Better Dayz
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Entertainment Weekly | C[1] |
| HipHopDX | link |
| RapReviews | (7.5/10) link |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  link |
| Sputnikmusic | link |
| Mobster Music | |
Better Dayz is the eighth studio album and fourth posthumous album by the late American rapper 2Pac, the third to be released without the artist's creative input and is the last to be a double-album.
It was released on November 26, 2002, debuting at number 5 on the Billboard 200. This album is the second of two albums (The first being Until The End Of Time) that consists of a collection of previously unreleased material by way of remixed songs from Tupac's "Makaveli" period while signed to Death Row Records, and was produced by Johnny "J", Jazze Pha, Frank Nitty, and E.D.I. of Outlawz. It includes "Military Minds" which features Boot Camp Clik members Buckshot and Smif-n-Wessun (credited as Cocoa Brovaz) which was supposed to be part of a collaborative album between Shakur and BCC titled One Nation but was never officially released due to Shakur's death. Better Dayz has no censored references to Death Row Records unlike the previous album Until The End Of Time. The only track on the album pre-Death Row era is "My Block (Remix)", which was recorded in 1994–1995 during Shakur's time with Interscope Records, and which the original version can be found on The Show.
It features 23 unreleased recordings from the 1994–1996 period, the majority of which are remixed. Others retain their original form or are complete finished mixes, such as "Fuck 'Em All", "Late Night", "Ghetto Star", "Better Dayz", "Who Do U Believe In?" and "They Don't Give A Fuck About Us". The album features appearances by Outlawz, Ron Isley, Nas, Mýa, Jazze Pha, Tyrese and among others. The hit single, "Thugz Mansion," comes in two versions: an acoustic version featuring Nas, on which the music video is based, and a hip hop version featuring Anthony Hamilton.
Reception
John Bush from AllMusic wrote: "Though it was released on the eve of the busiest year in 2Pac's posthumous career, Better Dayz shouldn't be overlooked—and with the schedule including a feature documentary (with soundtrack), plus two books and another double album, it might be easy for this one to slip from the radar. A lengthy two-disc set, it benefits from a raft of still-compelling material by one of the two or three best rappers in history, as well as excellent compiling by executive producers Suge Knight and Afeni Shakur, 2Pac's mother. Organizing the set roughly into one disc of hardcore rap and one of R&B jams makes for an easier listen, and the R&B disc especially has some strong tracks, opening with a remix of 1995's "My Block" and including quintessentially 2Pac material—reflective, conflicted, occasionally anguished—like "Never Call U Bitch Again," "Better Dayz," "Fame," and "This Life I Lead." Most of the tracks are previously unreleased, the rest coming from scattered compilations like Knight's Chronic 2000: Still Smokin' or 1995's The Show soundtrack. It's 2Pac's best album since his death, and bodes well for future material by, and concerning, rap's most legendary figure.[2] Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.[3]
The track "Ghetto Star" has appeared on the soundtrack to the video game 25 To Life.
Commercial performance
Better Dayz sold 366,000 copies in its first week on the charts.The highest ever.[4] It has sold 3,000,000 copies in the United States as of 2011.[5] On January 31, 2003, it was certified 2xPlatinum in the U.S and then certified 3x Platinum on August 2014.[6] The album was also certified 3x Platinum in Canada May 2003.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 7 Aurelius | 0:56 |
| 2. | "Still Ballin'" (featuring Trick Daddy) | Johnny "J" – Remixed by Nitty | 2:50 |
| 3. | "When We Ride on Our Enemies" | Johnny "J" – Remixed by BRISS | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Changed Man" (featuring T.I. & Johnta Austin) | Johnny "J" – Remixed by Jazze Pha | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Fuck Em All" (featuring Outlawz) | Johnny "J" | 4:26 |
| 6. | "Never B Peace" (featuring E.D.I. & Kastro) | Johnny "J" – Remixed by Nitty | 4:59 |
| 7. | "Mama's Just a Little Girl" (featuring Kimma Hill) | Johnny "J" – Remixed by Kip "KP" Wilson | 4:58 |
| 8. | "Street Fame" | Daz Dillinger – Remixed by BRISS | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Whatcha Gonna Do?" (featuring Outlawz) | Johnny "J" – Remixed by E.D.I. | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Fair Xchange" (featuring Jazze Pha) | Johnny "J" – Remixed by Jazze Pha | 3:52 |
| 11. | "Late Night" (featuring DJ Quik & Outlawz) | DJ Quik | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Ghetto Star" (featuring Nutt-So) | Go-Twice | 4:15 |
| 13. | "Thugz Mansion (Acoustic Version)" (featuring Nas & J.Phoenix) | Johnny "J" – Remixed by A. "Pitboss" Johnson, Aulsondro "Emcee N.I.C.E." Hamilton, and Claudio Cueni | 4:13 |
| No. | Title | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Block (Remix)" | Remixed by Nitty | Easy Mo Bee | 5:22 |
| 2. | "Thugz Mansion" (featuring Anthony Hamilton) | Remixed by 7 Aurelius | Johnny J | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Never Call U Bitch Again" (featuring Tyrese) | Johnny J | 4:38 | |
| 4. | "Better Dayz" (featuring Ron Isley) | Johnny J | 4:17 | |
| 5. | "U Can Call" (featuring Jazze Pha) | Remixed by Jazze Pha | Johnny J | 3:49 |
| 6. | "Military Minds" (featuring Cocoa Brovaz & Buckshot) | Remixed by E.D.I. Mean | Darryl “Big D” Harper | 5:29 |
| 7. | "Fame" (featuring Bad Azz & Outlawz) | Hurt M Badd | 4:50 | |
| 8. | "Fair Xchange (Remix)" (featuring Mýa) | Remixed by Troy Johnson | Johnny J | 3:56 |
| 9. | "Catchin' Feelins" (featuring Outlawz) | E.D.I. Mean | 4:54 | |
| 10. | "There U Go" (featuring Big Syke, Outlawz & Jazze Pha) | Johnny J | 5:30 | |
| 11. | "This Life I Lead" (featuring Outlawz) | Johnny J | 5:21 | |
| 12. | "Who Do U Believe In?" (featuring Yaki Kadafi) | Johnny J | 5:30 | |
| 13. | "They Don't Give a Fuck About Us" (featuring Outlawz) | Johnny J | 5:08 | |
| 14. | "Outro" | 0:13 |
Samples
- "Better Dayz"
- "Let's Fall in Love (Parts 1 & 2)" by The Isley Brothers
- "Catchin Feelins"
- "Peter Piper" by Run-DMC
- "Late Night"
- "Have Your Ass Home by 11:00" by Richard Pryor
- "Wind Parade" by Donald Byrd
- "Last Night Changed It All (I Really Had a Ball)" by Esther Williams
- "This Life I Lead"
- "Naturally Mine" by Al B. Sure!
