Better Dayz

Better Dayz is the eighth studio album and fourth posthumous album by the late American rapper 2Pac, and is his last to be a double-album.

Better Dayz
Studio album by
2Pac
ReleasedNovember 26, 2002
Recorded
  • 1994–1996 (2Pac's vocals)
  • 2001–2002 (Production, guest vocals, and mixing)
Genre
Length1:52:38
Label
Producer
2Pac chronology
Don't Go 2 Sleep
(2001)		 Better Dayz
(2002)		 Nu-Mixx Klazzics
(2003)
Singles from Better Dayz
  1. "Thugz Mansion"
    Released: October 17, 2002
  2. "Still Ballin"
    Released: May 21, 2003

It was released on November 26, 2002, debuting at number five on the US Billboard 200. This album is the second of two albums (the first being Until the End of Time) that consists of a collection of previously unreleased material by way of remixed songs from Tupac's "Makaveli" period while signed to Death Row Records, and was produced by Johnny "J", Jazze Pha, Frank Nitty, and E.D.I. Mean of Outlawz. It includes "Military Minds" which features Boot Camp Clik members Buckshot and Smif-n-Wessun (credited as Cocoa Brovaz) which was supposed to be part of a collaborative album between Shakur and BCC titled One Nation but was never officially released due to Shakur's death. Better Dayz has no censored references to Death Row Records unlike the previous album, Until the End of Time. The only track on the album pre-Death Row era is "My Block (Remix)", which was recorded in 1994–1995 during Shakur's time with Interscope Records, and which the original version was released prior on the 1995 soundtrack album The Show. The songs ‘’Late Night’’ and "Who Do You Believe In" were also released previously on Death Row's 1999 compilation Chronic 2000. "Late Night" is currently unavailable on all digital versions of the album for an unknown reason.

The album features appearances by Outlawz, Ron Isley, Nas, Mýa, Jazze Pha and Tyrese, among others. The hit single, "Thugz Mansion," comes in two versions: an acoustic version featuring Nas and J. Phoenix, on which the music video is based, and a hip hop version featuring Anthony Hamilton.

Recording

It features unreleased recordings from the 1994–1996 period, the majority of which are remixed mainly between Thug Life Volume 1 & The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Others retain their original form or are complete finished mixes, such as "Fuck 'Em All", "Late Night", "Ghetto Star", "Better Dayz", "Who Do U Believe In?" and "They Don't Give a Fuck About Us".

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC[2]
RapReviews7.5/10[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
HipHopDX[5]

John Bush from AllMusic wrote: "Better Dayz shouldn't be overlooked [...] A lengthy two-disc set, it benefits from a raft of still-compelling material by one of the two or three best rappers in history, as well as excellent compiling by executive producers Suge Knight and Afeni Shakur, 2Pac's mother. Organizing the set roughly into one disc of hardcore rap and one of R&B jams makes for an easier listen, and the R&B disc especially has some strong tracks, opening with a remix of 1995's 'My Block' and including quintessentially 2Pac material—reflective, conflicted, occasionally anguished—like 'Never Call U Bitch Again,' 'Better Dayz,' 'Fame,' and 'This Life I Lead.' [...] It's 2Pac's best album since his death."[1] Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.[6] The track "Ghetto Star" has appeared on the soundtrack to the video game 25 to Life.

