R U Still Down? (Remember Me)

R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
Studio album by 2Pac
Released November 25, 1997 (1997-11-25)
Recorded 1992–1994
(2Pac's vocals)
1992
("I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" original version and instrumental)
1996–1997
(Production, guest vocals, and mixing)
Genre
Length 102:40
Label
Producer
2Pac chronology
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
(1996)		 R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
(1997)		 Greatest Hits
(1998)
Singles from R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
  1. "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto"
    Released: October 26, 1997
  2. "Do for Love"
    Released: February 24, 1998

R U Still Down? (Remember Me) is the sixth studio album by American rapper, Tupac Shakur, released in 1997, and the first to be finished without his creative input. Her son having left a large body of work behind, this was the first release from his mother's imprint, Amaru Entertainment, set up to control 2Pac's posthumous releases. The album contains previously unreleased material from the time period of his albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., Thug Life: Volume 1 and Me Against the World.

The first release on Amaru, R U Still Down? (Remember Me) was overseen by 2Pac's mother, Afeni Shakur. This album airs his views on life from a time before he became involved in the controversial east coast/west coast rivalry. His lyrics foreshadow his death in songs like "Open Fire" and "Thug Style." "Definition of a Thug Nigga" also appears on the soundtrack of the 1993 film, Poetic Justice. It spawned two hits, "Do for Love" and "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto", of which "Do for Love" was certified Gold by the RIAA. R U Still Down? sold 549,000 copies in its first week.[1] The album reached multi-Platinum status (4 million sold) under a month on December 15, 1997, a trend followed by some of his subsequent posthumous albums.[1] It topped the R&B charts in the United States for 3 weeks.[2]

Critical reception

"As always, there's ample self-destructive bullshit," noted Spin, "but as a whole the album's eerie and undeniable."[3] Rap idol 2Pac might find yet another life after death with his second posthumous release, an improvement on his first. That’s not to say this collection of unreleased material from 1991 to 1994 shows him at his best: Many of the 26 tracks are barely demo-worthy gangsta pap, and none rival "Dear Mama" for tragic grandeur. Still, 2Pac’s raw talent burns through when his voice goes hoarse with rage on "Hellrazor." And on "I’m Losin’ It," his blend of charismatic confidence and Travis Bickle paranoia is a bittersweet reminder of a gifted yet contradictory artist lost in the rap wars.[4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
The Daily VaultB[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
Spin8/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

Track listing

Disc 1
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Redemption"  We Got Kidz & Ricky Rouse1:48
2."Open Fire" (featuring Akshun)Akshun2:52
3."R U Still Down? (Remember Me)"  Tony Pizarro4:07
4."Hellrazor" (featuring Stretch & Val Young)QDIII4:15
5."Thug Style"  We Got Kidz4:16
6."Where Do We Go From Here (Interlude)"  Tony Pizarro & 2Pac4:31
7."I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto"  Soulshock & Karlin4:21
8."Nothing to Lose" (featuring Y?N-Vee)2Pac & Live Squad3:39
9."I'm Gettin' Money"  Mike Mosley3:32
10."Lie to Kick It" (featuring Richie Rich)Warren G3:39
11."Fuck All Y'all"  We Got Kidz4:32
12."Let Them Thangs Go"  We Got Kidz3:33
13."Definition of a Thug Nigga"  Warren G4:09
Disc 2
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Ready 4 Whatever" (featuring Big Syke)Johnny "J"4:05
2."When I Get Free"  We Got Kidz4:46
3."Hold On, Be Strong" (featuring Stretch)Choo4:11
4."I'm Losin' It" (featuring Big Syke & Spice 1)Tony Pizarro3:55
5."Fake Ass Bitches"  Johnny "J"3:10
6."Do for Love" (featuring Eric Williams of Blackstreet)Soulshock & Karlin4:42
7."Enemies with Me" (featuring Dramacydal)We Got Kidz4:15
8."Nothin but Love" (featuring Dave Hollister)2Pac & DJ Daryl4:28
9."16 on Death Row"  2Pac5:42
10."I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto (Hip-Hop Version)" (featuring Maxee)Soulshock & Karlin4:40
11."When I Get Free II" (featuring Yaki Kadafi)Chris Rosser3:22
12."Black Starry Night (Interlude)"  DJ Daryl0:48
13."Only Fear of Death"  Live Squad5:09

Samples

Definition of a Thug Nigga

Ready 4 Whatever

R U Still Down (Remember Me)

Hellrazor

Do for Love

F*** All Y'all

I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto

Let Them Thangs Go

Nothin' but Love

Nothing to Lose

When I Get Free II

Where Do We Go From Here

Black Starry Night (Interlude)

I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto (Original Version)

Lie to Kick It

Only Fear of Death

Cultural references

On his 2008 album, Untitled, Nas sampled "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" on his song, "Black President".

Chart positions

Chart Peak position
Australian Charts[9] 50
Austrian Charts[10] 23
Canadian Charts[11] 12
German Charts[12] 25
Dutch Charts[13] 29
French Charts[14] 52
New Zealand Charts[15] 20
Swedish Chart[16] 41
UK R&B Albums Charts[17] 6
UK Albums Chart[18][19] 44
US Billboard 200[11] 2
US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums[11] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[20] 4x Platinum 2,000,000[21]
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 100,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

References

  1. 1 2 http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%222+Pac%22
  2. ↑ List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)
  3. ↑ Spin May 1998
  4. 1 2 http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,63484,00.html
  5. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r329284
  6. ↑ http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=697
  7. ↑ Spin (3/98, pp. 130-131) - 8 (out of 10) - "... As always, there's ample self-destructive bullshit, but as a whole, the album's eerie and undeniable.... Even after death, 2Pac isn't going gentle into that good night; if this album is any gauge, he's not letting us go either, at least not anytime soon."
  8. ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/r-u-still-down-remember-me-19980122
  9. ↑ Steffen Hung (1997-12-21). "2 Pac - R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  10. ↑ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac - R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  11. 1 2 3 "2Pac". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  12. ↑ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  13. ↑ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac - R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  14. ↑ Steffen Hung (1997-12-13). "2 Pac - R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  15. ↑ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac - R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  16. ↑ Steffen Hung. "2 Pac - R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  17. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/r-and-b-albums-chart/19971130/115/
  18. ↑ "2Pac - R U still down remember me". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  19. ↑ "2PAC | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  20. ↑ "American certifications – 2 Pac – R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". Recording Industry Association of America. June 23, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  21. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (March 13, 2015). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: 'Hozier' Has Sold a Half-Million". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  22. ↑ "British album certifications – 2Pac – R U Still Down? (Remember Me)". British Phonographic Industry. 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2011. Enter R U Still Down? (Remember Me) in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
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