In 1996, Tupac recorded hundreds of songs, but when it comes to his very first project under his new Makaveli alias, Shakur was on another level. Many who witnessed those recording sessions, including his comrades the Outlawz, have a piece of history instilled in their memory.
“We wasn’t religious people, ‘Pac, I remember him saying, ‘I don’t really know too much about the Bible or too much about religion, but for some reason when I started writing, I started writing about stories that you might hear in the Bible.’ He said it was just coming out of him,” said Napoleon on the QD3 produced documentary ‘Thug Angel 2.’ “I remember Kastro used to call me in Jersey and say, man, ‘Pac just did this song and he used to send me some of the lyrics and say that he was on a whole other level. He use to turn the lights off and just zone out.”
Rapper Big Wy can testify to such claims with his own personal experience witnessing greatness live in the flesh. Speaking with Urban City TV, the former Death Row records artist, Big Wy, recalled the time he was in the studio as Tupac recorded “Hail Mary.”
According to Wy, Tupac invited him to the studio and what he witnessed next he had never seen before. “It’s candle and ishh burning. The lights is off and (brothers) is drinking Heineken. ‘Pac in the booth in the back (messing) around but they playing a record,” recalled Big Wy as he then explained what he would hear next surprised him, “Let us pray my (brothers) cause win have sin. I’m like what the (hell) is this. They playing the record and this (brother) is like come with me. I’m like god damn!”
It appeared Tupac was taking his music to the next level. Not only lyrically, but musically, Tupac wanted a fresh sound and an escape from the norm when it came to beats. Although Tupac worked with QD3 on “The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory,” Shakur was not waiting on any top producers such as Dr. Dre or Johnny J. Instead Tupac had no problem creating his next hit from the infamous “wack room” where many of the unknown producers resided.
According to Outlawz member, E.D.I. Mean, Shakur gave anyone a shot who was able to work the “machines”, giving them an opportunity of a lifetime.
“He’s attitude was, ‘What I do. I can make this s*** happen with just about anybody’. As long as you know how to work them machines,” explained E.D.I. on VLAD TV. “We had a guitar player by the name of Ricky Ross, who played bass and guitar. Pac liked to work with him. And, he was like, ‘Look as long as you know how to cut that machine on and I got Ricky Ross, we gon make some f****** music’.” One of those producers from the “wack room” was Hurt-M-Badd, who created the beat for “Hail Mary.”
Watch: Tupac Explains Why He Changed His Name To Makaveli
“It was just a good day. One good day I woke up and I was feeling good,” Badd recalled in an interview with Bomb1st. “I went to the studio. I rolled me one up, locked my door, and I was smoking and creating at the same time. That whole track ‘Hail Mary’ took me like only 15 minutes to complete.”
Badd would also contribute to “Blasphemy,” “Just Like Daddy,” “Hold Ya Head,” Me and My Girlfriend,” and “Against All Odds.”
