Instead of being rap’s hit-making firestarter, Pac could’ve come down from his Death Row high and taken more of the cultural leadership role everyone knew he was capable of.Īfeni’s son was already expanding his vision behind the scenes, trying to build bridges with his One Nation movement, meant to bring rappers from all across the country together for shared opportunity. If “Changes” got reworked and pushed sooner, not only would his creative inspiration taken him in a different direction, labels would’ve encouraged that switch. But, for every “Keep Your Head Up” single, there were three “How Do You Want It” records. Pac’s music already had life lessons intertwined. Had he been alive to see the impact his outspoken record had, there’s a good chance his entire musical output might’ve started heading more exclusively down that influential path.

Still, while the original version was a bit more rough around the edges, the core was still pretty much the same “Changes” we would eventually see chart in fourteen countries.ĭespite the perceived corniness from Shakur’s unwavering fanbase, this melodic social soapbox had wings that would’ve made the single huge, whether nostalgia was involved or not. Those would later be taken out and replaced by singing from vocalist Talent, polishing up the chorus for extra replay value and a proper single push. Produced by Deon Evans, this unreleased take from 1992 used the same core sample, but spliced in lines from Run DMC and Ice Cube as the hook. Too perfect.Īs leaks trickled out from Pac’s vaults, the original version leaked and fans eventually found out Interscope had indeed upped the ante on the single. Considering Tupac’s Makaveli persona was spitting much more paranoia than positivity during the artist’s final months, “Changes” came across like a manufactured single that was pieced together for mass appeal.īetween an obviously catchy Bruce Hornsby sample, uplifting concept, choice lyrics from another successful single (“Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto”), and the timeliness of Tupac’s death relatively fresh on the minds of both longtime fans and new ones following the hype train, everything about the 1998 hit felt perfect for radio.

The posthumous single from Pac’s Diamond-selling Greatest Hits album is among his most popular songs and one many casual rap listeners know nearly every word to, but the heavy-hearted hit never felt completely authentic. Ask any diehard Tupac fan to name their five favorite songs by the fallen Hip-Hop icon and very few will put “Changes” on their list.

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