Resurrection

Resurrection Review

How do you separate this release from the rest in the posthumous Tupac cottage industry? Quite easily, actually. Resurrection is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, so it does not feature slapped together re-mixes with producers that flaunt below-average beat portfolios. The album does have its share of sketchy moments, starting with the five-second "Intro," which has Tupac mumbling "…now this is the next level with this new album." The idea of stitching together castaway Tupac vocal snippets is nothing new to his estate, and this collection contains four previously unreleased tracks, two amply re-tooled by Eminem ("Ghost," "One Day at a Time") and the other two being duets with Notorious B.I.G. ("Runnin'") and thug du jour 50 Cent ("The Realest Killaz"). Where this compilation differs from the rest, however, is that it culls together music from different stages of Tupac's development, from his pubescent days accessorizing Digital Underground’s funk-fuelled sound ("Same Song") to the days where his persecution complex set in ("Starin’ Through My Rear View"). Resurrection is executive produced by his mother Afeni, so the motivation behind it is legitimate--for those still skeptical about the modern day Tupac cash grab. --Dalton Higgins