A lot of people are opposed to posthumous albums, claiming that the artist never released the material for a reason and that other people shouldn’t be profiting from their death. While I agree to an extent, I have never been mad at the continuous offering of Pac albums. For two reasons; as a fan, I am just happy to hear new music from him, and because I think if he were still alive it would have all come out eventually. It does irk me that certain individuals are making huge profits while standing on Pac’s grave, and Death Row certainly could have done a better job with beat selection (for those that were re-worked).
“Nu-Mixx Klazzics” does not fall under the category of a posthumous album; it falls under the category of shameless, disgusting greed. This is not offering any new Pac material; it is just a sad attempt to promote their piss poor production team. I realize that Pac’s albums are the only thing making Death Row any money these days, but this crosses the line. It isn’t about sharing Pac’s legacy with his fans, it is about profiting from it. To make matters worse, the album is absolutely terrible. They have taken some of Pac’s finest work and butchered it. Remixes don’t need to be better than the original; they can simply take a song and give it a completely different feel based on the producer’s perception. See Public Enemy’s “Shut’em Down” and Pete Rock’s remix of it; both incredible songs, both completely different.
“2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” in which Crooked I has replaced Snoop, is backed by a laughable keyboard beat and does not capture the lyrics whatsoever. The remixing of Pac’s classic collabo with KC and JoJo (“How Do You Want It”) is likely the best track here. It keeps elements of the original and works quite well as a companion piece. “Life Goes On” is not half bad either. “Hail Mary” is not so lucky. The original’s eerie beat has been replaced by obnoxious synths that have no place behind the lyrics. Sadly, it sounds like a million bucks compared to “Heartz of Men.” My words can’t do justice to how bad that song is. The only positive of “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” is that it is the last song.
Given my feelings towards the nature of this release, it may seem skeptical that I was objective in reviewing it. Believe it or not, I was, because then I could have at least said ‘well it was a bitch move, but at least it was a dope album.’ This was a bad situation made worse, and I would suggest you avoid this album for reasons of principle and quality.