Commercial performance

Better Dayz debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 366,000 copies in its first week.[7] This became 2Pac's eighth US top-ten album.[7] In its second week, the album dropped to number eight on the chart, selling an additional 163,000 copies.[8] As of September 2011, the album has sold 1,765,597 copies in the United States.[9] On July 23, 2014, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over three million copies.[10]

In May 2003, the album was also certified triple platinum in Canada for sales of over 300,000 copies in Canada.[11]

Track listing
Disc 1
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Intro"7 Aurelius0:56
2."Still Ballin'" (featuring Trick Daddy)Original by Johnny "J", Remix by Nitty2:50
3."When We Ride on Our Enemies"Original by Johnny "J", Remix by BRISS2:54
4."Changed Man" (featuring T.I. & Johntá Austin)Original by Johnny "J", Remix by Jazze Pha3:52
5."Fuck Em All" (featuring Outlawz)Johnny "J"4:26
6."Never B Peace" (featuring E.D.I. & Kastro of the Outlawz)Original by Johnny "J", Remix by Nitty4:59
7."Mama's Just a Little Girl" (featuring Kimmy Hill)Original by Johnny "J", Remix by Kip "KP" Wilson4:58
8."Street Fame"Original by Daz Dillinger, Remix by BRISS4:30
9."Whatcha Gonna Do" (featuring Kastro & Young Noble of the Outlawz)Original by Johnny "J", Remix by E.D.I.3:39
10."Fair Xchange" (featuring Jazze Pha)Original by Johnny "J", Remix by Jazze Pha3:52
11."Late Night" (from Chronic 2000 Still Smokin, featuring DJ Quik & Outlawz)DJ Quik4:18
12."Ghetto Star" (featuring Nutt-So)Go-Twice4:15
13."Thugz Mansion (Acoustic Version)" (featuring Nas & J. Phoenix)Original by Johnny "J", Remix by A. "Pitboss" Johnson, Aulsondro "Emcee N.I.C.E." Hamilton, and Claudio Cueni4:13
Disc 2
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."My Block (Remix)"Original by Easy Mo Bee, Remix by Nitty5:22
2."Thugz Mansion" (featuring Anthony Hamilton)Original by Johnny J, Remix by 7 Aurelius4:07
3."Never Call U Bitch Again" (featuring Tyrese)Johnny J4:38
4."Better Dayz" (featuring Mr. Biggs)Johnny J4:17
5."U Can Call" (featuring Jazze Pha)Original by Johnny J, Remix by Jazze Pha3:49
6."Military Minds" (from The "One Nation" album, featuring Cocoa Brovaz & Buckshot)Original by Darryl “Big D” Harper, Remix by E.D.I. Mean5:29
7."Fame" (featuring Yaki Kadafi, Kastro, Napoleon & Young Noble from the Outlawz)Hurt M Badd4:50
8."Fair Xchange (Remix)" (featuring Mýa)Original by Johnny J, Remix by Troy Johnson3:56
9."Catchin Feelins" (featuring Muszamil & E.D.I., Napoleon & Young Noble from the Outlawz)E.D.I. Mean4:54
10."There U Go" (featuring Yaki Kadafi, E.D.I. Mean, Kastro, Napoleon of the Outlawz, Big Syke & Jazze Pha)Johnny J5:30
11."This Life I Lead" (featuring Outlawz)Johnny J5:21
12."Who Do U Believe In" (from Chronic 2000 Still Smokin, featuring Yaki Kadafi from the Outlawz)Johnny J5:30
13."They Don't Give a Fuck About Us" (featuring Outlawz)Johnny J5:08
14."Outro" 0:13

Samples
  • "Better Dayz"
  • "Catchin' Feelins"
  • "Late Night"
    • "Have Your Ass Home by 11:00" by Richard Pryor
    • "Wind Parade" by Donald Byrd
    • "Last Night Changed It All (I Really Had a Ball)" by Esther Williams
  • "This Life I Lead"
  • "Who Do U Believe In"

