Thug Life
Thug Life was an American hip hop group that consisted of 2Pac, Stretch, Big Syke, Mopreme, Macadoshis, and The Rated R. They released one album, 1994's Thug Life: Volume 1, before disbanding in 1995.
Thug Life | |
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From left to right: Big Syke, Mopreme, Tupac, Macadoshis, The Rated R. | |
Background information | |
Genres | Hip hop, G-funk, gangsta rap |
Years active | 1993–1995 |
Labels | Jive Records, Out Da Gutta Records |
Past members |
History
2Pac, Randy "Stretch" Walker and Princess Mel formed Thug Life in 1992 with Tyruss "Little Psycho" Himes.[1] They recorded a song also titled, "Thug Life". Soon Little Psycho joined the group, under the name Syke. Later Macadoshis and The Rated R joined the group. They signed with Interscope Records and recorded an LP titled Thug Life Volume 1. Tupac's stepbrother, Mopreme Shakur, later joined the group.
Thug Life: Volume 1
On September 26, 1994, Thug Life: Volume 1 was released.
The first single and video was "Pour Out a Little Liquor" (which originally appeared on the Above the Rim soundtrack, released six months earlier), which was a Tupac solo song.
Tupac performed "Out on Bail" at the 1994 Source Awards.[2] The album was originally released on Shakur's label Out Da Gutta. Tupac's mother's label, Amaru Entertainment, has since gained the rights to the album.
The track "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" appeared on 2Pac's 1998 Greatest Hits album.
Thug Life: Volume 1 had sold 478,419 copies in the United States as of 2011.[3]
Stretch's death
On November 30, 1995, Stretch died after being shot four times in the back by three men who pulled up alongside his minivan in Queens Village.[4] Stretch was killed exactly one year after 2Pac's 1994 Quad Studio shooting.[5]
Original members
Discography
Studio albums
- Thug Life: Volume 1 (1994) #42 Billboard 200; #6 R&B/ Hip-Hop
References
- Big Syke bio at Allmusic
- Aqua Blanco, Alvin (9 September 2012). "Busta Rhymes Says Tupac Dissing A Tribe Called Quest Was A Misunderstanding". hiphopwired.com. Hip Hop Wired. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- September 16, XXL StaffPublished:; 2011. "Tupac Month: 2Pac's Discography - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2021-01-18.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- Jones, Charisse (1 December 1995). "Rapper Slain After Chase in Queens". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- Reid, Shaheem (16 March 2008). "Biggie, Diddy Knew Tupac Would Be Ambushed In 1994, Alleges Los Angeles Times Reporter". mtv.com. MTV. Retrieved 9 January 2016.