The Don Killuminati

On the cover, Tupac hangs on a cross, painted after the model of Renaissance art. By the time the album reached the stores, he had been dead for eight weeks: on September 13, 1996, he died in Las Vegas from wounds suffered in a drive-by shooting. He had finished the record shortly before, under a new name. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory came out credited to Makaveli.

It is his darkest album and, for many fans, his most important.

A pseudonym from a prison cell

Tupac brought the Makaveli name with him from prison. There he read Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince and adopted its idea of confusing enemies through deception. The title packs in several references: "Don" stands for the godfather, "Killuminati" mocks conspiracy myths about the Illuminati, and "7 Day Theory" points to the short recording period.

Seven days in August

According to the musicians and engineers on the sessions, Tupac cut the songs within a week in August 1996. Producer Hurt-M-Badd supplied most of the beats. Whether the album was meant to come out in exactly this form has never been settled. What is certain is that it was among the last projects he completed himself.

Minor keys instead of a party

The sound is a clear break from All Eyez on Me: less party, more minor keys, strings and reverb. Hail Mary, with the Outlawz and Prince Ital Joe and its tolling-bell beat, is one of the best-known Tupac songs of all. To Live & Die in L.A. with Val Young is a love letter to Los Angeles. The most radio-friendly moment is Toss It Up with K-Ci & JoJo, Aaron Hall and Danny Boy.

Declarations of war and quiet reflection

Alongside them stand open declarations of war. Bomb First and Against All Odds target The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, Nas, Jay-Z and people Tupac linked to the 1994 shooting. White Man'z World and Blasphemy, by contrast, are reflective and political. The Outlawz shape this record more than any other Tupac album.

A cross that fed the theories

The cover was painted by artist Ronald "Riskie" Brent. A note in the booklet says the image is not meant as disrespect toward Jesus Christ. After Tupac's death many fans read the image and the change of name as signs. That was the root of the theories that he faked his death, and they have proved stubborn.

No. 1 without a Hot 100 hit

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Singles were Toss It Up, To Live & Die in L.A. (UK No. 10) and Hail Mary. None of them entered the Billboard Hot 100. The RIAA certified the album four times platinum in June 1999.

From pan to favorite album

Reviews were split at first. AllMusic accused the album of cashing in on the artist's death and gave it two and a half stars. British magazine Muzik, on the other hand, called it one of the most important albums of the year.

Its standing grew with time. XXL later gave it a perfect rating, and rappers such as J. Cole name it their favorite album. Today The Don Killuminati is widely seen, together with Me Against the World, as Tupac's most artistically complete work. He never read a single one of those reviews.