Personnel
  • 2Pac – vocals
  • Johnta Austin – featured artist
  • Rob "Fonksta" Bacon – guest artist, guitar
  • Bill Bennett – assistant engineer
  • Big Syke – featured artist
  • Ian Blanch – assistant engineer, engineer
  • Warren Bletcher – assistant engineer
  • Ian Boxill – engineer, mixing
  • Leslie Brathwaite – engineer, mixing
  • Briss – instrumentation, producer
  • Buckshot – featured artist
  • Coco Brothers – featured artist
  • Courtney Copeland – background vocals
  • Kevin Crouse – engineer
  • Claudio Cueni – digital editing, engineer, mixing, producer
  • Chris DeLaPena – assistant engineer
  • DJ Quik – engineer, producer
  • E.D.I. – featured artist, mixing, Music Supervisor, remixing
  • Steve Fisher – assistant engineer
  • Nanci Fletcher - featured artist
  • G Mack – guitar
  • Brian "Big bass" Gardner – mastering
  • A. Gobi – photography
  • Anthony Hamilton – featured artist
  • Darryl Harper – producer
  • Kimmy Hill – featured artist
  • Ronald Isley – guest artist
  • Jazze Pha – featured artist, producer
  • Johnny J – arranger, mixing, producer
  • Troy Johnson – instrumentation, producer
  • Kadafi – featured artist
  • Kastro – performer
  • Ronnie King – keyboards
  • Suge Knight – executive producer
  • Mr. Biggs – featured artist
  • Chicu Modu – photography
  • Molly Monjauze – project director
  • Mussamill – featured artist
  • James Musshorn – assistant engineer
  • Mya – featured artist
  • Napoleon – featured artist
  • Nas – featured artist
  • Duane Nettlesbey –
  • Nutso – featured artist
  • Outlawz – featured artist
  • J. Phoenix – featured artist,
  • Frank Nitty Pimentel – drum programming, Keyboards, producer
  • Will Pyon – digital editing
  • Chuck Reed – digital editing
  • R.J. – bass, guitar
  • 7 Aurelius – instrumentation, producer
  • Afeni Shakur – executive producer
  • Shorty B. – bass, guitar
  • Dexter Simmons – mixing
  • Alex Stiff – bass, guitar
  • T.I. – featured artist
  • Ellis Taylor – background vocals
  • Trick Daddy – featured artist
  • Tyrese – featured artist
  • Mark Vinten – assistant engineer
  • Corey Williams – assistant engineer
  • Dwight DeLemond Williams - featured artist
  • Jasmine Wilson – background vocals
  • Keston Wright – engineer
  • Young Noble – featured artist

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31] 3× Platinum 300,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Bush, John. "2Pac - Better Dayz". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  2. Ford, Robert (2003-01-03). "Better Dayz Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 64. Archived from the original on 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  3. Juon, Steve 'Flash'. "2Pac :: Better Dayz". RapReviews. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  4. "Tupac ShakurAlbum Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. Tindal, K.B. (16 December 2002). "2Pac - Better Dayz (2 CD)". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  6. "The Best of 2002". Kludge. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  7. David Jenison (Dec 4, 2002). ""Up" over McGraw, 2Pac, J.Lo". E!.
  8. Martens, Todd (December 11, 2002). "Mariah's Charms Unable to Send Shania's 'Up' Down". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  9. "Tupac Month: 2Pac's Discography". Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  10. "RIAA Certifications - 2Pac". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  11. "Gold & Platinum Certification – May 2003". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  12. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 287.
  13. "2Pac Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  14. "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. December 19, 2002. Archived from the original on December 26, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – 2Pac – Better Dayz" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  16. "Lescharts.com – 2Pac – Better Dayz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – 2Pac – Better Dayz" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  18. "Irish-charts.com – Discography 2Pac". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  19. "Charts.nz – 2Pac – Better Dayz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – 2Pac – Better Dayz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  21. "2Pac | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  22. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  23. "2Pac Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  24. "2Pac Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  25. "2Pac Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  26. "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  27. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  28. "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  29. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  30. "YEAR-END CHARTS RAP ALBUMS 2003". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  31. "Canadian album certifications – 2Pac – Better Dayz". Music Canada.
  32. "British album certifications – 2Pac – Better Dayz". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  33. "American album certifications – 2 Pac – Better Dayz". Recording Industry Association of America.
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