The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
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The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is the final album finished before Tupac Shakur's 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 has crucified him. The album was completely finished in a total of seven days during the month of August of 1996[1]. 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 7th, 1996. Although The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released almost two months after his death, on November 5th, 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. The emotion and anger showcased on the album has been admired by a large part of the hip-hop community, including other rappers[2]. The album made its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 663,000 copies in the first week, making Shakur the first rapper to have two #1 albums in one year.[3]
Background
Concept
Shakur chose to release this album under the name Makaveli, a pseudonym derived from the Italian political writer Niccolò Machiavelli. Shakur was going to alternate between 2Pac and Makaveli releases with each album.[4] He was inspired by Machiavelli's works, including The Prince and The Art of War, which he had read while in prison. Shakur decided to create the pseudonym to express "raw emotion".[5]
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 hip-hop 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 on this album. One of his most well known songs on the album, "Hail Mary", was written and recorded in only 30 minutes. Although Shakur insulted Nas on "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)" and "Against All Odds", Shakur told Nas that the beef was over as long as he didn't respond and Nas agreed. Shakur was assassinated days later in Las Vegas. Long time friend and producer Shock G recounted:
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.[6]
Recording sessions
Only six months after the release of Shakur's 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 of 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.[7]
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 was't really feeling each other. So it was real cliquish. Like, I'm going to stay with my clique, you stay with your clique. 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.[8]
Conspiracy theories
Over time, the album also added fuel to the fire of conspiracy theories claiming Shakur is indeed still alive. In the album's first track "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)", a muffled Shakur can be heard saying "Shoulda shot me", however to the naked ear it sounds very much like "Suge shot me". Multiple audio tests of the track and some of The Outlawz confirm that Shakur says "Shoulda shot me". However for many years, it was thought that he was in fact, saying "Suge shot me," Suge being Suge Knight, Death Row Records CEO. Also, at the beginning of the track "Hold Ya Head", voices whisper, "Can you see him? I see him." followed by Tupac murmuring, " Unlucky nigga.....I'm alive."
Credits
- Tupac Shakur: Performer, Writer, Producer
- Hurt M Badd: Producer, Vocalist
- Darryl "Big D" Harper: Producer
- QD3: Producer
- Dametrius Ship: Producer
- Reggie Moore: Producer
- 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
- 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
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |||
| 1996 | The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory | #1 | #1 | |
Singles Chart Positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay | Hot Rap Singles | |||
| 1996 | "To Live & Die In LA" | - | - | - | |
| 1996 | "Toss It Up" | - | #34 | - | |
| 1997 | "Hail Mary" | - | #12 | #8 | |
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References
- ^ October, 2003 XXL Magazine
- ^ October 2006 XXL
- ^ October 2006, XXL Magazine
- ^ Tupac Shakur Legacy published by Atria Books, 2006
- ^ Tupac Shakur Legacy published by Atria Books, 2006
- ^ 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