Pac's Life" was on at 7:30 PM on BET's Access Granted on Wednesday, November 22. The video was also featured on BET's behind-the-scenes filming of "Pac's Life".

Promotion

The album was recorded in Van Nuys, California. A week of events was conducted for the celebration of the release. It kicked off on Saturday November 11 at the Vaknin Gallery with "All Eyez On Me: Hip-Hop's Legendary Performers and Photographers," where photographers displayed their material. On Tuesday November 14, at the same venue, a VIP party previewing Pac's Life took place from 7:00pm – 10:00pm. The events were then shifted to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (TASCA) where coat drives were held on Wednesday, November 15 and Friday, November 17 everyone who brought a winter coat received two admission tickets to the Pac's Life album release party. On Monday November 20, a "Pac's Life Teen Art" competition took place from 6-8 PM, where children ages 13–17 competed in an art exhibit contest.

Critical reception

Reviews from critics and fans were mixed, with the general consensus being that while 2Pac's vocals were undoubtedly strong, the modern production sounded commercialized. AllMusic wrote: "This isn't to say that there is not some great material on Pac's Life, because there is ..., but the power of 2Pac's words is often lost behind the modern production ... and new verses from artists like Ludacris, Lil Scrappy, Ashanti, and Young Buck."[1]

Commercial performance

Pac's Life debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 159,000 copies in its first week.[2] This became 2Pac's tenth US top-ten album and his seventh posthumous album to reach the top-ten.[2]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2006–2007)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[3] 76
French Albums (SNEP)[4] 83
German Albums (GfK)71
Irish Albums (IRMA)[5] 71
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[6] 75
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] 62
US Billboard 200[8] 9
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)3
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)3

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)Position
US Billboard 200[9] 124
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 43
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[11] 21

Release history

CountryRelease date
AustraliaNovember 18, 2006
EuropeNovember 20, 2006
United StatesNovember 21, 2006
Japan[12] December 13, 2006

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pac's Life - 2Pac. AllMusic. December 2, 2018.
  2. Jay-Z Reclaims His 'Kingdom' With No. 1 Debut. Billboard. November 29, 2006. March 1, 2020.
  3. 287.
  4. Web site: 2 Pac - Pac's Life . lescharts.com . March 4, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110908014607/http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=2+Pac&titel=Pac%27s+Life&cat=a . September 8, 2011 .
  5. Web site: GFK Chart-Track . Chart-track.co.uk . March 4, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120607004132/http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240002&arch=t&lyr=2007&year=2007&week=6 . June 7, 2012 . dead .
  6. Web site: 2Pac – 'Pac's Life' Ranking . . ja . January 1, 2007 . March 3, 2021.
  7. Web site: Steffen Hung . 2 Pac - Pac's Life . hitparade.ch . September 28, 2007 . March 4, 2012.
  8. (((Pac's Life > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums)))
  9. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007. Billboard. December 5, 2018.
  10. YEAR-END CHARTS RAP ALBUMS 2007. Billboard. June 30, 2019.
  11. YEAR-END CHARTS RAP ALBUMS 2007. Billboard. June 30, 2019.
  12. Web site: Pac's Life.