R.E.M. (band)

. There is also a new clothing line based on Shakur, called "Makaveli Branded.". currently are touring outside of the United States on their world tour, which is currently to end in July 2005 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Proceeds will go to a charity set up by Afeni. R.E.M. On November 14, 2003, a documentary about the rapper entitled Tupac: Resurrection, was released under the supervision of Afeni Shakur and narrated entirely in Pac's voice with archival footage. are currently using drummer Bill Rieflin on Around the Sun and the tour, and his drums may help a 2006 release. Though he did not live to realize these dreams, his mother Afeni is currently attempting to carry on his work by raising money for a Center for the Arts.

Not replacing Berry, R.E.M. He ran an earlier project called "The Underground Railroad" that aimed to keep youths off drugs by getting them involved in music. Currently, there have been two songs played live supposedly on the next album, rumored for a 2006 release; "I'm Gonna D.J.", the catchy rocking song with multiple guitars, and "Weatherman", played once live and then stopped due to the 'lyrics not fitting the song'. Pac also desired to give back more to the community, suggesting a Little League to encourage young black kids to keep on the right path. In the same interview, Michael Stipe said he has lyrics to three new songs on his cell phone and one is almost complete and may be debuted live. Shakur indicated after getting out of jail that he had lofty future plans, including mostly getting out of the rap scene by releasing high-quality, deep albums only once every five years or so. after the two albums left on their contract. His music is still being actively released and remixed.

In a recent interview, Peter Buck said that their next album would be very different from current R.E.M., and based on the single "I'm Gonna DJ", played live on the 2004-2005 world tour, we can expect it to be another rock album, which, if successful, could possibly lead to Warner resigning R.E.M. Much of his work was only dug up and edited after his death. "Electron Blue," the third single from the Around the Sun album, has been getting much airplay in the UK. Shock G remembered fondly that Pac would spend entire days in the studio, drinking Hennessy, smoking marijuana, and experimenting with new raps. needed to cancel shows, on account of Mike Mills's flu and ear infection. Conspiracies notwithstanding, Shakur was extremely dedicated to his work during his short career. Singles from this album include "Leaving New York" and "Aftermath". R.E.M.'s Around the Sun World Tour is the first tour since the infamous Monster Tour that R.E.M. Oddly, Shakur has released more songs posthumously than while he was alive.

In 2004, the band returned with Around the Sun, which once again met with generally only mild critical praise. When asked "Who killed Tupac?" in a BBC Radio interview dated March 7, 2005, Broomfield stated "The big guy next to him in the car...Suge Knight.". soundtrack appearances have found them revisiting some of their earliest material, hitherto available only on live bootlegs; their single, "Bad Day" (2003), was the prototype for "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," with some of the same lyrics. The Biggie Smalls killing, it is suggested, was a cover-up in order to make the murder look like a simple product East-West rivalry. Recent R.E.M. The crux of this argument is that Tupac was planning to leave Death Row Records, taking tapes with him, and in order to stop this, he was killed by police officers who also worked for Death Row as security. The album gained mixed reviews. The theory that Shakur's death was orchestrated by Suge Knight is explored in the 2002 film Biggie & Tupac by Nick Broomfield.

2001's Reveal, confirms the return to an even mellower songwriting approach, with songs such as "Imitation of Life," "All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)," and "She Just Wants To Be" garnering some radio play. Further clouding Shakur's death, Orlando Anderson, the man later suspected of being the shooter, was killed in an unrelated gang shootout in May 1998. The band was no longer selling well in United States, though in Europe they stayed popular. Although many hoped that Shakur's death would help heal the East Coast/West Coast rivalry, his rival, Notorious B.I.G., was gunned down under similar circumstances six months later. After Berry's departure, the band returned with Krautrock-influenced Up (1998), another long and reflective record, with the lead single "Daysleeper." Many tracks contained drum machines, and Peter Buck played guitar only a little. Indeed, the many believers who expected him to return after seven years in September 2003 were proven wrong. Other notable tracks on that record include "E-Bow the Letter" (a collaboration with the legendary Patti Smith) and the intense western-themed rock of "Low Desert." The band re-signed with Warner Brothers in 1996 for the largest recording contract advance in history: 80 million dollars for 5 albums. Those who knew him personally find the idea that he is still alive laughable.

