Me Against the World | ||||
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Studio album by 2Pac | ||||
Released | March 14, 1995 | |||
Recorded | 1994 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 65:57 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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2Pac chronology | ||||
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Singles from Me Against the World | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
Entertainment Weekly | B− |
Los Angeles Times | |
Q | |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Select | 4/5 |
The Source | 4/5 |
The Village Voice | C+ |
Me Against the World is the third studio album by American hip hop artist 2Pac. It was released March 14, 1995 on the Interscope Records label. Drawing lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and poverty, the record is described as 2Pac's most introspective album. Steve Huey of AllMusic noted that with Me Against the World, the rapper became markedly more "confessional", "reflective", and "soul-baring".
Me Against the World, released while Shakur was imprisoned, made an immediate impact on the charts, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. This made Shakur the first artist to have an album debut at number one on Billboard 200 while serving time in prison. The album served as one of Shakur's most positively reviewed albums, with many calling it the magnum opus of his career, and is considered one of the greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all-time.Me Against the World won best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards.
In 1993, Tupac Shakur was already a success in the hip hop industry, with two gold-certified singles that reached the top twenty on the pop charts ("I Get Around", "Keep Ya Head Up"), and a platinum-selling sophomore album that would peak just inside the top twenty-five of the Billboard 200 (Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.). However, the 22-year-old artist had a series of incidents and charges of breaking the law. In the summer of 1993, Shakur was charged for assaulting director Allen Hughes while filming Menace II Society; Shakur was later sentenced to fifteen days in jail. Later, in October 1993, Shakur was charged with shooting two off-duty police officers in Atlanta, though the charges would eventually be dismissed. In November, Shakur and two members of his entourage were charged with sexually assaulting a female fan, for which, 2Pac was the main person who was found guilty of sexual assault charges, including sodomy. He was sentenced to 1.5 to 4.5 years' incarceration, time which was spent both in Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, and Rikers Island in New York City. According to Shakur, the album was made to show the hip hop audience his respect for the art form. Lyrically, Shakur intentionally tried to make the album more personal and reflective than his previous efforts.