Background · Gang Related, The Soundtrack
When Jim Kouf's thriller Gang Related hit theaters in October 1997, Tupac's death was a year in the past. Starring alongside Jim Belushi, he played a corrupt cop-it was the last film Tupac completely finished filming. The accompanying Death Row soundtrack was released as a double CD featuring 24 songs, four of them by Tupac.
Four Unreleased Tracks from the 1996 Sessions
All four tracks stem from the 1996 Death Row sessions and were previously unreleased. Daz Dillinger produced Life's So Hard. Starin' Through My Rear View with the Outlawz is built on a sample of Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight and is regarded by many fans as one of the best posthumously released Tupac songs; in 2003, the track also appeared on the soundtrack Tupac: Resurrection.
Made Niggaz, also recorded with the Outlawz, was released as a single. Lost Souls closes the second disc.
New Distribution via Priority, Double Platinum on the Charts
The soundtrack was Death Row's first release through Priority Records after Interscope parted ways with the label. Alongside Tupac, Daz Dillinger, Ice Cube, Mack 10, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, WC, Storm, and the Outlawz are featured. For Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne, Questions brought his first nationally noticed appearance. Additional singles released were Way Too Major by Daz Dillinger and These Days by Nate Dogg.
On the Billboard 200, the album debuted at No. 2-behind Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope—and topped the R&B charts. In November 1997, the RIAA certified it double platinum. More on the film is available on the Gang Related page.
Distribution and Running Times
Distribution was handled by Priority. The running times are taken from the US double CD.