While on this tour the band recorded the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996), a long, roughly produced and decidedly bleak record which featured, in the seven-minute "Leave," perhaps the band's most intense song. Tupac was known for making many allusions to his own impending death in his music and even depicted himself in the music video of "I Ain't Mad at Cha" as an angel in Heaven with other dead celebrities after being shot in a public place, a music video which was released only two days after Shakur's death. The album was followed by a massive tour during which drummer Bill Berry suffered a brain hemorrhage on stage, which would eventually lead to his leaving the band. The executive producer was mysteriously listed as "Simon" instead of Suge Knight. The band's 1994 release, the grunge-influenced Monster, including "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?," proved to be a crossover hit and their best selling album to date, though many critics disliked the band's foray into glam rock. Its cover eerily depicted him crucified and was recorded under the pseudonym "Makaveli", an allusion to the Machiavelli of old who suggested faking one's death to fool enemies. These two critically acclaimed albums featured hit singles including "Losing My Religion," "Shiny Happy People," "Everybody Hurts," and "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite." Out of Time also includes emotional, contemplative tracks such as "Belong," "Half A World Away," and "Country Feedback." On Automatic, the band developed a reserved, meditative sound that took them back to their roots, and the record's 15 million copies were sold in spite of such melancholy themes as death, suicide, and sexual jealousy. Shakur's last album before his death was The Don Killuminati: The Seven Day Theory.

Their next records, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), were both international hits, despite the fact that R.E.M. did not tour for either album. Weak evidence for some of these theories can be found in the following examples:. recorded with Warren Zevon as the Hindu Love Gods. The theory has attracted a considerable following on-line and is referred to as the Seven Day Theory, a reference to the fact that much of the evidence supporting it stems from the Makaveli album. In 1990, most of R.E.M. Conspiracy theories about his death abound: they usually insist that he faked his death, that the shooting was a government assassination, that Suge Knight arranged the killing, or that Biggie was involved. had become too commercial and that the quality of the music had decreased, but the band had now been brought to international attention. Why he did not on the fateful night remains a mystery.

days complained that R.E.M. He was known to always wear a bulletproof vest in public. Some fans from the I.R.S. The previous robbery led Shakur to seek protection, and he employed bodyguards after getting out of jail in October 1995. This was the band's first time with heavy promotion, and they toured stadiums extensively in 1989. He, too, was killed shortly thereafter in New Jersey. signed to the major label Warner Brothers and released Green. Shakur's close childhood friend -- and a member of the Outlawz -- Yafeu "Kadafi" Fula, was in the convoy when the shooting happened and told police he might be able to identify the assailants.

In 1988 R.E.M. Compton Police were disappointed with the lack of initiative showed by Las Vegas police in pursuing the killing. The compilation contains several alternative versions and mixes of songs. It was noted by the Compton Gang Unit that the Crips were bragging about the killing soon after returning to Compton. The album is described in the liner notes as "A little bit of uh-huh and a whole lot of oh-yeah." The band's early years are summarized in the compilation Eponymous, released in 1988. An investigation by the Las Vegas Times, while not naming its gang-member sources, stated that Biggie (who was also in town for the fight) offered to pay the Crips in exchange for Shakur's death. Highlights include three Velvet Underground covers, an Aerosmith cover, an uncommissioned commercial for a barbecue restaurant in Athens, and a boozy version of "King of the Road." The CD also has the EP Chronic Town at the end. It is appropriate to note that Shakur and the crew at Death Row generally depended on members of the Bloods gang for security, while Biggie and the Bad Boy Crew depended on Crips members for security when visiting California.