- "Who Do U Believe In"
- "Manifest Destiny" by Jamiroquai
Personnel
- 2Pac – vocals
- Johnta Austin – featured artist
- Rob "Fonksta" Bacon – guest artist, guitar
- Bill Bennett – assistant engineer
- Big Syke – featured artist
- Ian Blanch – assistant engineer, engineer
- Warren Bletcher – assistant engineer
- Ian Boxill – engineer, mixing
- Leslie Brathwaite – engineer, mixing
- Briss – instrumentation, producer
- Buckshot – featured artist
- Coco Brothers – featured artist
- Courtney Copeland – background vocals
- Kevin Crouse – engineer
- Claudio Cueni – digital editing, engineer, mixing, producer
- Chris DeLaPena – assistant engineer
- DJ Quik – engineer, producer
- E.D.I. – featured artist, mixing, Music Supervisor, remixing
- Steve Fisher – assistant engineer
- G Mack – guitar
- Brian "Big bass" Gardner – mastering
- A. Gobi – photography
- Anthony Hamilton – featured artist
- Darryl Harper – producer
- Kimmy Hill – featured artist
- Ronald Isley – guest artist
- Jazze Pha – featured artist, producer
- Johnny J – arranger, mixing, producer
- Troy Johnson – instrumentation, producer
- Kadafi – featured artist
- Kasbro – featured artist
- Kastro – performer
- Ronnie King – keyboards
- Suge Knight – executive producer
- Mr. Biggs – featured artist
- Chicu Modu – photography
- Molly Monjauze – project director
- Mussamill – featured artist
- James Musshorn – assistant engineer
- Mya – featured artist
- Napoleon – featured artist
- Nas – featured artist
- Duane Nettlesbey –
- Nutso – featured artist
- Outlawz – featured artist
- J. Phoenix – featured artist,
- Frank Nitty Pimentel – drum programming, Keyboards, producer
- Will Pyon – digital editing
- Chuck Reed – digital editing
- R.J. – bass, guitar
- 7 Aurelius – instrumentation, producer
- Afeni Shakur – executive producer
- Shorty B. – bass, guitar
- Dexter Simmons – mixing
- Alex Stiff – bass, guitar
- T.I. – featured artist
- Ellis Taylor – background vocals
- Trick Daddy – featured artist
- Tyrese – featured artist
- Mark Vinten – assistant engineer
- Corey Williams – assistant engineer
- Jasmine Wilson – background vocals
- Keston Wright – engineer
- Young Noble – featured artist
Chart positions
Album
| Chart | Peak positions |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | #5[8] |
| Canadian Charts | #7[8] |
| Deutsche Charts | #45[9] |
| Dutch Charts | #36[10] |
| French Charts | #52[11] |
| Irish Charts | #40[12] |
| New Zealand Charts | #20[13] |
| Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | #1[8] |
| Switzerland Chart | #60[14] |
| UK Chart | #68[15][16] |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[17] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[18] | 3× Platinum | 1,500,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
References
- ^ Ford, Robert (2003-01-03). "Better Dayz Review". Entertainment Weekly: 64. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/better-dayz-mw0000663367
- ^ "The Best of 2002". Kludge. Archived from the original on July 22, 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ David Jenison (Dec 4, 2002). ""Up" over McGraw, 2Pac, J.Lo". E!.
- ^ "Tupac Month: 2Pac's Discography". Retrieved May 27, 2013.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ RIAA database search[permanent dead link], 18 November 2007
- ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification – May 2003". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c "2Pac". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac – Better Dayz". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac – Better Dayz". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "GFK Chart-Track". Chart-track.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac – Better Dayz". charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac – Better Dayz". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "2Pac – Better Dayz". Chart Stats. 2002-12-14. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "2PAC | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – 2Pac – Better Dayz". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – 2Pac – Better Dayz". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "British album certifications – 2Pac – Better Dayz". British Phonographic Industry. 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2011. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Better Dayz in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.