Background · Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2
Old vocal tracks set to new beats, along with guests spliced in after the fact: four years after Nu-Mixx Klazzics, Death Row followed up with Evolution: Duets & Remixes. The concept consisted of setting Tupac's verses from the Death Row era to new beats and pairing them with rappers and singers who never stood in the studio with him.
Death Row Was Up for Sale
The album arrived during a turbulent time for Death Row: Suge Knight had filed for bankruptcy in 2006, and the label and its catalog were up for sale. Releases continued through Koch Records, which had already distributed the first volume as well as 2Pac Live. As with its predecessor, material was drawn primarily from All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati, along with tracks from other sources.
Pain, for instance, originally came from the soundtrack to Above the Rim from 1994, and Wanted Dead or Alive with Snoop Dogg from the soundtrack to Gridlock'd. Lost Souls with the Outlawz had previously appeared as the B-side of the single To Live & Die in L.A.
Spliced Together Instead of in the Studio Together
Picture Me Rollin' appears twice on the album: at the start with Kurupt and Butch Cassidy, and at the end in a version with the Outlawz, produced by Claudio Cueni. Got My Mind Made Up brings together Kurupt and the Outlawz, and Staring Through My Rear View features soul singer Dwele. Styles P of The LOX raps on Pain, and New York's Boot Camp Clik on Initiated (produced by Jake One). Hail Mary appears as a rock remix.
The approach was the same as on the first volume: Tupac's vocals remained, and everything else was replaced. Because the guest contributions were created after the fact, there are no conversations or genuine back-and-forth verses. The word "duets" in the subtitle was therefore more marketing than description.
No. 45 on the Charts and One Star on AllMusic
According to Wikipedia, the release includes 15 tracks. The US CD listed on Discogs as the main release has 12 tracks, and the table below follows that CD.
The album reached No. 45 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Independent charts, but remained well behind the first volume. AllMusic gave it one out of five stars. For collectors, it is primarily of interest due to a few rare verses; as an album, it is considered a low point of Death Row's catalog exploitation.