Dead Letter Office (1987) was a collection of B-sides and outtakes. Anderson and others were interviewed by police later in connection to the murder, though no suspects were ever publicly named. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" recalls the rapid-fire lyrical style of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and can be described as pre-apocalyptic. Shakur started the fight when he noticed the 21 year old "Baby Lane" Anderson, who had beaten up one of his bodyguards in a shopping mall a few weeks earlier, lingering in the lobby. The popularity of this song of grim satisfaction over the end of an unhappy relationship was due mainly, however, to its misinterpretation as a love song. Hours before, Tupac had been involved in a fight between the Death Row entourage, mostly made up of Bloods and a Southside Crip by the name of Orlando Anderson in the lobby of the MGM Hotel after the Tyson-Seldon fight. 9 on the American pop charts. The Las Vegas Metro Police and Compton police, although they never officially solved the case, concluded that Shakur was shot by Southside Crips after the Tyson fight.

Document (1987) was their last album for the indie record label I.R.S., and provided their first major hit with "The One I Love," which reached No. Earlier acts of violence were said to have spurred antagonism between him and other East Coast rappers (namely Notorious B.I.G.), bred by gangsta rap. In many ways, this album marked the end of the first period in the band's history. He died in the University of Nevada Hospital six days later from the four gunshot wounds. Ironically, the 'hit' from the album, "Superman," was a cover song that didn't appear on the original album cover. Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 1996 after attending the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon. "Cuyahoga" is about the river in Ohio that caught fire due to pollution. See hip hop rivalries for more information..

The lyrics were becoming both more intelligible and more direct, with political themes appearing more explicitly ("Begin the Begin," "Flowers of Guatemala," "Hyena"). was member. The songs are upbeat, the tempo is fast; this is a fairly hard-rocking album. 2Pac also frequently insulted popular New York rapper Jay Z, Chino XL, Lil Kim, Junior Mafia and other artists of Bad Boy Records, of which the Notorious B.I.G. But that's all part of life's rich pageant, you know."). Shakur also mocked Mobb Deep for snubbing him at a concert and remarked on their small stature in the controversial track Hit 'Em Up, remarking, "Don't one of you niggaz got sickle cell or something?". After his death, Mobb Deep changed tack and apparently showed respect for Shakur. The next album, Lifes Rich Pageant (sic) (1986), takes its name from a Pink Panther movie ("You'll catch your death of cold!" "Yes, I probably will. There was also some animosity between Tupac and Nas.

practically defined college rock by this time. Shakur disliked LL Cool J, whom he thought was a poser and had had an album produced by Puff Daddy. R.E.M. In addition, Shakur made hints in songs that he thought Dre was gay, and Suge Knight concurred in the Thug Immortal documentary. were critically acclaimed, and the video for "Can't Get There from Here" was played frequently on MTV. Shakur got angry when Dre refused to show up and testify in defense of his friend, Snoop Doggy Dogg, in a trial. By the time this album was released, R.E.M. Pac claimed that Dre did nothing at Death Row and was taking credit for other people's work.

"Kohoutek," their first song about a romantic relationship, compares the fizzled comet of 1973 to a fizzled romance. Dre, who was, for a while, the in-house producer for Death Row. The source of the title of "Can't Get There from Here" is a curious phrase heard when asking directions in a rural area. Pac also had some disputes with Dr. Trains are a frequent topic of Southern music; they epitomize the freedom and promise of an escape from one's home environment. On November 30, 1995, exactly one year after the shooting of Shakur in New York, Walker was gunned down and killed in Queens, New York. "Driver 8" is a song about the scenery surrounding railroad tracks. In addition to his enemies at Bad Boy Records, Shakur suspected his former friend Stretch (real name Randy Walker) of being involved in the robbery.

A celebration of an eccentric individual is the subject of no less than four songs on the album ("Maps and Legends," "Life and How to Live It," "Old Man Kensey," "Wendell Gee"). After Biggie's death six months after Shakur's, Faith and Puffy released a hit single in memory of Biggie called "I'll Be Missing You". Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) explores the mythology of the southern United States. As part of the ongoing feud between Shakur and his former friend Biggie, Pac bragged about having slept with Biggie's estranged wife, Faith Evans, in "Hit 'Em Up". The final song, "Little America," is written about driving through rural America ("another Greenville, another Magic Mart (http://www.magicmartstores.com/)"), and serves as a prelude to the Southern themes on the subsequent album. In a later interview, Shakur said that he had met Janet in an immature time of his life, and hoped that he could one day make amends with her. The jangling guitars and beautiful melodies obscure the dark lyrics. However, Janet took offense, and stopped talking to him immediately after the filming was completed.

