Background · Me Against the World
Between fall 1993 and late 1994, Tupac was facing several court cases. During that stretch he recorded a song that captured the feeling of those months: police, envy and violence closing in, and the need to hold on anyway. By the time the title track of Me Against the World came out in 1995, Tupac was already in prison.
Danish beats and the early Outlawz
The Danish production duo Soulshock & Karlin built the beat. Puff Johnson sings the hook. Dramacydal, the group that later became the Outlawz, came in as guests with verses of their own.
Only a B-side in the US
In the US the song was not released as a regular single. There was only a promo 12" for DJs (Atlantic DMD 2236). In stores, the track was available only as a B-side on the Temptations maxi-single, which carried a Soul Power remix alongside the album version.
Three remixes for Europe
In Europe, by contrast, Interscope and Atlantic released the track in 1995 as a single of its own with three remixes, on CD and on 12". No chart placings could be verified for this edition.
Listed here is the running order of the European 12" (6544-95753-0). The German CD (6544-95753-2) differs slightly and opens with the LP edit.