Until The End Of Time [PA]

Performer: 2Pac
Artist: K-Ci & JoJo; The Outlawz; RL; Lil' Mo; Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez; The Outlaws; SKG; E.D.I.; Big Syke; Thug Life; Above The Law; J. Valentine; Richard Page
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: 2Pac (rap vocals); Capucine (vocals); Left Eye, Outlaws (rap vocals); "DJ Quik" (various instruments); Greg Dalton (guitar, keyboards); Cold 187 um, Marlon Williams, Darrell Crooks, Danny Devoux, Eric Jackson, George Johnson, Eddie "Spanky" Alford (guitar); Ronnie King (keyboards); Corney Mims (bass); Carl "Butch" Small (percussion); KCi & Jo Jo, R.L., Lil Mo, 6 Feet Deep, Tiffany Villarrea, Honey, Tena Jones, Barbara Wilson, Tracy Hardin, Timothy, Channete Higgens, Channoah Higgens, Ta'He, Shiro, Vanessa (background vocals). Producers include: Johnny "J", LT Hutton, Mike Mosley, Tyrone Wrice, Kurt "Kobane" Couthon. Engineers include: Keston E. Wright, Ian Boxill, Ethan Mates. Includes liner notes by Afeni Shakur. Personnel: 2Pac (vocals); Six Feet Deep (vocals); George Johnson , Greg Dalton, Marlon Williams (guitar); Cold 187um, Ronnie King (keyboards); Honey, Barbara Wilson (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Ian Boxill; Claudio Cueni; Cold 187um; Crooked 1; Brian Springer. Audio Remixers: Jamie Jones; Martin Kember; Eric Rico; Jason Pennock. Recording information: CA And O'Henry, Burbank, CA; Can Am Studios, Tarzana, CA; Paramount Recording Studios, West Hollywood, CA; QD3 Soundlab, Northridge, CA; Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA; Skip Saylor, Los Angeles, CA; UNI Studios, Atlanta, GA. Unknown Contributor Role: DJ Quik. Arranger: Cold 187um. The fourth album released in the wake of 2Pac's 1996 death, Until the End of Time certainly offers plenty of music, two discs' worth to be precise, although the songs here seem overdone, which can obscure 2Pac's performances. Nevertheless, those performances somehow remain remarkable no matter how deep into the vault Afeni Shakur and Suge Knight have dug, and songs like "Letter 2 My Unborn," "When Thugz Cry," and the title track are just as heartfelt as "Keep Ya Head Up," "Dear Mama," and "I Ain't Mad at Cha" had been. The title track is one of 2Pac's most desperate, spirited performances ever -- the voice of a man face to face with his own fate -- and it's accompanied by an anxious yet lulling interpolation of Mr. Mister's 1985 pop hit "Broken Wings" that is far more affective than you'd imagine. Note that there are two versions here of the title track (the best one being the original one, which features RL on the hook), as there are also two versions of a few other songs, and these remixes are nearly interchangeable. ~ Jason Birchmeier The fourth album released in the wake of 2Pac's 1996 death, Until the End of Time certainly offers plenty of music, two discs' worth to be precise, yet doesn't offer too many highlights besides the chilling title track. As with many of 2Pac's posthumous recordings, the songs here seem overdone, too often dressed up with layers upon layers of production, choruses of background vocals, and a seemingly endless parade of guests. All of this over-production obscures 2Pac's performances, which somehow remain remarkable no matter how deep into the vault Afeni Shakur and Suge Knight have dug. Songs like "Letter 2 My Unborn," "When Thugz Cry," and the title track are just as heartfelt as "Keep Ya Head Up," "Dear Mama," and "I Ain't Mad at Cha" had been, but unfortunately they're marred by radio-oriented production that's too glossy for such stark, literate lyrics. The title track is somewhat of an exception, though. It's one of 2Pac's most desperate, spirited performances ever -- the voice of a man face to face with his own fate -- and it's accompanied by an anxious yet lulling interpolation of Mr. Mister's 1985 pop hit "Broken Wings" that is far more affective than you'd imagine. Note, however, that there are two versions here of the title track (the best one being the original one, which features RL on the hook), as there are also two versions of a few other songs. These nearly interchangeable remixes function as little more than filler, particularly since the production throughout Until the End of Time is rarely noteworthy. What at first seems like an epic recording, offering 19 tracks in total, consequently seems as overdone as the production. Had this album been pared down to the length of a single disc, it could be an exhilarating listen; as it stands, though, Until the End of Time is a mishmash -- too short on standouts like the title track and too loaded with dressed-up, guest-laden over-production -- that you'll find yourself fast-forwarding through far more often than you'd prefer. ~ Jason Birchmeier This two-disc posthumous collection of previously unreleased tracks from '95 and '96 contains many poignant and prescient cuts, notable for their premonitions of early death and the inevitable outcome of a life lived on the edges of society. 2Pac's murder in 1997 spawned the usual macabre industry that surrounds prominent deceased figures, but UNTIL THE END OF TIME, with its touching liner notes from the rap star's mother, the former Black Panther Afeni Shakur, is a well-assembled collection. It features guest appearances from Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, KCi & Jo Jo, and the Outlawz among others, all of whom lend their unique talents to a collection of songs that serves to underscore the loss suffered by the rap community on 2Pac's death. Highlights include "Ballad of a Dead Soulja" and the epic, prophetic title track, which features quotes from Mr. Mister's '80s hit "Broken Wings."

Entertainment Weekly (4/20/01, p.72) - "...At his best, 2pac elevated gangsta boasts into poetic, sorrow-filled ruminations on thug life..." - Rating: B

Beginning his career in the early 1990s as a member of the Oakland rap-funksters Digital Underground, 2Pac rose to become perhaps the single most controversial figure in rap music, easily equal in popularity and notoriety to Snoop Dogg on the West Coast and sometime rival Notorious B.I.G. out East. Taking his moniker from a South American revolutionary, 2Pac managed to embrace themes of black self-determination and social conscience without dulling the edge of his thug image. Achieving almost unrivalled popularity while alive, 2Pac had a penchant for religious and iconic motifs, ensuring his status as a rap martyr after his murder in 1996.

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