February 13, 1996 was a Tuesday like many others… but in 1 very special way it wasn’t.
I was a student at San Jose State University and every Tuesday before my Psych 101 lecture with Professor Pellegrini my classmate Sayra and I would take the stroll past Morris Dailey Auditorium where we were supposed to attend class, pass the Science Building and Washington Square Hall, and slide off campus to 4th Street. We’d walk a block or so, hang a right, and step into one of my favorite places at the time… The Wherehouse.
On this day we were outside the door at 10AM sharp waiting for the doors to open… eagerly awaiting the release of one of the most classic albums in hip-hop history… “All Eyez On Me” by 2Pac. “California Love” was all over the airwaves, the “Mad Max” style video was the hottest song on MTV and CMC (California Music Channel), and the world was anxious to hear what else 2Pac had to say after being shot 5 times, going to jail, and releasing a #1 Billboard charting album “Me Against The World” while behind bars.
Beginning with the a cappella words “I won’t deny it, I’m a straight ridah…,” the piano keys begin as he states “you don’t wanna f**k wit me, got the police bustin’ at me.” It was a (w)rap after that! Filled with a who’s who of hip-hop at the time… from fellow Death Row Records label mates, to artists from the Bay Area where he was introduced to the world, to East Coast hitmakers and funk legends George Clinton and Roger Troutman; “All Eyez On Me” was a double album that blew the music world away.
I know it was the CD of choice in my Eldorado all spring and summer of 1996, through that tragic September Saturday night in Las Vegas… and in many other Cadillacs I’ve owned since; as I’m sure it is for millions of people around the world who love 2Pac and this classic piece of art he recorded in record time setting records. Although the discs that were the norm when “All Eyez On Me” was released may have gone away, this album and Pac’s voice still boom and scream out of cars and speakers to this day.
