Background · Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw (Soundtrack)
Tupac's name is on the cover, but not a single verse of his can be heard on the CD. The companion CD to the documentary Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw (2002) is not a Tupac album in the true sense: it gathers tribute songs by friends and companions as well as interview excerpts. The project was produced by Quincy Jones III (QDIII), who had himself worked on several Tupac songs as a producer.
Soundbites from the Cell and Songs by Companions
The CD follows the structure of the documentary: songs alternate with short interview excerpts. Hussein Fatal and Storm of the Outlawz talk about their time with Tupac in their own segments. Added to this is a conversation with his stepfather Mutulu Shakur, recorded in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta.
Musically, the Outlawz shape the album: they open with the title track Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw and can also be heard on Euphanasia as well as Killaz in Here. Tech N9ne, who first caught national attention in 1997 on the Gang Related soundtrack, contributes Keep On Keepin' On. Mac Mall raps Killuminati. Ray Luv, a childhood friend of Tupac from the Bay Area with whom he rapped in the group Strictly Dope in the late eighties, contributes The Day the World Ended. The album closes with Thinking of You, Tribute to Tupac by Stepchylde with Johnny "J"the most important producer of his final years.
Interesting for Collectors, Platinum for the Film
For collectors, the CD is interesting primarily because of the interviews and personal contributions from Tupac's circle. Anyone hoping to hear Tupac himself, however, will find nothing on it. The documentary, by contrast, was successful and received Platinum from the RIAA in 2005 for over 100,000 videos sold. More on the film can be found on the Thug Angel page.
The label is sometimes listed as "Image Entertainment"; that pertains to the distribution of the DVD, while the CD was released by QD3 Entertainment. Several names are often misspelled, such as "Techn9ne," "Kumsai," and "Stepchyloe." The running times below could not be verified against a second source.