me against the world album cover 500 x 500

The music itself stands up to Hip Hop’s finest, not only for the strength of its lyricism, memorability of its production, or conviction of its content but for the intriguing duality (word to The Fresh Prince) of Tupac Amaru Shakur.Įach of his preceding solo albums can be heard on The 7 Day Theory, though the album retains a unique juxtaposition of otherworldly intensity and humble sentimentality. The album’s staying power as a conversation piece is a testament to its greatness. recently tried to convince the public that 2Pac was still alive, and while his attempts clearly were a hoax, the fact that his claims made headlines two-plus decades after ‘Pac’s death is owed in part to The 7 Day Theory’s ambiguity. These elements have had conspiracy theorists running wild for 22 years, and no album has inspired such fervent debate over its contextual meaning like The 7 Day Theory. While he included the disclaimer “This portrait is in no way an expression of disrespect for Jesus Christ,” fans and even critics pondered if the artwork was signifying a potential return.

As if that weren’t enough, the album’s cover featured ‘Pac being crucified. The album’s first moments also raised eyebrows, as ‘Pac is heard saying “Shoulda shot me,” which sounds eerily like “Suge shot me,” a would-be reference to Death Row Records owner Marion “Suge” Knight. The new moniker made fans question whether or not ‘Pac was somewhere on a beach living the sweet life. 2Pac had read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli while incarcerated and knew the author had faked his own death to fool his enemies. Just two months after ‘Pac had been killed, the album was released under the alias “Makaveli.” The album was littered with conspiracy-theory fodder. If the beef was as dramatically Shakespearean as it seems and the music was its soundtrack, The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya,” and 2Pac’s “Hit Em Up,” were the catalysts of the story, ‘Pac’s All Eyez On Me was the rising action and The 7 Day Theory was the climax (with Biggie’s Life After Death as the falling action, and Black Star’s call for peace on “Definition” as the musical resolution.) However, it’s important to note how shaken up the rap world was when 2Pac died after being gunned down in Las Vegas in September 1996. Retreading the Death Row Records/Bad Boy Records beef is beyond gratuitous. To understand the depths of The 7 Day Theory is to recognize the controversy that led up to and followed its release.

There have been albums of higher quality or heavier influence, but no album in rap’s lore carries the same magnitude as the last 2Pac album that was (mostly) finished while he was alive.

The album went 4x Platinum before the turn of the century, but record sales only begin to state its impact. All figures reflect the value as collected at the time of the artist’s respective articles.2Pac’s, rather Makaveli’s, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory turns 22 years old today and it’s past time to recognize the album as the greatest in Hip Hop history.

Please keep in mind that some artists are missing, because their analysis has not been done yet. Compilations, lives and box sets are not considered here. Albums Ranking – Raw sales – Studio albums

Me against the world album cover 500 x 500