| The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Makaveli (2Pac) | ||||||||||
| Released | November 5, 1996 | |||||||||
| Recorded | Can-Am Studios Los Angeles, California August 1996 |
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| Genre | West Coast hip hop, political hip hop, gangsta rap | |||||||||
| Length | 59:24 | |||||||||
| Label | Death Row/Interscope Records | |||||||||
| Producer | Simon (exec.), Darryl Harper, Hurt-M-Badd, Makaveli, Reggie Moore, Dametrius Ship, Troy Staton |
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| Professional reviews | ||||||||||
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| Makaveli (2Pac) chronology | ||||||||||
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The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is the final album by Tupac Shakur, under the new stage name Makaveli, finished before his death and the first to be released after his death. Shakur had complete creative input on the album from the name of the album to the cover which Tupac chose to symbolize how the media had crucified him. The album was completely finished in a total of seven days during the month of August 1996[2]. The lyrics were written and recorded in only three days and mixing took an additional four days. These are among the very last songs he recorded before his fatal shooting on September 7, 1996.
Although The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released almost two months after his death, on November 5, 1996, it is not a true posthumous album in the way that the later 2Pac albums are since he completed the album before his death. It has been recognized as a classic by many critics and fans.[3]
In 2005, MTV.com ranked The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory at #9 on their greatest hip hop album of all time list.[4] The emotion and anger showcased on the album has been admired by a large part of the hip-hop community, including other rappers[5]. The album made its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 663,000 copies in the first week.
Contents |
Concept
Shakur chose to release this album under the name "Makaveli", a pseudonym derived from the Italian political writer Niccolò Machiavelli. Shakur was inspired by Machiavelli's works, including The Prince which he had read while in prison. Shakur decided to create the pseudonym to express "raw emotion".[6]
While All Eyez on Me was considered by Shakur "A celebration of life", The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is a much darker album, considered one of the timeless classics not only in Shakur's discography, but also in rap as it had a profound impact on the social and cultural aspects of hip-hop. Makaveli's style of rapping is still emotional, but is intensified throughout this album. Some songs on the album contain both subtle and direct insults to Shakur's rivals at the height of the East Coast-West Coast feud. Rappers insulted by Shakur include The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, Nas, Jay-Z & Dr. Dre. Although Shakur insulted rapper Nas on "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and "Against All Odds", Shakur told Nas that the bad blood was over between them. It has been said that Shakur was going to erase the insults about Nas and instead include a collaboration with him on the album, tragically however, Shakur was killed several days later in Las Vegas, amid sparks of controversy and finger-pointing. It is worth noting that rapper Young Noble, who appeared on several songs on The 7 Day Theory, stated in an interview that the Nas song "I Gave You Power" served as a main inspiration for Shakur's "Me and My Girlfriend."[7] Long time friend and producer Shock G recounted: and in the "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)" the first 3 seconds Shakur states "Shoulda shot me," which has been incorrectly reiterated by a certain portion of the hip hop population as "Suge shot me," due to the low volume of the voice.
| “ | In the studio, we were working. We talked about music, and he was so excited to play you his new shit, I'd try to tell what I liked about All Eyez on Me and he's like, "Yeah, yeah, I did that for Suge. Listen to this..." and he put Makaveli on. There was too much bad shit going on to be hashing that shit. You could see it in his eyes, he didn't want to talk about it no more, and you didn't even wanna bring it up.[8] | ” |
Recording sessions
Only six months after the release of his successful double-opus, All Eyez on Me, Shakur began work on The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. The album was written and recorded at the Can-Am Studios in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California over 3 days in the month of August 1996. During those three days 20 songs were completed, 12 of which made the final product. The album did not feature the star-studded guest list that All Eyez on Me did. Most of the guest verses are supplied by Shakur's group The Outlawz. The only verse that was not from one of The Outlawz was from Bad Azz. Young Noble of The Outlawz recalls:
| “ | We was supposed to be on that song, but we took too long with our verse. Bad Azz was up in there chilling with us. 'Pac used to like Bad Azz; he had a nice flow. And 'Pac threw Bad Azz up on there and I'm glad he did, 'cause Bad Azz did his thing on that muthafucka. That's one of those classic 'Pac songs, too. "Time goes by puffing on la got a nigga going crazy..." We had started writing the shit and we was taking long. 'Pac was like, "Who got something? Bad Azz you got something?" and it fit perfect, so it was meant for Bad Azz to be on that song. We had already been on a million 'Pac songs. That was his way of motivating us like, "If y'all ain't ready, then you don't make the song." That's why some songs you might hear one on there or you might hear two or you might hear three. 'Cause when the song got just about done, if niggas ain't have no verse, we were scratching that and going to the next song. 'Pac was surrounded by a lot of controversy, and a lot of people be thinking he that way, but that dude was really all about love, yo. He loved his family, he loved the kids and he loved black people to death. That dude was really all about love. That's why the streets love him. Through all that shit, through all the beefing... when I think about 'Pac I don't think about none of that shit, I think about love. This nigga had so much love in his heart it was ridiculous, and you hear that shit in his music.[9] | ” |
Production
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory has also gained praise for its production. Although many of Shakur's usual producers were not involved in the project, the producers still managed to come through for the project. The only producer Shakur had worked with prior to this album was QD3, the son of Quincy Jones and brother of Shakur's fiancé Kidada Jones. Shakur also co-produces three tracks on the album. The other two producers were Hurt M Badd and Darryl "Big D" Harper. E.D.I. of The Outlawz recalls:
| “ | It was crazy at Death Row at the time. You had Snoop, Daz, and all of them on one side of the studio and you had us on the other side. At this point in the game there was a lot of bad tension going on. Niggas wasn't really feeling each other. So it was real cliquish. Like, I'm going to stay with my click, you stay with your click. I don't want you fucking with my producers.
