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better dayz review - moflow7 lyrics

(from my site https://moflow7.wordpress.com/)

during my eighth grade year, i was digging through my parents’ old boxes when i discovered 2pac shakur’s better dayz album, this still-intact two-disc cd case. from that day, better dayz was everywhere with me, as i also had a cd player to listen to this album (uncovered in the box as well). in this current age of ipods and mp3s, of 2 chainz and drake, i had an ancient device that i valued like a diamond in the rough, obsessed over an album my peers knew or cared nothing for (when i was an eighth grader, i obviously had a wild social life)

i didn’t care. sure, i listened to and loved rappers (post-blueprint jay-z, eminem, t.i., and (regrettably) lil wayne), but better dayz was the first album i cherished, sparking a deeper p-ssion for music than i once possessed. it would be disgraceful for me to not review this album before any other because, without this, i would have little love for rap (if at all). without further delay, here’s my track-by-track review of better dayz.

disc 1

1. intro – this is the best way to begin an album. a reporter is at the unveiling of better dayz and she wonders where the songs are coming from since, you know, pac was dead and all when this album was made. the fans in the background chant “tu-pac! tu-pac!” before they all count down the seconds for the release of better dayz.

2. still ballin’ – this is the first official song on the album, and it’s a mediocre one, lasting under three minutes, possessing a good-but-not-great beat, and featuring a rapper named trick daddy. really? this is what the fans were hyped up about?

3. when we ride on our enemies – okay, this is a little better, with a beat that lets you know something amazing is about to happen, but (like “still ballin”) it’s under three minutes and is a mediocre song overall. right now, the best thing about better dayz is the intro

4. changed man – wow. this. is. amazing. the guitar instrumental is awesome, giving a laid-back mood to the song. johntá austin, this no-name singer, provides a phenomenal chorus while 2pac and t.i. (the king of the south) trade verses about how they’re, well, “changed men”. this song is easily a highlight of better dayz.

5. f–k ‘em all – and now we’re back to cr-p. oh yeah, it also featured outlawz, the duo that appeared in “me against the world”

6. never b peace – hey, this song ain’t half bad (and the beat’s pretty good, too). as i look at whose featured (some n0bodies named e.d.i and kastro), i realize this was a lot better than i expected it to be

7. mama’s just a little girl – when people think of pac’s cl-ssic ballads to the ladies, they’ll think of “dear mama” but this song was pretty good too. “mama’s just a little girl” has a soulful edge to it and 2pac raps with p-ssion on this track, but it’s kimma hill who dampens the songs brightness as she delivers a very unsatisfying chorus (there’s a reason why n0body’s heard of her). this is definitely no “dear mama”

8. street fame – not many would attribute 2pac’s legendary success to his lyricism or wordplay but, in this track, shakur simply obliterated the mic (“positive identification/ got me rushed to the station”), and rappers should really collaborate more with daz dillinger (the producer who made this song’s beat) because he is a beast. just listen to this sick piano instrumental for yourself. i’m ignoring that this song was from the `94 album thug life vol. 1 to say “street fame” is one of better dayz’s finest tracks. as pac said in this song “lyrics’ll leave you spellbound.” they sure did

9. whatcha gonna do? – you know what i’m going to do? skip this song. hey, thanks for asking

10. fair xchange – at first, i hated this track but it slowly grew on me. as for the song itself, it’s one of 2pac’s typical tracks dedicated to the ladies

11. late night – 2pac ripped apart this song’s phenomenal beat, easily the best beat i’ve heard in this album

12. ghetto star – i can’t think of a more stereotypical song t-tle and i can’t think of two more non-sensical stage names than this track’s guest rapper and producer (nutt-so and go-twice, respectively). because of this, i -ssume i’ll be listening to absolute garbage. instead, i receive this intense instrumental accompanied by a super-serious shakur, who once again brandished his lyrical excellence, providing an in-depth explanation of his struggles

13. thugz mansion (acoustic) – i never understood what was so great about this. yeah, there are some good aspects to this song (the beautiful guitar instrumental, and nas spitting fire), but 2pac’s rhymes were stolen form the original and j.phoenix submitted a very sub-par chorus. it is what it is: a good-but-not-great rendition of a hip-hop cl-ssic (which will be in disc 2)

(end of disc 1)

disc 2

1. my block – this extraordinary guitar instrumental is present as 2pac describes the struggles of the ghettos and he looks beyond that for hope. there’s also this group of little kids who form a first-cl-ss chorus. disc 2 is definitely on a great start

