Happy 30th Anniversary to Thug Life’s debut & only studio album Thug Life: Volume 1, originally released September 26, 1994.
Tupac “2Pac” Amaru Shakur was a man of big ideas and big ambitions. As perhaps the most studied and documented rapper in hip-hop history, one theme that constantly appears through the chronicles of his life and music is that he saw himself as a man of the people and took it as a personal mission to speak out for the downtrodden and forgotten.
2Pac also believed in strength in numbers. As a member of the Digital Underground crew, he knew about the power of many voices speaking towards one purpose. Perhaps it’s one of the reasons that he sounded as motivated as he ever did on Thug Life’s Thug Life: Volume 1 group project, released 30 years ago. Speaking as a member of the crew and backed up by family and like-minded emcees, the album is one of the best endeavors he was ever a part of.
Thug Life: Volume 1 was released during an era when 2Pac was at the height of his musical powers. Starting with his second album, Strictly 4 My N****Z… (1993) and until Me Against The World (1995), his third solo project, he put out a lot of consistently dope music. However, it was also a period of serious personal turmoil. He dealt with many legal issues, stemming from his assault of Director Allen Hughes, his involvement in a shootout with two off-duty police officers, and his trial for the sexual abuse of a fan. Somewhere in between, he conceptualized and recorded Thug Life: Volume 1.
Thug Life made its debut with “Pour Out A Little Liquor,” which appeared on the Above The Rim soundtrack (1994). The song, which is also on Thug Life: Volume 1, features 2Pac mourning fallen friends and locked-down comrades. At the time, it was a little odd to hear a 2Pac song billed under another name, especially on a soundtrack that featured numerous other 2Pac solo tracks. Still, it was one of the better songs on a revered soundtrack, and it set the stage for the forthcoming full-length.
According to interviews with various members of the collective, “Thug Life” was not originally intended to be a group per se. It was the brainchild of 2Pac, Mopreme Shakur (Pac’s stepbrother), and Randy “Big Stretch” Walker. Stretch (R.I.P.) was a New York-born rapper/producer who was good friends with Pac and one half of The Live Squad. The three envisioned a Thug Life album as a compilation, featuring appearances from many like-minded rappers. Their label Interscope Records pitched the idea of it becoming a set group.
Along with Pac, Thug Life’s ranks included Mopreme, Tyruss “Big Syke” Himes (R.I.P.), Dirion “Macadoshis” Rivers, and Walter “Rated R” Burns. All had burgeoning rap careers. Mopreme had dropped a verse as “Mocedes the Mellow” on Tony! Toni! Toné!’s hit single “Feels Good” and had appeared on Pac’s previous albums under the Wycked moniker. Syke had recorded an album as part of the group Evil Minded Gangstas in the early 1990s. Macadoshis and Rated R had formed their own group Double Jeopardy; the pair had linked up with 2Pac through their manager, Coolio (R.I.P.). Though they each had envisioned finding success as separate entities, they had a strong chemistry together, which helps carry Thug Life: Volume 1.
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As far as lyricism, Pac is the most talented member of the group. He leads off every track that he appears on and gets multiple solo exhibitions on the album. He rhymes with a certain confidence and energy that is not present on some of his other solo material. The other members of the group, particularly Mopreme, are capable as well, but Pac’s individual charisma carries much of the long player. The group uses multiple producers, with Thug Music (the team of Stretch and Pac) creating many of the album’s best offerings.
Numerous members of the group have since said a lot of the songs intended for Thug Life: Volume 1 didn’t end up on the album. In 1994, major labels, particularly Warner Brothers (who distributed the Interscope imprint) were under fire from right-wing politicians and anti-rap activists. These entities seemingly constantly bombarded the label and its board, threatening boycotts for promoting albums that contained violent content and what they framed as anti-police rhetoric. Hence, in the post-“Cop Killer” world, Warner Bros. was still very cautious about the lyrics that appear on their hip-hop slate.