At the time, we wasn't fucking with (principle All Eyez on Me producer) Johnny "J" no more. We was looking for a whole new sound. At the time Hurt M Badd, who was just and up-and-coming producer at Death Row, and Darryl Harper, who was an R&B producer - Suge had him working on all the R&B projects - they had a green room up in Can-Am (Studios) which everybody around Death Row called the "wack room" because they said "Ain't nothing but wack shit come out of there." But we was up in the studio one day and we trying to get music done - ain't none of us producers - we see them two niggas in the "Wack room" and 'Pac like, "Go get them niggas." So niggas go bring them, 'Pac just putting niggas to work like, "I need a beat here, I need y'all to do this, do that." And these are niggas that nobody at Death Row was fucking with. They'll tell you themselves.[10] |
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Track listing
| # | Title | Performer(s) | Producers(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)" |
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Makaveli; Darrell Harper | 4:56 |
| 2 | "Hail Mary" |
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Hurt-M-Badd | 5:09 |
| 3 | "Toss It Up" |
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Demetrius Meech Shipp | 5:06 |
| 4 | "To Live & Die in L.A." |
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QDIII | 4:33 |
| 5 | "Blasphemy" |
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Hurt-M-Badd | 4:38 |
| 6 | "Life of an Outlaw" |
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Makaveli; Darrell Harper | 4:55 |
| 7 | "Just Like Daddy" |
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Hurt-M-Badd | 5:07 |
| 8 | "Krazy" |
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Darrell Harper | 5:15 |
| 9 | "White Man'z World" |
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Darrell Harper | 5:38 |
| 10 | "Me and My Girlfriend"** |
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Makaveli; Hurt-M-Badd ; Darrell Harper | 5:08 |
| 11 | "Hold Ya Head" |
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Hurt-M-Badd | 3:58 |
| 12 | "Against All Odds" |
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Makaveli, Hurt-M-Badd | 4:37 |
Credits
- Tupac Shakur: Performer, Writer, Producer
- Hurt-M-Badd: Producer, Vocalist
- Darrell Harper: Producer
- QD3: Producer
- Dametrius Shipp: Producer/writer
- Outlawz: Performer, Writer
- E.D.I. Mean: Performer, Writer
- Yaki Kadafi: Performer, Writer
- Napoleon: Performer, Writer
- Young Noble: Performer, Writer
- Hussein Fatal: Performer, Writer
- Kastro: Performer, Writer
- Bad Azz: Performer, Writer
- K-Ci & JoJo: Vocalist
- Val Young: Vocalist
- Prince Ital Joe: Vocalist
- Danny Boy: Vocalist
- Lance Pierre: Assistant Engineer
Chart and singles history
Chart positions from Billboard magazine (North America)
Album Chart Positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1996 | The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory | 1 | 1 |
Singles
| Single information |
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"To Live & Die in L.A."
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"Hail Mary"
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"Toss It Up"
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References
- ^ XXL (2007). "Retrospective: XXL Albums". XXL Magazine, December 2007 issue.
- ^ October 2003 XXL Magazine
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/2006/emcees/index10.jhtml
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/2005/greatest_albums_0505/index3.jhtml
- ^ October 2006 XXL
- ^ Tupac Shakur Legacy published by Atria Books, 2006
- ^ 2Pac, The Making of Makaveli, the 7 Day Theory, XXL Magazine
- ^ Tupac: A Thug Life published by Plexus Books, 2005, ISBN 0-85965-375-7' Pg 29
- ^ XXL Magazine October 2003 Page 118
- ^ XXL Magazine October 2003 Page 111
- REDIRECT 10<10>http://www.mvremix.com/urban/reviews/2002/makaveli.shtml</10>
External links
| Preceded by Anthology 3 by The Beatles |
Billboard 200 number-one album November 23 - December 30, 1996 |
Succeeded by Tha Doggfather by Snoop Doggy Dogg |
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