(From Thug Life sessions; 1994)
Personal favourite unreleased O.G version 2Pac song right here. Apparently intended for the Thug Life album and presumably mothballed because of the George Benson sample. Quite fancy the notion of it being an exclusive on the Above The Rim OST, meself - Lord knows that compilation could have done with a few more rap songs in among all those lukewarm R&B jams.
Remember when Suge Knight & Dr. Dre shelved the exclusive 1994 Dogg Pound & Nate Dogg bangeur featured in Above The Rim's obligatory club scene, probably so they could include one of those two shitty Jewell songs on the movie's OST instead? Thankfully, it turned up on the Sunset Park soundtrack 2 years later in 1996, albeit with its title switched from Mobbin' With Tha Dogg Pound to Just Doggin'.
Completely forgot Avon Barksdale and Jackie Aprile Sr. were even in Above the Rim.
ReplyDeleteBig fan of yung(ish) Paulie Walnuts and Uncle Junior both having bit-part roles in James Toback's Fingers personally.
ReplyDeletea v balm & bollected Jackie Aprile sr was in Blood In Blood Out too iirc
ReplyDeleteMy fav unreleased 2pac is this one where him and snoop presumabley freestyled(def Snoop anyways) for hours and they just cut out the highlights ala The Shiznit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh0K_Nd1NFA
is shit geting shelved for sample clearance is so rare now and the legality of free internet releases so murky that they just try and delete it from history like w the og My Cabana? tragic if so
Also Michael V Gazzo stole the show in Fingers. was he big in anything else bar The Godfather? that dudes a one off
ReplyDeleteNever seen him in owt else.
ReplyDeleteNever heard that tune before. Snoop & 2Pac shootin' the shit back and forth like EPMD on a rap remake of Love Hangover is something which could have only ever existed in my head. Damn.
1st time hearing this. he's bumpin' some laura branigan though?
ReplyDeletesounds very thug life-ish where 1/2 the songs were solo pac jonts with obvious loops. thug life album overlooked in the pac canon imo
its kinda another 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted too but with P Is Free instead of The Message & Radio Activity. Snoop rly likes remaking rap songs.
ReplyDeletealways thought the ATR soundtrack was overrated. Granted the highs are high but there is definitely way too much sub par material and generic R&B. A comp of ATR and Murder Was The Case would be the one though.
ReplyDeleteI still think the Above The Rim soundtrack is the best soundtrack despite a couple of R&B clunkers. For the record, "Doggie Style" is not one of those clunkers.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing "Just Doggin" was cut in lieu of the superior "Big Pimpin" and the inferior "Dogg Pound 4 Life."
The real crime was only including 2Pac's "Pain" and "Loyal 2 The Game" on the cassette only version / CD Maxi single. The latter I had to purchase in order to actually own said Pac songs in a pre Napster world.
Also, the sleeper rap song on Above The Rim Sndtrak is "Crack Em" by OFTB produced by DJ Quik
Agreed on Crack Em.
ReplyDeleteOpening 4 songs on the Murder Was The Case OST is unfuckwithable, especially because they were/are all exclusives.
It's fucked up how Dogg Pound's best songs ended up scattered across various soundtracks rather than on Dogg Food.
The RnB stuff on the Death Row soundtracks was a mixed bag but the ones that were good are excellent songs. I love Dogg Food but I can't deny there's nothing on that album besides NY NY that's as good as Big Pimpin or What Would You Do?
ReplyDeleteDogg Food is my favorite Death Row album behind All Eyez On Me!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Doggy Style man.
ReplyDeleteIn case people missed it, Tha Barber's Final Days of Death Row article is by far the best piece to ever appear on that site.
Thank you Lord Marty
ReplyDeleteGood read
ReplyDeleteGang Related OST was the best, I got caught shoplifting that shit twice before I finally made it out with a copy
ReplyDeletealso still got this in the car right now, never even checked it out past track 1 though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEzgC4AsCKU
Third time lucky.
ReplyDeletePrefer the posthumous High 'Til I Die to the O.G Thug Life version.
can you re up this song?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't need re-upping because it's still at the top of the page.
ReplyDeleteJust click on the title and it'll take you to the Audiomack page where you can download it.