| # | Song Title | Featured Guest(s) | Producer(s) | |:--|:---|:---|:---| | 1 | Letter to the President | Big Syke | QDIII | | 2 | Still I Rise | Ta'He | Johnny "J" | | 3 | Secretz of War | — | Johnny "J" | | 4 | Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II) | H.E.A.T. | 2Pac, Soulshock & Karlin | | 5 | As the World Turns | — | Darryl "Big D" Harper | | 6 | Black Jesuz | — | 2Pac, L Rock Ya | | 7 | Homeboyz | — | Daz Dillinger | | 8 | Hell 4 a Hustler | — | Damon Thomas | | 9 | High Speed | — | Darryl "Big D" Harper | | 10 | The Good Die Young | — | Darryl "Big D" Harper | | 11 | Killuminati | Qierra Davis-Martin | Tony Pizarro | | 12 | Teardrops and Closed Caskets | Nate Dogg, Val Young | QDIII | | 13 | Tattoo Tears | — | Kurupt | | 14 | U Can Be Touched | — | Johnny "J" | | 15 | Y'All Don't Know Us | — | Quimmy Quim, Reef |
The material for Still I Rise was largely recorded during the prolific period between Tupac’s release from prison in late 1995 and his death in September 1996. During this time, Pac was obsessed with the idea of a "family" unit. The Outlaw Immortalz (Hussein Fatal, Kastro, Napoleon, Young Noble, E.D.I. Mean, Mussolini, and Kadafi) were more than just backup rappers; they were his soldiers in a perceived war against the industry and his own mortality.
But for the student of Tupac, it is . It is the sound of a garden growing after the gardener has died. It is messy, authentic, and defiant. It proves that 2Pac wasn’t just a solo superstar; he was a movement. He built the Outlawz not to be his hype men, but to continue his work. 2pac and outlawz still i rise album
In "Black Jesuz," the artists plead for a savior who understands their specific struggle, rapping: "I need a miracle, I'm looking for a Black Jesus." This is not merely sacrilege; it is a theological reimagining born of necessity. The "Outlaw" identity is framed not as criminality for its own sake, but as survival in a hostile world where God seems absent. The album posits that if the system denies them humanity, they must create their own divinity and their own laws.
Still I Rise is not the album Tupac would have made. But it is the album his family and friends needed to make to process his loss. It is a fractured, imperfect, golden monument to what happens when a dream is interrupted by a bullet. | # | Song Title | Featured Guest(s)
Most verses were recorded in 1996 during 2Pac's tenure at Death Row Records.
Upon its release, Still I Rise proved to be a commercial success, a testament to 2Pac's enduring popularity. The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling approximately 439,000 copies in its first week. By February 2000, the album had been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and it has since moved over 1.6 million copies. The Outlaw Immortalz (Hussein Fatal, Kastro, Napoleon, Young
Yet, despite the critical snubs, the album was a commercial success. It debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually going Platinum. Why? Because the fans didn't care about the politics. They wanted to hear Tupac’s voice. They wanted the catharsis.
To understand Still I Rise , you must first understand the state of Hip-Hop in 1999. The East Coast-West Coast rivalry had officially ended—not with a peace treaty, but with two funerals. The Notorious B.I.G. had been dead for nearly three years. Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, was overseeing a mountain of unreleased material, trying to separate commercial gold from unfinished sketches.
