To Live & Die in L.A. (song)
| "To Live & Die in L.A." | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Makaveli featuring Val Young | ||||
| from the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory | ||||
| B-side | "Just Like Daddy" | |||
| Released | November 16, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | July 17, 1996 | |||
| Studio | Can-Am Studios (Tarzana, Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | West Coast hip hop,[1] conscious hip hop[2] | |||
| Length | 4:34 (album version), 4:29 (radio edit) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Quincy Jones III | |||
| Makaveli singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "To Live & Die in L.A." on YouTube | ||||
"To Live & Die in L.A." is a song by rapper Tupac Shakur from his fifth studio album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996). Released in Europe and parts of Oceania under the Makaveli stage name as the album's second single, it featured vocals from Val Young. The song peaked at number ten on the UK Singles chart and number 2 on the UK R&B chart.
Production[edit]
The song was produced by QDIII, son of producer Quincy Jones and brother of Shakur's girlfriend, Kidada Jones. QDIII produced numerous tracks for the album, but only "To Live & Die in L.A." made the final cut. "Lost Souls", one of the cut songs, was released the following year on Gang Related - The Soundtrack. QDIII told XXL Magazine:
I was in the studio with 'Pac, I had some records with me, and there was this old song that I played for him to see if he liked the vibe. He felt it and told me to go home and hook up a beat like that. I went home and hooked it up as fast as I could, and I think I came back the same night and he listened to the track three times, and in like 15 minutes he was already done with his lyrics. He went in the booth without telling anyone what the track was about he just laid it in one take—over about three tracks. Then he told Val Young what the concept was, and she went in and laid her chorus vocal in one take, too. After the vocals were done, 'Pac had Ricky Rouse [Makaveli musician] replace my keyboard bass and guitar parts with live bass and guitar parts, and the song was done—less than two hours total. This song just flowed out of everyone that was a part of it. No one thought twice; no one doubted anything. It was full speed ahead until it was done—as if it was guided or meant to be. Ever since recording like that, without thinking twice like that, I have changed the way I look at making music.[3]
Music video[edit]
A music video was filmed the same day that Shakur recorded the "radio edit" version of the song , which was used for the video, radio play, and single released in Europe and parts of Oceania. It features Shakur working at a fruit stand driving around Los Angeles in a car filled with women and also features various scenes and pictures of notable places and events in Los Angeles.[4] To Live & Die In L.A. was filmed on July 23, 1996.[5] It was the first video shot for The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, as well as one of the last videos that Tupac filmed before his death. The video can be found on the DualDisc of the album.
Versions[edit]
- Album version: With "album vibe" introduction and explicit lyrics.
- Radio/Single Version: Features a different mix than the album version, has no "album vibe" intro, has altered cleaner lyrics, and opens with Makaveli saying, "Somebody needs to do a song for L.A.".
Track listing[edit]
- 1. To Live & Die In L.A. (Radio Edit)
Featuring Val Young
Producer: QDIII
4:27
- 2. To Live & Die In L.A. (Album Version)
Featuring Val Young
Producer: QDIII
4:33
- 3. Just Like Daddy (Album Version)
Featuring Outlawz
Producer: Hurt-M-Badd
5:08
- Total length = 14:14
Credits[edit]
- Engineer – Tommy D. Daugherty
- Assistant engineer – Lance Pierre
- Executive producer – Suge Knight
- Producer – Quincy Jones III, credited as Qdill
- Featured vocals, written by Val Young
- Written by Makaveli
- This song interpolates Do Me, Baby, written and performed by Prince and André Cymone.[6]
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | 82 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 9 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 10 |
| UK Dance (OCC)[10] | 18 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[11] | 2 |
References[edit]
- ^ Drew Tewksbury (2009-07-30). "Songs For Our City: Tupac Lives And Dies In L.A." LA Weekly. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
- ^ "Tupac Shakur's Most Socially Conscious Lyrics: 10 Times He Was at His Most Woke". Billboard. 12 November 2016.
- ^ "The Making of Makaveli - The 7 Day Theory | African American Music | Hip Hop". Scribd.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "Makaveli Feat. Val Young: To Live & die in L.A. (Video 1996) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ^ "1996-07-23 / TUPAC FILMS THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR "TO LIVE & DIE IN L.A." & RECORDED "BLASPHEMY"". 2PacLegacy. October 9, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "#PrinceDay: The Top 10 Hip-Hop and R&B Songs That Sample Prince". 7 June 2016.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 287.
- ^ "Makaveli feat. Val Young – To Live & Die in L.A.". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.