2pac: Better Days

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * )

This is Dead Man Walking — Part ... what? Tupac is the Hendrix of his generation, releasing more albums after his death than he did in life. As the spoken word intro here asks (but doesn't answer), "Where are these songs coming from?" Best guess given the aggressive and sometimes obnoxious challenges he lays down they were recorded (and left incomplete) when he was recording Makaveli project and have here been polished by Suge Knight (who shares executive producer status with Tupac's mother, Efeni Shakur) with help from Outlawz and other Tupac compadres. Some of these are well-produced nonsense (****'Em All), others quite moving (Never B Peace, My Block), still others show his gentle side (paeans to women on Mama's Just a Little Girl and Never Call You B**** Again), others raise more questions than answers (his old rival Nas on the hokey, acoustic Thugz Mansion). So, as expected, a mixed bag — but if you believe the sleeve which promises more albums and DVDs, it won't be the last we hear from the still very dead Tupac.

Label: Amaru