The Singles Jukebox

This’ll be the only 2Pac action this week, though…

[Video]
[7.00]

Mark Sinker: The talk that gave me most to think about at EMP in 2007 was Nate Patrin‘s, on the Wu Tang Clan: about how and when they used Quiet Storm as their sample source — which is to say, the music their mums and dads courted and conceived them to, and thus a very touchy territory indeed for anyone but the Clan themselves to be discussing. The tension here’s different, maybe, but the gentle almost domestic utopia in the high piping synthesiser line — and everpresent in the luxurious edge of Nate D’s voice, if not his words, and the kids in the video — offsets and undermines, with a kind of pervasive sorrow everyone involved feels forbidden to address directly, the resigned ugly routine of most of the world described; the dreary round they find themselves trapped in, the one-dimensional personas they daren’t set aside…
[8]

Asher Steinberg: I have lots of complaints about this song. First, Pac was a lousy, one-note rapper. His total unawareness of what he’s talking about is almost early-career Rihannaesque. Second, Pac’s cohorts, while possibly technically more competent than him, are some of the least likable or interesting performing artists ever. They sound like squirrelly misogynistic bank tellers. Third, Pac rapped over a lot of awful imitation-Dre production. There’s a huge difference between catchy bass thump and generic, obnoxiously insistent bass thump. Fourth, the credits lead you to expect one decent verse, only to disappoint you when Snoop turns out to be on amateur comedy hour duty. Fifth, Nate thinks his barbershop imitation is a lot funnier than it actually is, singing it in quote marks and distancing me from the song.
[3]

Jonathan Bradley: If you ever doubted Nate Dogg’s ability to astronomically improve a track with his mere presence, check his breezy hook on “All About U.” This amicably anonymous West Coast bounce offers no other participant the ability to showcase their talents, and absent the chorus, it’s rather forgettable. I prefer Pac when he has more opportunity to invest a track with his gift for drama. This might as well be a Nate solo track, and it would be better if it were one.
[7]

Josh Langhoff: Hearing Pac next to weaker MCs from the same milieu, you realize his greatness was a matter of focus and command. Those Outlawz guys go crazy, stringing assonances together, referring back to Nate’s hook, and in their desperation they end up rushing the beat. Pac, on the other hand, is in charge from the start. His swinging syncopations fit well on Death Row, but he doesn’t lay back here. He places every syllable precisely on its (off)beat, and the resulting verses flow with nonstop good humor and rhythmic interest. During Verse 1 he cracks open his flow at two key spots. On the word “TIPsy”, Pac packs a whole evening into a hesitation; whatever happened “last night”, its memory is the only thing that can break his concentration. And the pause in “life’s hell for a black… celebrity” shows that the pressure of speaking for his audience still weighs on his mind. Also, now I’m gonna go around singing Nate’s hook for a week.
[10]

Tal Rosenberg: Light and fluffy, like a soufflé, with Nate seeing the same woman everywhere. 2Pac’s bringing the flour, and the guest rappers are nothing but garnish.
[7]

Al Shipley: Never been a particular favorite, in part because Nate’s voice doesn’t have the brassy heft of his best hooks, but there is something magical about the bemused resignation with which he imbues the line “no matter where I go, I see the same ho.”
[7]

Martin Skidmore: I’ve never been a huge fan of 2Pac, perhaps suspecting that his early death has inflated his rep. Nonetheless, this is an excellent track, with perky but laid back music, and Nate providing a smooth, bouncy hook. I particularly like Snoop’s puzzled verse here.
[8]

Ian Mathers: I wonder what made so many rappers bring Nate Dogg in specifically for tracks that are about how awful women are; did it seem funnier to have that smooth voice crooning about seeing “the same ho”? I guess the difference between this song and something like “It Ain’t No Fun…” is that while Tupac and friends only address ‘tricks,’ the phrasing at least leaves open the possibility that there are other kinds of females out there, while Snoop and Co. talk about ‘bitches’ with a kind of cold finality that lumps all women into the category. Still, that other song has amazing production, whereas “All About U” just sounds very dated to me now.
[6]