2Pac Friday
12 January 2024
As I am returning home from almost two weeks of traveling, “Happy Home” seems like quite an appropriate track for this 2Pac Friday. I love travelling, but I also love coming home. Sometimes it’s that simple.
This was track #8 from the first CD of Until the End of Time, a double album that was released in March of 2001. In a way Until the End of Time felt like 2Pac’s first true posthumous release, even though his first Greatest Hits album featured 4 unreleased tracks was released in 1998 and R U Still Down? (Remember Me) had been released in 1997 (and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released just briefly after his death in 1996). But the reason I say Until the End of Time felt like the first of its kind is because The Don Killuminati was released so near to his death that he clearly recorded it prior, the four new tracks from Greatest Hits is a modest enough amount of material that it seems reasonable to have been in the proverbial vault, and R U Still Down? was recorded earlier in 2Pac’s career and clearly features that sound. But Until the End of Time was recorded closer to 2Pac’s death and features a very developed and smooth sound throughout—not to mention a massive about of new material—which makes it almost seem like 2Pac is creating from the grave. This dynamic was reiterated by the double album Better Dayz that came out the following year. Eventually, as the remaining 2Pac material began to the wane, the posthumous releases became less meaty. But Until the End of Time and Better Dayz perhaps mark the peak or height of 2Pac’s posthumous career, as crazy as the term “posthumous career” may sound (but it very relevant when it comes to 2Pac).
Elements of such dynamics certainly apply to “Happy Home,” such as 2Pac doing all of the rapping in the song and production coming from Johnny “J,” a longtime 2Pac producer.
This is a solid track. It is an upbeat track. It is a happy track. It is an appropriate track for wishing everyone one a Happy 2Pac Friday. As 2Pac says, “let’s turn this house into a happy home,” lets turn this Friday in a Happy 2Pac Friday, let’s turn this weekend in a happy weekend, a happy MLK weekend.