"Loyal to the Game" Enters at No. 1 on the Billboard 200

One week after its release on December 14, 2004, Loyal to the Game stood at the top of the Billboard 200. According to Nielsen SoundScan, 330,000 copies were sold in the United States in its first week. It was Tupac’s fifth No. 1 album and the third after his death.

In the Midst of the Holiday Shopping Season

The success came during one of the highest-selling weeks of the year. Following closely behind were the hits compilation Now That’s What I Call Music! 17 with 323,000 and Eminem’s own album Encore with 315,000 copies at No. 3. The previous week’s leader, Ludacris’ Red Light District, fell to No. 12.

Billboard noted Tupac’s career totals on this occasion: 24.4 million albums sold in the United States, including more than 18 million after his death in the year 1996. The previous album Better Dayz had debuted in 2002 with 366,000 copies at No. 5 and had meanwhile reached 1.6 million.

What the Critics Heard

Rolling Stone reviewed the album briefly and tongue-in-cheek in January 2005. It was primarily produced by Eminem, who raps alongside Tupac himself on “Black Cotton”. Tupac’s verses nevertheless held their own against everything else on the album. “Ghetto Gospel” featured a fine Elton John sample, but the strongest track was “Thugs Get Lonely Too” with a mournful chorus by Nate Dogg.