But is it a flawless classic, or even 2Pac’s best album? No, and no.Ī double album, All Eyez On Me just is too long (and a little too heavy on the ‘thug’ side) for its own good, especially the second album contains a bunch of filler tracks. Packed with classic songs – like “I Ain’t Mad At Cha”, “Ambitionz Az A Ridah”, “Life Goes On”, “California Love”, “Only God Can Judge Me”, “Heartz Of Men” and “Picture Me Rollin’” – and showcasing 2Pac’s signature mix of “thug-ism” and his vulnerable, thoughtful side, All Eyez On Me surely is a landmark album. It certainly was a bestseller, selling upwards of ten million units in the US alone. All Eyez On Me probably is 2Pac‘s most popular album, released when he was at the peak of his fame (while alive). Of course, because of the number of units sold and its iconic status, All Eyez On Me is a classic. Often though this is just parroting behavior by casual Hip Hop listeners who just don’t know many other Hip Hop albums, so who really can’t compare. Many people see this album as 2Pac’s magnum opus and one the best, if not THE best, Hip Hop album ever. Now, some of you will get all upset because you want to see this album ranked higher. Stress: The Extinction Agenda is an all-around brilliant album that should not be overlooked. If you’ve ever wondered why many consider Pharoahe Monch a GOAT emcee – study this album and you will know. Stress: The Extinction Agenda is one of the most underrated albums released in the 1990s – this truly is a one-of-a-kind kind of album. The mostly self-produced beats on Stress: The Extinction Agenda are dope as f too – dark and menacing, but jazzy at the same time: musically this album comes off as a hybrid of the sounds of A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan – combining the best of both worlds. Some of the tightest and most inventive rhymes you’ll ever hear are on this album, with the conceptual gem “Stray Bullet” being a particular lyrical highlight. Whether they are storytelling, philosophizing, joking, bragging, being conscious, or simply throwing out battle raps – their lyrical performances are top-tier in every aspect – there is NOTHING cliche or run-of-the-mill about the lyricism on Stress: The Extinction Agenda. Both emcees manage to step up their already considerable game from their debut, they come with phenomenal rhymes and complex flows – bar for bar lyrical Hip Hop doesn’t get much better than this. Pharoahe Monch is and has always been the better rapper of the two, but Prince Po is perfectly able to hold his own – which is incredible enough. In terms of wordplay, flow, delivery, AND content – this is the gold standard. Some albums from this era sound dated now but Stress: The Extinction Agenda sounds as fresh today as it did on the day it was released – the mark of a true classic.
This album was way ahead of its time in vision and execution. Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch come with unparalleled lyricism on this dark, dense, complicated, and intellectual album. They admirably succeeded in creating an album with similarities to the first album, while doing something completely different at the same time. Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda (1994)įollowing their eponymous debut LP, Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po had a lot to live up to.
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