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Loyal to the Game

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Loyal to the Game is the ninth studio album and fifth posthumous studio album by American rapper Tupac Shakur. The album was produced by Eminem and consists of remixes of previously unreleased music recorded by Tupac before his death in 1996. Released in the United States on December 14, 2004, Loyal to the Game debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.[3] It was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4]

Loyal to the Game
Studio album by
2Pac
ReleasedDecember 14, 2004 (2004-12-14)[1]
Recorded1991–1994 (2Pac's vocals) 2003–2004 (Production, guest vocals and mixing)
Genre
Length64:56
Label
Producer
2Pac chronology
2Pac Live
(2004) 		Loyal to the Game
(2004) 		Live at the House of Blues
(2005)
Singles from Loyal to the Game
  1. "Thugs Get Lonely Too"
    Released: September 23, 2004
  2. "Ghetto Gospel"
    Released: April 25, 2005[2]

Background

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During an interview with MTV, Eminem stated he was so moved by Tupac's life and work that he wrote a letter to Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, asking her to consider letting him produce his next album. Shakur agreed, allowing Eminem to produce three new songs for the 2003 soundtrack album, Tupac: Resurrection, and the entirety of Loyal to the Game, bar bonus content.[5]

All songs on the album were recorded prior to Tupac's involvement in the controversial East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry, serving as the second posthumous album released consisting of material from this time period, the first being 1997's R U Still Down? (Remember Me). Although the songs are mostly unreleased, the title track, "Loyal to the Game", was previously released on the cassette edition of the 1994 soundtrack album Above the Rim, and subsequently as the B-side to the album's lead single, "Regulate".

The album featured two singles: "Thugs Get Lonely Too", which served as a promotional single for the album, and "Ghetto Gospel", which served as the lead single.[6] Originally, "Ghetto Gospel" was recorded for inclusion on the 1992 Christmas compilation A Very Special Christmas 2, but due to Tupac's legal troubles, the song was dropped from the album.[citation needed] This original version has a much faster tempo and features a third and fourth verse which didn't feature in Eminem's remix.[7][8]

Production

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Loyal to the Game marks the only posthumous Tupac album not to feature any original production. When remixing these songs, Eminem used various unusual production techniques, namely, modifying the pace and pitch of Tupac's voice to better suit the instrumentals he produced. The style of the production on the album fitted more to the form of a Shady/Aftermath release, of which Eminem partly created, than it did to any original or previous posthumous Tupac release.[9] There were also various uses of cutting and pasting vocals to produce new words synonymous with rap culture at that time, such as making it sound as though Tupac is saying, "2005", "G-Unit", "Obie Trice" and "Em".[9]

Although Loyal to the Game was produced by Eminem, the album does feature four bonus remixes, with production coming from Scott Storch, Red Spyda, Raphael Saadiq, and DJ Quik, though, the bonus track produced by Scott Storch, "Po Nigga Blues", does not feature in Eminem form on the main album. It is unknown if Eminem did or did not produce a version of that song.

Critical reception and commercial performance

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [10]
RapReviews8/10[11]
Los Angeles Times    [12]
Rolling Stone     [13]
Vibe     [14]

Loyal to the Game debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week-sales of over 330,000 copies in its first week.[3] On February 15, 2005, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the US.[4] As of September 2011, the album has sold 1,204,124 copies in the United States.[15]

