Who Was the First Artist to Release an Album from Prison?

Tupac Amaru Shakur, aka 2Pac became the first artist to release an album from prison. The fearless gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur’s ground-breaking third album, Me Against the World, remained No.1 on the Billboard 200. On April 1, 1995, the rapper went to jail for a sexual abuse conviction but he managed to maintain his innocence till his death.

How Do Artists Release Music from Jail?

Making music in prison became a part of the music world. From rapping to hip-hop, many artists have tried recording their songs in prison not only to draw people’s attention but also to verbalize their experience. Read on to find which rapper released albums in jail.

Rappers use one trick to record their music video while in jail with a phone. They ask their manager or producer to visit them in jail and have them record their raps over their mobile. The producer edited their raw rap vocals and matched them with a suitable beat. Tupac and Biggie Smalls were known for releasing their rap music while in jail.

Why Did Tupac Go to Jail?

On December 1, 1994, Shakur was sentenced for first-degree sexual abuse and was imprisoned for eighteen months to four and half years in prison. The judge sentenced it as “an act of brutal violence against a helpless woman.”

Tupac Shakur and His Album Me Against the World

Exactly after one month into his prison sentence, the introspective poet’s third album was released on March 14, 1995.

Me Against the World was released on Interscope Records and Jive Records. It is composed of unused songs from the ‘Thug Life.’ His prison sentence, his struggles with the police and his poor lifestyle made him contribute to the album.

While living behind the bars, the album helped him to become a gangsta poet. The arrangement of the stage for 2Pac was known as the most famous MCs in the world. Even though the press designated his lifestyle, 2Pac started working on his album.

2Pac’s death is remembered as the most impactful event in hip-hop history. Me Against the World album’s singles reflected robberies, court drama, vulnerability and pathos and media storm and shootings. His tracks including “If I Die 2Nite” and “Death Around the Corner” showed the fear of death as a gripping force or persistent and his conflicted approach to death. He was cherished for not sugar-coating the harsh realities of urban life. It is his most contemplative album.

For 2Pac, this album was made to show his respect for the art form to hip-hop fans. He tried to compose the album more personally and reflectively than in his previous works.

He received critical and commercial success. His standout singles are “If I Should Die 2Nite,” ”Lord Knows”, “Temptations”, “The Streetz R Deathrow”, and “Death Around the Corner.”