Song topics include cold weather, a fairy tale of brothers with magical powers and a flood, along with five laments of separation. Shakur stated that other men had made love to Janet on stage before without taking a test, and he didn't feel it necessary. R.E.M.'s second album, Reckoning (1984), explored a variety of musical styles. While filming Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson, Tupac created quite a stir when he refused to take an AIDS test as a prerequisite for a love scene with Janet. The dark mood is broken by two brighter, more hopeful songs, "Sitting Still," and "Shaking Through", marked by the return of arpeggio and jangling guitars. After all his legal troubles, Tupac claimed he "wanted to get out the [rap] game", but Biggie's remarks spurred him to come back. The mood is grey - "Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst", "martyred, misconstrued", "Not everyone can carry the weight of the world", "lies and conversation, fear". While Shakur was in jail, he was incensed by Biggie and Puffy's derogatory remarks about him in Vibe Magazine.

Evocative words are used to create a mood instead of a narrative. After the robbery, though, Tupac publicly accused Biggie, Puff Daddy, and Andre Harrell of having a hand in his attempted murder. The songs on the album blend together. The two were originally close friends when Biggie was still largely unknown. The melody is found in the bass notes, and the lyrics are practically indecipherable. and his cohorts at Bad Boy Records. The jangling guitars, so prominent on Chronic Town, are used more sparingly. Most famous of all is probably his rivalry with The Notorious B.I.G.

The album is stylistically unified. During his life, Shakur had a number of rivals. Their debut album, Murmur (1983), is held to be one of the best records of the 1980s. He had also been slated to star in the Hughes brothers' "Menace II Society" but was replaced by Larenz Tate after assaulting the directors. Their debut EP, Chronic Town (1982), illustrated R.E.M.'s signature musical style: jangling guitars, chords played in arpeggio, murmured vocals, and lyrics that completely avoid the standard topics of popular music - love and relationships. From 1991-1996, Shakur acted in seven films, including the critically acclaimed Juice, Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson, and Gridlock'd with Tim Roth. was one of the world's most popular, respected, and influential bands. It was eventually filmed with Tyrese Gibson in his place and released in 2001, five years after Shakur's death.

By the early '90s, R.E.M. John Singleton wrote the film Baby Boy with Shakur in mind for the leading role, but Shakur died before it was made. Throughout the 1980s, while signed to the independent label I.R.S., they achieved a growing cult status due mainly to Stipe's obscure (and sometimes inaudible and unintelligible) lyrics and the band's sound, most noticeably influenced by The Byrds. At the time of his death, Tupac was also building on his acting career. R.E.M. is a rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Michael Stipe (vocals), Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), and Mike Mills (bass). The entire album is said to have been created in only seven days, and one of the more popular songs off this album, "Hail Mary", was reportedly made in only thirty minutes. The album has sold over five million copies. Lyric Annotations FAQ (http://www.flim.com/remlafaq.html). Released two months after his death, this album was portentous and dark, and it predicted his own death in many songs.

R.E.M. Shakur's last album created while alive was The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. rec.music.rem FAQ (http://people2.clarityconnect.com/webpages6/ronhenry/remfaq.htm). Dre left his post as house producer and Suge Knight became more involved in illegal activites. Forum (http://www.myrem.com). He continued his prolific recordings, despite the impending troubles at Death Row as Dr. 2nd Largest R.E.M. It went on to sell more than nine million copies and is considered by many to be among the best albums in the genre.

Page (http://www.retroweb.com/rem.html). It was the first double-disc of original material in hip-hop history. - The RetroWeb R.E.M. In 1996, he released his fourth solo album, All Eyez on Me. File Under R.E.M. Immediately after his release from prison, Shakur began work on his next album. Rock (http://www.remrock.com/). The singer was unrepentant and grew even more embittered against the authorities, which showed in his music.