2. thugz mansion – over the years, i’ve listened to tons and tons of excellent songs, but this is still my all-time favorite. “thugz mansion” begins with pac inventing the idea of a heaven for thugs like him, which leads into this masterpiece. to me, the beat isn’t that impressive but that’s the one flaw i found. on ‘thugz mansion”, 2pac flaunts his lyrical excellence and injects his rhymes with unbridled p-ssion. there’s also a notable rhyme in verse 2 where shakur says “n0body cares, seen the politicians ban us/ they’d rather see us locked in chains, please explain why they can’t stand us”, an idea that kanye west expounded upon in his well-known song “new slaves”. and don’t get me started on r&b legend anthony hamilton, who explodes into this track with an unrivaled chorus. if you’re going to listen to one song on better dayz, this is it (as an eighth grader, i pushed the repeat b-tton so often that it broke)

3. never call you b–ch again – it’s another excellent guitar instrumental, and pac once again steps up his game. this song is about the rap legend gaining a newfound appreciation for the special woman who stood by him through thick and thin. tyrese gibson, who’s currently known as “that black guy” in the fast and furious franchise, is featured in this track and, while he’s definitely no anthony hamilton, he provides an amazing chorus. disc 2 of better dayz is 3-for-3; there are no cr-ppy tracks or sub-par songs as of right now

4. better dayz – the streak continues. the t-tle track features a great chorus by ron isley, a soothing, reminiscing beat, and a spectacular shakur (whose emotional performances on this album have become the norm). “better dayz” is a superb song all-around

5. u can call – we’re now 5-for-5! “u can call” is definitely a standout track in better dayz, a laid-back song about picking up women that features a phenomenal beat, the second-best beat on better dayz (“late night”, of course, is first), and an equally excellent chorus by jazze pha

6. military minds – the streak ends. i’m not saying this was a bad song. actually, it was an awesome song with an amazing beat but “military minds” died when 2pac continuously chanted “where my thugs at”

7. fame – the good times return. with the same song t-tle as young jeezy’s immortal track (and the one great snowman song i could find), this no-name producer (hurt m badd) creates a great beat as 2pac and outlawz tears it to bits. “fame” also approaches a level of emotion that reminiscent of disc 2’s earlier tracks as the pirate chant-like hook begins the song with “one thing we all adore/ something worth dying for/ nothing but pain/ stuck in this game/ searching for fortune and fame” (this song is one of better dayz’s finest, but i really want more from pac)

8. fair xchange (remix) – my ears are bleeding. this is by far the worst song better dayz has to offer, a much more insufferable track than “whatcha gonna do?”, and that’s something nearly impossible to pull off. skip this song

9. catchin’ feelins – produced by e.d.i (the same guy who featured in “never b peace”), this track’s beat sounds suspiciously similar to the one in “ghetto star”. overall, this is a pretty good song, nothing special (and it also features outlawz)

10. there u go – a laid-back song reminiscent of “changed man” and “late night”, this track is about pac catching his woman cheating on him and how he feels about it. big syke (who collaborated with pac on “all eyez on me”) is featured in here along with outlawz, who surprisingly fit the mood of “there u go” and temporarily resign from their usually intense rhymes

11. this life i lead – you can take one look at the song t-tle and know exactly what this track is about. like “fame”, 2pac inserts a single verse, a very good verse but still one verse, and delivers a mediocre hook. also in this song is outlawz (shocker), who steal 2pac’s immortal line: “i ain’t a k!lla, but don’t push me.” not one of better dayz’s finest

12. who do u believe in? – over the last couple of tracks, i wanted 2pac to take over, to simply dominate, and he does on this one. over the simplistic guitar instrumental, pac gets deep, discussing religion on a level i haven’t heard since “thugz mansion”. yaki kadafi (an outlawz member) makes an appearance and his mediocricy as a rapper, sort of obvious throughout this album, is on full display here. despite the fact that “who do u believe in?” was originally from the `99 compilation album suge knight represent: chronic 2000, this is a very good track in better dayz.

13. they don’t give a f–k about us – the previous song would’ve been a great way to finish this album; instead, we’re stuck with this. sure, this track’s theme was a deep one, about what happens when people die and if others will care about them, but overall it was a very second-rate song

14. outro – only thirteen seconds long, this is 2pac saying he’ll come back from the dead and he says this twice. (end of disc 2)

conclusion

everybody loved 2pac, but when he died, they dismissed the albums that were released after that, claiming the posthumous albums were either not as good as the ones when he was alive or were copied material from pac’s previous works. that might be true for the other posthumous albums but better dayz, with the exception of a few songs, is entirely original and this album, as a whole, is just as good as the ones shakur created when he was alive

don’t judge me, but honestly i was having (very small) doubts about whether or not 2pac really is the greatest. listening to better dayz crushed those doubts to smithereens and now i can continue to scream my loyalty to 2pac shakur, the one and only king of rap (r.i.p)

top tracks

1. thugz mansion

2. street fame

3. changed man

4. fame

5. u can call

- moflow7 lyrics

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