PAC’S LIFE - 2PAC
Each posthumous 2Pac release has sounded less and less authentic — maybe because it’s hard to make a dead rapper’s old verses seem creative and relevant. ‘Pac’s 2002 double-disc “Better Dayz” trumped 2004’s primarily Eminem-produced “Loyal to the Game,” which is more bearable than the new “Pac’s Life.” Here, the reflective moments of the former two albums are replaced largely by fiery, defensive rhymes that lack context. Despite the rapper’s timeless appeal, his ’90s-crafted verses fail to translate over glossy new production, as in the title track (featuring T.I. and an intolerable Ashanti hook) and the Swizz Beatz-produced “Untouchables (Remix).” And since more and more 2Pac verses have been recycled, less original material is available, resulting in an album with very little substance. Enough already. Billboard
(Amaru/Interscope Records)
