May 20, 1997400 words · 2 min
Tupac as a Guest on the Bone Thugs Double Album
May 1997: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony announce their double album, with Tupac on “Thug Luv”. For MTV, fresh fuel for the theory that Tupac is still alive.
Original: “Tupac To Appear On Bone Thugs Double Album” · MTV News · no byline · May 20, 1997
In May 1997, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony were putting the finishing touches on The Art of War. The double album was scheduled for release in July, split across two discs titled “World War One” and “World War Two.” Among the guests, MTV listed the Mo Thugs Family-and a dead man: Tupac Shakur, announced for the song “Thug Love,” which is correctly titled Thug Luv.
MTV dryly surmised that this appearance would give believers of the “Tupac is alive” theory fresh talking points. As a harbinger, the report announced the single Look Into My Eyes for June 3, which was simultaneously slated to appear on the soundtrack to Batman & Robin.
No. 1 for the Double Album, No. 4 for the Single
The plan worked out. The Art of War was released at the end of July 1997 and entered the Billboard album chart at No. 1 in the August 16 issue. The single delivered on the report’s promise as well: Look Into My Eyes entered the Hot 100 straight at No. 4 in June 1997-explicitly noted on the chart listing with the addition “From Batman & Robin.”
However, the figure of 29 tracks cited by MTV was not a rigid measure. The track list varies depending on the edition; the vinyl version counts roughly 25 tracks. There, Thug Luv opens the second record.
Verses from the Drawer Instead of Resurrection
For Tupac fans, Thug Luv was more than a feature. The song belongs to those recordings Tupac had laid down with other artists during his lifetime that surfaced gradually after his death: on soundtracks, on albums by peers, or on projects like Trapp’s Stop the Gunfight, which entered the charts in April 1997 with verses from Tupac and Biggie.
MTV’s remark about the “Tupac is alive” theories was by no means pulled out of thin air. The network had already reported on such rumors in January 1997. Every new verse, every new song was read by part of the audience as evidence. The sober explanation was simpler: Tupac had recorded relentlessly in his final years, and other artists held finished verses of his in the drawer.