Background · R U Still Down?
A good year after Tupac's death, what arrived on the market was not a new Death Row sound, but music from the years before. R U Still Down? (Remember Me) collects recordings from 1992 to 1994 that had been left behind at Interscope. It was the first album assembled without his involvement. His mother was the publisher.
Afeni Shakur Secures the Archive
After Tupac's death, Afeni Shakur secured the rights to his unreleased material. In 1997, she founded the label Amaru Entertainment, named after the Inca rebel Túpac Amaru, from whom her son's first name was derived. R U Still Down? was the label's first release.
The songs date from the era of Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., Thug Life, and Me Against the World. For many tracks, the production team We Got Kidz built new instrumentals, while others remained largely in their original state. That explains the album's mixed sound: alongside polished R&B beats sit gritty East Coast productions by Live Squad from 1993.
Old Companions Meet New Beats
Standing out as the best-known track is I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto, presented in two versions: Soulshock & Karlin produced a new album version, while the original came from Laylaw. The producer duo is also responsible for Do for Love featuring Eric Williams of Blackstreet, built on Bobby Caldwell's What You Won't Do for Love. Warren G contributed Lie to Kick It and Definition of a Thug Nigga. 16 on Death Row and Only Fear of Death show the darker side of the early nineties.
Among the guests, companions from the Thug Life era dominate: Big Syke, Stretch, Spice 1, Richie Rich, and Dramacydal, who later became the Outlawz.
No. 2 on the Charts and Quadruple Platinum
The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop charts. That same December in 1997, the RIAA awarded quadruple platinum, since with double albums each CD counts individually. In the fall of 1997, I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto was released as a single, followed by Do for Love in February 1998. The latter climbed to No. 21 on the Hot 100, reached No. 12 in the UK, and was certified gold in the US.
26 Songs and the Beginning of the Remix Debate
Reviews were mixed. Spin found the material haunting despite all its self-destructive moments, while Entertainment Weekly heard Tupac's raw talent cutting through the post-production. Criticism centered primarily on its scope: 26 songs, not all of which were finished.
With R U Still Down?, a pattern began that shaped the years to follow. Fans demanded new material, the estate delivered-and at the same time, the debate began over how much remixes and new beats should be allowed to alter the original.