The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory by Tupac Shakur is his most complete album. Here's why: [Thread]

Reconciling who Tupac was is never easy given how complex his character was. His career went through so many phases and shifts, he could be a passionate man of the people in one instance, then turn into the resented villain the next. In his career, those who were around to..

..witness it saw him morph from the militant, aspiring MC on 2pacalypse Now to the bad boy of All Eyez On Me in both his personal life and his music. But no project better encapsulated who Tupac was then his first posthumous project, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

The album was recorded in three days then mixed and mastered in four, according to folklore surrounding the audio version of Pac's last will and testament. It would also serve as his third and final release of his Death Row contract, signed while in prison. The partying project..

..took on greater significance after his untimely death in September of 1996 because, when broken down to it's basics, the 12 songs end up creating the most version of who he was.

Pac never shied away from expressing himself and showing different sides to him. On one hand, we would see the introspective Thug and on the opposite end of the spectrum, there was angry Pac. The one willing to ride on all of his enemies. The one not afraid to name the names of..

..who he felt wronged him some way. Some of those anonymous enemies show up for the song "Blasphemy", whose title doubles as a play on the phrase "blast for me". But, the focus isn't solely spent on foes as he spouts off 10 rules for survival for would-be thugs and outlaws.

Those same opposing forces help drive "Against All Odds", the album's final track and probably only second to "Hit'em Up" in how scathing the lyrics were. Whereas "Hit'em Up" focused on Biggie, Puffy and the Bad Boy family, "Against All Odds" lined up every offender..

..Nas, Haitian, Jack, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond and more, then called out their transgressions and tried to bury them in the process.

Aggressive moments like these bring forth his divisive nature as an artist and person. How can listeners love and appreciate a guy who's attacking one or some of their favorites? Brash moves like this were part of what ignited the East versus West rivalry that drove a wedge..

..into rap's landscape, not just for artists but for media and fans, too. Tupac forced everyone to choose a side and, in the process, show their true colors in the war of words that ultimately bled into a reality.

The hyper-violent version of Makaveli stands in contrast the more romantic figure who could make ladies swoon with his words just as well as his charm and good looks. Album tracks “Toss It Up” and “Just Like Daddy” were songs similar to the lady’s man vibes we’d heard before on..

“I Get Around” and “Can You Get Away.” Featuring K-Ci and JoJo of Jodeci, the funkdafied production on “Toss It Up” was upbeat and playful, lustful while managing to stay tasteful. The song’s a set up to “Just Like Daddy,” where Tupac turns into the smooth player who whispers..

..into a woman’s ear so closely that she can feel the warmth of his breath, and the slightest touch of his lips glances past her earlobes to send tingles through her. His warm personality creates an affection that’s undeniable.

Then, there was simply Tupac, the rapper who valued words and the complexities of rhymes. The album intro, “Bomb First (My First Reply),” often gets overlooked for how nimbly Pac was able to dance over the hypnotic production, pivoting with ease as he turned phrases into verses

..Couple breathless performances like that with figurative nature of the Second Amendment praise song that is “Me and My Girlfriend” to see how detailed and complex the brother could be with his words and ideas, creating songs that could easily be considered poetry and short..

..stories as much as they are music. But, behind it are some of those same complexities that can be confounding. There’s Tupac, the rapper everyone loves, feeling lonesome, choosing to keep a gun as his closest, most sacred companion.

Greater still, the concept behind the song was inspired by "I Gave You Power" (which belongs to Nas, the same person who ended up on the receiving end of disses on this album) which in turn was also inspired by "Stray Bullet" by the duo Organized Konfusion.

Twenty four years later, just who Tupac really was still remains a bit of a mystery that even those who knew him intimately have a hard time wrangling with. The fact is there is no way to pin down who he was because Tupac was still growing and evolving before his life was cut..

..short. But, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is his one body of work that contains almost all the pieces of the man that he was.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this thread, it really means alotHappy Anniversary to this classic album by one of the GOATs

@rap_lab_ @CLIENTELLE123 @AllEyez0nHipHop @AllLoveHipHop @checktherhyme1 @choice_rap RT's would be greatly appreciated guys