As a result, the project’s planned first single, the firmly anti-establishment “Out On Bail,” was excised, even after the group had performed the song at the 1994 Source Awards. “Runnin’ From The Police,” featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Buju Banton, met a similar fate (it was also scrapped from Me Against The World for similar reasons). The latter eventually appeared on the One Million Strong compilation (1995), but all mentions of “police,” “officers,” and “cops” were censored. In the years that followed, the song has been remixed and re-released many times.
Even with all the material removed, Thug Life is still an effective album. There may not be as much emphasis on the institutions that systematically oppress the Black population in the United States, but there are still tales of grief, loss, hardship, and desperation. The album’s focus is more personal and allows 2Pac and crew to play to their strengths.
The album-opening “Bury Me A G” showcases these strengths. All five emcees describe living on the edge, engaging in behavior that’s all but guaranteed to shorten their life span, resigned to the fact that they’re going to die on their own terms. The track, produced by Thug Music (the team of 2Pac and Big Stretch) features a banging drum track and one of the best usages of a sample from the Isley Brothers’ classic “For The Love Of You.”
Honoring the dead is a recurring theme throughout Thug Life: Volume 1. “How Long Will They Mourn Me,” the album’s second single, pays respect to Big Kato, a long-time friend of the crew. The pain and anguish reverberate through their verses, as they all express their disbelief at the loss of their compatriot. The track, produced by Warren G, is built around a sample of One Way’s “Don’t Stop (Ever Loving Me).” For some reason, the track is mixed in a strange fashion, so that the hook, delivered by Nate Dogg, is almost drowned out by the music.
“Shit Don’t Stop” contrasts an upbeat musical background with deadly serious content. The group describes the omnipresent threat of violence they cope with on a daily basis over a loop of Parliament’s “Aqua Boogie.” “Under Pressure” is a grim two-hander featuring Pac and Stretch, with the pair on the edge and seeking for ways to cope with the constant death and misery that surrounds them. “I'm stressed, smokin' weed and nicotine,” 2Pac raps. “But what a n***a really need is Thorazine.”
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“Cradle To The Grave” has the crew each detailing the hardships that they’ve faced since birth. What appears on Thug Life is a remixed version of the song. The track originally appeared as a B-side to 2Pac’s “Papa’z Song” single earlier that year, which was the earliest appearance of the entire crew on one song. Whereas the original had a much darker feel, producer Pro-Jay and Big Styke’s remix leans into the g-funk sound. The switch in mood doesn’t suit the track as well, but the verses still convey the pain and frustration of being born into a world where you’ve never had a chance.
Amidst all of these tales of loss, songs like “Stay True” provide a necessary respite. The track, built around a sample of Curtis Mayfield’s “Just Want To Be With You,” is a great and unheralded mid 1990s rider track, and sounds great while driving on the open highway on a sunny day.
The album-ending “Straight Ballin” is another 2Pac solo exhibition. Produced by Easy Mo Bee, the track is a four-verse epic, with Pac resigned to “live life its fullest,” even as he believes he’s living on borrowed time. Moe Bee makes excellent use of a sample from Bootsy Collins’ “What’s a Telephone Bill?”, speeding up the original material and incorporating vocals from the track for the hook.
Thug Life as an entity didn’t survive long after Volume 1’s release, as things got even more tumultuous for 2Pac. Days before his conviction for sexual abuse, he survived a shooting at Quad Studios in Manhattan, and then was incarcerated soon after. After Pac was bailed out by Suge Knight and signed to Death Row Records, he took an interest in Tha Outlawz collective. Though the crew’s ranks included Mopreme and Big Syke, it was mostly made up of younger emcees who 2Pac sought to mentor.
Things didn’t go particularly well for members of the Thug Life collective after the group’s dissolution. Pac, Big Syke, and Stretch are all dead, the former two tragically killed by gunfire. Rated R is currently incarcerated in San Quentin, convicted of double homicide. Mopreme and Macadoshis are both free and alive, but have seemingly retired from their rap careers. It sadly mirrors many of the themes showcased across Thug Life: Volume 1, where so many young Black men live fast and burn bright, knowing that it can all come to an end in a flash. Thug Life: Volume 1 exists as a monument to these extinguished voices, showing that while life can be short, the music and message can last forever.
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