Music

New Material From 2Pac Set For Release

by Ciaran Thompson

A posthumous project from the late 2Pac is set to come out this Christmas. “This is unreleased 2Pac…no remastering or remixing,” Wideawake Entertainment president John Payne said. “The songs are from a collection of tracks that were recorded during his Death Row days around All Eyez On Me. I believe that these songs could have been 2Pac’s next record if he were still alive.”

Last year Toronto based company Wideawake Entertainment acquired the most profitable and controversial gangsta rap label in the ’90s and possibly music history, Death Row Records. The label was known for its impressive list of artists that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, 2Pac and its beefy kneecapping CEO Suge Knight. Despite the baggage the label brings, Wideawake are focused on cleaning up the legacy and releasing some big projects from the back catalog.

“We had an $18 million debt so things are going to be done a certain way,” said Payne, who worked as a studio engineer for Knight and Dr. Dre in 1991. “The good thing about Death Row is the music has always stood the test of time,” he added. “You can pick up albums like The Chronic and Doggystyle and still listen to them. But the problem with the label is people as well as the media have dwelled on the negative. It’s kept Death Row in a one-dimensional place. So in order to sell records, they pushed negativity when it wasn’t necessary because the artists were talented enough to let that speak for them. We would like to give Death Row it’s fair chance to be seen and heard correctly without the drama, murder or court cases.”

The Toronto based company is open to doing business with all former Death Row artists, but insists on leaving the big boss out of the picture. “Suge has no connection to the label whatsoever,” Payne said. “ He has no influence and he cannot tell us what to do. But I did personally speak to him a few weeks ago after hearing about all the stuff that’s been going on in his life. We were friends a long time ago in the beginning. He called me and we just chatted. I wish the guy well.”

Including the release of 2Pac material, Wideawake also plan to put out albums from Danny Boy, Crooked 1 and Dr. Dre protégé Sam Sneed. [Vibe]