Track listing

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No.TitleProducerLength
1."Soldier Like Me (Return of the Soulja)" (featuring Eminem)Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Big D The Impossible and Randy "Stretch" Walker)3:50
2."The Uppercut" (featuring E.D.I. Mean and Young Noble of the Outlawz)Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by 2Pac)3:50
3."Out on Bail"Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by LG)3:54
4."Ghetto Gospel"Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Big D The Impossible)3:58
5."Black Cotton" (featuring Eminem and Kastro and Young Noble of the Outlawz)Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Big D The Impossible)5:03
6."Loyal to the Game" (featuring G-Unit)Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Reginald Heard)3:23
7."Thugs Get Lonely Too" (featuring Nate Dogg)Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Randy "Stretch" Walker)4:48
8."N.I.G.G.A. (Never Ignorant, Getting Goals Accomplished)" (featuring Jadakiss)Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Big D The Impossible)3:02
9."Who Do You Love?"Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by 2Pac and Randy "Stretch" Walker)3:28
10."Crooked Nigga Too"Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Big D The Impossible)2:55
11."Don't You Trust Me?"Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Big D The Impossible)4:55
12."Hennessey" (featuring Obie Trice)Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Thug Music)3:27
13."Thug 4 Life"Eminem, Luis Resto (Originally produced by Johnny "J")2:54
Bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
14."Po Nigga Blues (Scott Storch Remix)" (featuring Ron Isley)Scott Storch (Originally produced by Daryl L. Anderson (DJ Daryl))3:38
15."Hennessey (Red Spyda Remix)" (featuring E.D.I. Mean and Sleepy Brown)Red Spyda3:18
16."Crooked Nigga Too (Raphael Saadiq Remix)" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)Raphael Saadiq (Originally produced by Big D The Impossible)4:02
17."Loyal to the Game (DJ Quik Remix)" (featuring Big Syke)DJ Quik4:20
Sample credits
Notes
  • Originally, "Out on Bail" was intended for an unreleased version of Thug Life: Volume 1 but due to controversial reasons, the original version did not make the final cut and was remixed after Eminem went on board. The original version can be found on YouTube.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date
United States December 14, 2004

References

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  1. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. ^ "Ghetto Gospel - 2Pac | Release Credits". AllMusic.
  3. ^ a b "Tupac's 'Game' Haunts Album Chart At No. 1". Billboard. December 22, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "RIAA Certifications – 2Pac". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  5. ^ village voice > nyclife > The Essay: The End of Eminem by Jon Caramanica
  6. ^ "Loyal to the Game". Amazon. 2004.
  7. ^ Evans, Deon (August 23, 2013). "Deon Evans Interview Part 1: About How He Met 2Pac, Dope Fiends Diner & Breaking Down Ghetto Gospel". 2PacForumChannel. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  8. ^ Video on YouTube
  9. ^ a b 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) Loyal to the Game Lyrics Sounds and More
  10. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Loyal to the Game – 2Pac". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  11. ^ Juon, Steve. "2Pac: Loyal to the Game". RapReviews. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  12. ^ Dreisinger, Baz (January 2, 2005). "Something gets lost in Em's mix". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  13. ^ Sheffield, Rob (January 27, 2005). "Tupac Shakur Loyal To The Game". RollingStone.com. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  14. ^ "Tupac – Loyal to the Game". Cd Universe. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "Tupac Month: 2Pac's Discography". Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – 2Pac – Loyal to the Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  17. ^ "ARIA Urban Albums Chart – Week Commencing 27th June 2005" (PDF). The ARIA Report (800). June 27, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – 2Pac – Loyal to the Game" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  19. ^ "2Pac Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – 2Pac – Loyal to the Game" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – 2Pac – Loyal to the Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – 2Pac – Loyal to the Game" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  23. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography 2Pac". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  24. ^ "History - FIMI".
  25. ^ "Charts.nz – 2Pac – Loyal to the Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  27. ^ "2Pac - Loyal to the Game - hitparade.ch".
  28. ^ "2Pac | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  29. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  30. ^ "2Pac Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  31. ^ "2Pac Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  32. ^ "2Pac Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  33. ^ "ChartsPlusYE2005" (PDF). UKchartsplus.co.uk. Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  34. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  35. ^ "YEAR-END CHARTS RAP ALBUMS 2005". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  36. ^ "British album certifications – 2Pac – Loyal to the Game". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  37. ^ "American album certifications – 2 Pac – Loyal to the Game". Recording Industry Association of America.
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