R.E.M. Suge posted a $1.4 million bail for Shakur, and in exchange Shakur was obliged to release three albums under Death Row. Collector's Guide (http://www.svs.com/rem/). In October, after almost eight months in prison, Shakur was released on parole largely due to the help of Suge Knight, the head of Death Row Records. The R.E.M. He also had time to pursue reading, delving into the works of Niccolò Machiavelli, and even wrote a screenplay titled Live 2 Tell while incarcerated. news & multimedia (http://www.remison.com/). From jail, he married his long-time girlfriend, Keisha Morris.

R.E.M. Shakur has the distinction of being the only artist with an album at number one on the charts while serving a prison sentence. fan site (http://www.rem-fan.com/). Soon after, his multi-platinum album, Me Against the World, was released. R.E.M. Shakur began serving his prison sentence later that February. forum (http://www.murmurs.com/). He showed up in court soon afterwards in a wheelchair to face his verdict in the sexual assault case.

news, multimedia, file sharing & largest R.E.M. He survived, and left the hospital a day after, against doctor's orders because he was feeling harassed by phone calls and the doctors. Murmurs : R.E.M. Roll me some weed.". website (http://www.remhq.com/). His first words after realizing how severe his wounds were, having been shot in the head and testicles, were "Oh, shit. Official R.E.M. Shakur described his friends as acting very strange, almost surprised at his being alive.

2005 "Electron Blue" #26 UK. He was dragged into an elevator and taken upstairs to safety, where his then-friends Biggie, Puffy, Little Caesar, and others were waiting. 2004 "Aftermath" #41 UK. Tupac alone was shot a total of five times while he played dead on the ground and also robbed of thousands of dollars of gold jewelry he was wearing. 2004 "Leaving New York" #5 UK. Their aggression was focused almost exclusively on Tupac, although they did threaten to shoot Stretch as well. 2004 "Animal" #33 UK. The two men, who Shakur described as looking like they were from New York, came at him with identical 9mm handguns, and forced him and his friends to the floor.

2003 "Bad Day" #8 UK. (aka Biggie), whom he was still friends with at the time. 2001 "I'll Take the Rain" #51 UK. Shakur simply assumed they must be security for The Notorious B.I.G. 2001 "All the Way to Reno" #24 UK. He noted that he was less wary of them than he should have been because he "had just finished smoking chronic". 2001 "Imitation of Life" #83 US; #6 UK. When they got to the studio, Tupac was suspicious of two black men in their thirties, both dressed in army fatigues, because neither of them seemed to acknowledge his presence.

2000 "The Great Beyond" #57 US; #3 UK. They arrived at a studio so Shakur could do some recordings for an acquaintance, Booker, whom he didn't quite trust. 1999 "At My Most Beautiful" #10 UK. He was with his close friend Stretch, manager Freddie Moore, and one other friend on the night of November 30, 1994. 1998 "Lotus" #26 UK. Tupac recalled the circumstances in an interview shortly afterwards with Vibe. 1998 "Daysleeper" #57 US; #6 UK. Shortly before his verdict was announced, in an apparent robbery attempt outside a music studio in New York, Shakur was shot five times.

1996 "Electrolite" #96 US; #29 UK. On February 7, 1995, Shakur was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for "forcibly touching the buttocks", though he vehemently denied any wrongdoing. 1996 "Bittersweet Me" #46 US; #19 UK. The girl, disagreeing with his account, accused him of encouraging the three men, pulling her hair, and sodomy. 1996 "E-Bow the Letter" #4 UK. Some friends who were with him that night interrupted the couple, wanting to enjoy the woman's attentions themselves. Shakur claimed to have left the room disgusted and went to take a nap. 1995 "Tongue" #13 UK. The next night, she visited him before he was set to do a show and was giving him a massage in a hotel room.

