"HONORABLE MENTION"

     Take a second and refer to your "mental rolodex". Now see if you could pull up the tattoos you've most often seen duplicated. I guarantee ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME finished near the top of your list. Coincidently, the rapper whom some consider responsible for this, would also finish near the top of the list for G.O.A.T. This week marks the twentieth  year anniversary of the release of Tupac's All Eyes on Me (February 13, 1996) on which the song "Only GOD Can Judge Me" was featured. So for those of you who may have overlooked the significance of this album, for random reasons, allow me the pleasure of adjusting your rear view mirror so that we may take a look back at a great moment in hip hop.
    Do understand that this was a double disc made up of entirely original material, the first of its kind in hip hop history. Before anyone down plays this by assuming this could easily be achieved, I would quickly advise you to reconsider. This isn't the same as a couple of iPads full of verses that your favorite rapper has on standby. Neither should you make an attempt to place any double disc release parallel to Pac's in hopes of comparing them. The difference would simply be- QUALITY OF CONTEXT. Tupac basically barricaded himself in the studio for several hours at a time and emerged with a gem in less than a month. There were no "dance jingles" included to possibly boost radio play. It wasn't an album full of A-list features geared to trick the masses into giving it a listen. There were references to money,women, and drugs but not highlighted in a matter where it became the focal point. Real issues, real experiences, real emotions expressed through verses that gave us what we crave the most from hip-hop...the ability to RELATE.
    Right off the back Pac puts his adversaries on notice with "Ambitions Az A Ridah." From the moment the beat drops and you here Micheal Buffer's voice in the background "Lets get ready to rumble," there's a surge of adrenaline as you anticipate the heat that follows. Its the rap equivalent to James Brown's "The Big Payback." All throughout the first disc there's rap genius sprinkled over underrated beats that hold you mentally hostage to the point that you almost felt like it was your story being told instead of Pac's. He also seemed to bring out the best in the featured artist on disc one who weren't exactly household names. This is strikingly evident in the track "Tradin War Stories" where both C-Bo and Dramacydle deliver above-par, short and to the point verses, that ensure no drop-off of momentum throughout. To me that just lends to the brilliance of it all. Pac entrusted some very unusual suspects in the making of a masterpiece.
    Disc two doesn't let up, in fact it steps it up just a notch with a couple of  bangers that become instant classics. The title track All Eyes On Me awakes the sleeping giant inside of you. Kind of like he's saying "not only am I not going to shrink under the spotlight, ima stand 10 feet tall in it." It's that head high, chest out, Nino Brown/Scarface feeling of invincibility. Next up is "Picture Me Rollin" where the title basically speaks for itself. Its a combination of redemption and revenge laced shout outs. He's burning a visual image inside the minds of those who celebrated his downfall or made an attempt to hinder his progress. How beautiful is that? Placing your success firmly in the view of your enemies, giving them no option to look away.
    There's so much more to cover, but to breakdown every track would only do it an injustice. Only the personal experience of hearing it flowing through your own ears allows you to give this album the kudos it deserves. So take some time in the near future to not only pay homage but bless yourself with some classic material that's sure to inspire. Regardless of how you feel about the messenger, you can't ignore the rhyme and reason for the message portrayed in All Eyes On Me.
                                                     
                                                                 M*R-PERIOD