Personnel: 2Pac (rap vocals); Capucine (vocals); Left Eye, Outlaws (rap vocals); "DJ Quik" (various instruments); Greg Dalton (guitar, keyboards); Cold 187 um, Marlon Williams, Darrell Crooks, Danny Devoux, Eric Jackson, George Johnson, Eddie "Spanky" Alford (guitar); Ronnie King (keyboards); Corney Mims (bass); Carl "Butch" Small (percussion); KCi & Jo Jo, R.L., Lil Mo, 6 Feet Deep, Tiffany Villarrea, Honey, Tena Jones, Barbara Wilson, Tracy Hardin, Timothy, Channete Higgens, Channoah Higgens, Ta'He, Shiro, Vanessa (background vocals).
Producers include: Johnny "J", LT Hutton, Mike Mosley, Tyrone Wrice, Kurt "Kobane" Couthon.
Engineers include: Keston E. Wright, Ian Boxill, Ethan Mates.
Includes liner notes by Afeni Shakur.
This two-disc posthumous collection of previously unreleased tracks from '95 and '96 contains many poignant and prescient cuts, notable for their premonitions of early death and the inevitable outcome of a life lived on the edges of society. 2Pac's murder in 1997 spawned the usual macabre industry that surrounds prominent deceased figures, but UNTIL THE END OF TIME, with its touching liner notes from the rap star's mother, the former Black Panther Afeni Shakur, is a well-assembled collection.
It features guest appearances from Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, KCi & Jo Jo, and the Outlawz among others, all of whom lend their unique talents to a collection of songs that serves to underscore the loss suffered by the rap community on 2Pac's death. Highlights include "Ballad of a Dead Soulja" and the epic, prophetic title track, which features quotes from Mr. Mister's '80s hit "Broken Wings."
What the critics say...
Entertainment Weekly (4/20/01, p.72) - "...At his best, 2pac elevated gangsta boasts into poetic, sorrow-filled ruminations on thug life..." - Rating: B
