Tupac Shakur has been one of the most prolific rappers of the '90s; this is his 5th official post-mortem CD (the others being Makaveli: The 7 Day Theory, R U Still Down (Remember Me), Greatest Hits, and Still I Rise).  This is not including the countless bootlegs and tracks that still remain unreleased.  This release is unique in that the tracks appeared here first, as opposed to the other official unreleased CDs, which were basically just to deter amateur bootleggers.

    This release is also unique because it offers a rare glimpse of early Tupac (he was 17 when these tracks were recorded, and not on a major label, as opposed to all other unreleased tracks, where he was still on Deathrow Records).  Yet even in this early age, the listener can hear and feel the roots of an incredible MC taking root.  Although these songs were supposedly written by Chopmaster J and Strictly Dope, they definitely represent the "classic" Tupac style of being able to successfully blend serious true-to-life tracks ("My Burnin' Heart", "Minnie The Moocher"), inspirational tracks ("Panther Power", "Let Knowledge Drop"), and almost playful tracks ("The Case Of The Misplaced Mic").  Even the ego-trip tracks ("Never Be Beat", "A Day In The Life") are well laid out lyrically ("my mouth is like an Uzi when it moves so quick / and the lyrics are the bullets that I blow ya with") and a lot less annoying than the "I'm the greatest" tracks everyone and their mother seem to be releasing these days.  Another interesting thing about these recordings is that only "Never Be Beat" features cussing in the hook and verses.

   Production is half of all rap, and the production on these tracks is quite different than Deathrow-era Tupac.  I consider this a strength instead of a weakness, not because the Deathrow production was bad, but because it adds "authenticity" to the tracks; "A Day In The Life" and "The Case Of The Misplaced Mic" (mix I, which utilizes a nice guitar lick) are classic party jams, while "My Burnin' Heart" and "Minnie The Moocher" have mellower beats ("Minnie The Moocher" has a very smooth jazz-like backing to it) than was typical of the popular songs of the period.

   I've heard many Tupac fans who don't like this album at all, complaining that it's too different for their tastes.  While this is indeed different from any other Tupac material, that's not a bad thing.  The only thing preventing this album from 5 stars is the multiple mixes of "Static" and "Case Of The Misplaced Mic" (although the mixes are quite different, they were still included as filler) and the fact that it seems too short (which is interesting because quite a few Tupac albums are too long).