1995 "Strange Currencies" #47 US; #9 UK. She allegedly gave him oral sex on the dance floor before Shakur took her back to his hotel room. 1995 "Crush with Eyeliner" #23 UK. According to his account, he met a female fan at a club, Nell's, who was described to him as wanting to "more than meet [him]". 1994 "Bang and Blame" #19 US; #15 UK. In December, Tupac Shakur was charged with sexually abusing a woman in his hotel room. 1994 "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" #21 US; #9 UK. The group's lyrical strength undoubtedly lay primarily with Tupac, as the group has had little success after his death.

1993 "Nightswimming" #27 UK. The group released their first album Thug Life: Volume 1 on Interscope in 1994 with moderate success. 1993 "Everybody Hurts" #29 US; #7 UK. In 1994, he formed the group Thug Life with a few of his friends, including Big Syke, Macadoshis, his half-brother Mopreme, and Rated R. 1993 "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" #17 UK. The charges against Shakur were dismissed. 1993 "Man on the Moon" #30 US; #18 UK. He faced serious charges until it was discovered that both officers were intoxicated during the incident and were using weapons stolen out of an evidence locker.

1992 "Drive" #28 US; #11 UK. Shakur got into a fight with them and shot both officers (one in the leg, one in the buttocks). 1991 "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" #39 UK; #69 US (1988). In October 1993, Shakur came upon two off-duty police officers whom he perceived as harassing a black motorist on the side of the road in Atlanta. 1991 "Radio Song" #28 UK. When he told the police "fuck y'all," he was choked, beaten, and had his head smashed on the pavement. He subsequently raised a ten million dollar lawsuit against the Oakland police department, which was eventually settled for $42,000. 1991 "The One I Love" (re-issue) #16 UK. In Oakland in October of 1991, Tupac was stopped by two officers for allegedly jaywalking.

1991 "Near Wild Heaven" #27 UK. Before he started his recording career, Tupac had no criminal record. 1991 "Shiny Happy People" #10 US; #6 UK. Along with Shakur's rise to fame came a series of altercations with the law that further complicated his public image. 1991 "Losing My Religion" #4 US, #19 UK. Shock G would go on to produce the Shakur hits So Many Tears and Temptations. 1989 "Pop Song 89" #86 US. His second CD, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..., was heavily produced by Shock G, and spurred two number one hits: the emotional Keep Ya Head Up and the playful I Get Around.

1989 "Orange Crush" #28 UK. Shakur was a talented rapper; producing was not his forte. 1989 "Stand" #6 US. In confidence, Shakur told Shock G that he wanted Shock to pick the beats. 1987 "The One I Love" #9 US. The album did not do as well as Tupac had hoped on the charts, sparking no number one hits. 1986 "Fall On Me" #94 US. Former Vice President Dan Quayle, as part of his zealous push for morals, publicly denounced the album as having "no place in our society".

1984 "South Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" #85 US. 2Pacalypse Now quickly attracted public criticism, especially after a young man who killed a Texas Trooper claimed he was inspired by the album. 1983 "Radio Free Europe" #78 US. While Shakur claimed (http://www.alleyezonme.com/interviews/5.phtml) his album was aimed at the problems facing young black males, it was also filled with images of violence by and against police. 1988-2003 (compilation) (2003); #1 UK, #8 US. Although produced with the help of his Digital Underground crew, the intent of the album was to showcase his individual talent. In Time - The Best of R.E.M. Eventually, Interscope records agreed to distribute the record; one can credit executives Ted Field and Tom Whally for giving Tupac the chance.

R.E.M.IX (Web Only Remixes). In 1991, Tupac had trouble shopping his solo-debut, 2Pacalypse Now. In The Attic (rarities compilation) (1997). He was hailed by Rolling Stone's Peter Travers as "The film's most magnetic figure." Shakur went on to star in Poetic Justice, Above the Rim, Gridlock'd, Bullet, and Gang Related. R.E.M. He starred in Juice in 1991, to much critical acclaim. Singles Collected (1994);. While never achieving that particular dream, Shakur did become a talented actor, drawing from his theatre roots.

All Eyez on Me (1996). Me Against the World (1995). 1 (1994). Thug Life: Thug Life Vol.