|
|
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not-So "Nu" Remix Album, November 9, 2003
There's nothing like raping a dead man's musical legacy for a few more dollars. Death Row's latest attempt to cash in on the popularity of their deceased former artist is without question, there most shameless. While the altered versions of his heavily-bootleged songs on "Until The End Of Time" and "Better Dayz" were a mixed bag for most of his fans, this latest concept to remix his classic Death Row songs could best be described as a promising idea gone terribly wrong. As one of the biggest Tupac fans there is, I didn't truly object to this project until I actually sat down and gave it a listen. Beyond its one decent remix, "Life Goes On", the album is truly awful. Most of the beats, most noteably "Heartz Of Men" don't even flow with Pac's delivery. All former Death Row artists' names are taken out of these new recordings and in the case of the tailor-made Snoop Dogg duet, "2 Of Amerikka's Most Wanted", it is painfully noticeable. Snoop is replaced by Death Row's new rising star, Crooked I, on "Wanted", which is one of about two remixes that actually adds something new other than a beat. Crooked I is a very talented lyricist but for Suge to even try and fit him into a song that he clearly doesn't belong on is very uneccessary and hypocritical, seeing as Knight has been so vocal about other rappers being added to Pac's music. Trying to remove Snoop's name from a song that was made about doesn't exactly help the flow of the music either. Anytime Pac says Snoop's name, they do a real cheap scramble job usually reserved for radio edits. In addition to the fact that the production by Death Row in-house producer, Darren Vegas, is average (and that's being very generous), you are only getting ten songs for your buck here. Nothing much has been added except for beats and none of these so-called "updated" versions can hold a candle to the originals. Hearing the way they butchered "Hit Em' Up" almost makes the job that Amaru did on "When We Ride On Our Enemies" seem acceptable. For some reason, the producers behind both decided that it would be best that Pac's angriest diss records be accompained by a happy and mellow-sounding beat. Perhaps they were going for the same type of violent irony that director Stephen Hopkins displayed when he had Hanibal Lector murder people to piano music in "Silence Of The Lambs". Either way, it didn't work. "Nu Mixx Klassiks" could have been a good project. Had Death Row taken their time and really worked on updating the songs rather than just throwing new beats behind them, we might have had something worth listening to. Maybe some updated choruses, big-name guests, and an unreleased verse or two might have spiced up our interest but when all is said and done, this doesn't feel like a labor of love. What it feels like is just another record company putting minimal time and money into a project to make more money off a deceased icon's loyal fan base. Pac deserves much better than this.
|
is one of 2Pac's 
