The general consensus on the internet seems to be that 2Pac stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries in 1996. But is this really the case when you look at the following evidence?
2Pac - All Eyez on Me:
-Released his first album following his release from prison All Eyez on Me on Febraury 13, 1996 with 1st week sales of 566,000
-#1 album on the Billboard 200 for 2 weeks (March 2 - March 15 1996)
-Certified 10x platinum (Diamond) in the USA by RIAA as of July 23, 2014
Singles:
-Released December 28, 1995, California Love is certified 2x platinum and charted #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks
-Released June 4, 1996, How Do U Want It is certified 2x platinum and charted #1 on the Billboard 100
-Released May 7, 1996, 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted peaked at #46 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart but failed to register on the Hot 100
-Released September 15, 1996, I Ain't Mad At Cha peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100
-Hit 'Em Up was released on June 4, 1996 as the B-side and is regarded as one if the most important songs in hip-hop history
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory:
-Released November 5, 1996 with first week sales of 664,000 and second week sales of 250,000
-Peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (November 23 - November 30)
-As of 2004 the album is certified as 5x platinum by the RIAA
Singles:
-Toss It Up failed to chart in the Billboard 100, but this was because Blackstreet issued Death Row with a cease and desist to prevent the song being released in the US
-Hail Mary and To Live & Die In L.A. was released the following year
The Fugees - The Score:
-Released their sophomore album The Score on February 13, 1996
-Following its debut, the album stood at #1 almost #1 month (May 25 - June 21 1996)
-The album peaked at #1 in FIVE countries outside of the USA, and was in the top five for EIGHT countries outside the USA (
)
-The Score was certified as 6x platinum by the RIAA on October 3, 1997, so if it was released as double album like All Eyez on Me it would've went diamond in a little over a year
-They won TWO awards at the 1996 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album (The Score) and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (Killing Me Softly)
Singles:
-Released January 9, 1996, Fu-Gee-La peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified gold (500,000 copies sold)
-Released May 31, 1996, Killing Me Softly peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold over 1 million copies in the UK where it was #1 for almost one month (June 2 - June 30 1996) and then again for one week (July 7 - July 13 1996)
-Released August 28, 1996, Ready or Not peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100, but again dominated the charts in the UK where it reigned at #1 for 2 weeks
-Lauryn Hill performed the chorus of " If I Ruled" by Nas that peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100
...and to a lesser extent, Nas:
-Released his sophomore album It Was Written on July 2, 1996
- The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 268,000 in its first week
-The album lasted at #1 on the Billboard 100 for almost one month (July 20 - August 16 1996)
-As of 2014 the album is certified 4x platinum by the RIAA in the US alone
Singles:
-Released on May 28, 1996, If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) peaked at #53 on the Billboard 100, but landed #12 on the UK Singles chart
-Released on October 22, 1996, Street Dreams the song peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold (500,000 copies sold) less than four months later
Who do you guys have as running 1996?
2Pac - All Eyez on Me:
-Released his first album following his release from prison All Eyez on Me on Febraury 13, 1996 with 1st week sales of 566,000
-#1 album on the Billboard 200 for 2 weeks (March 2 - March 15 1996)
-Certified 10x platinum (Diamond) in the USA by RIAA as of July 23, 2014
Singles:
-Released December 28, 1995, California Love is certified 2x platinum and charted #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks
-Released June 4, 1996, How Do U Want It is certified 2x platinum and charted #1 on the Billboard 100
-Released May 7, 1996, 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted peaked at #46 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart but failed to register on the Hot 100
-Released September 15, 1996, I Ain't Mad At Cha peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100
-Hit 'Em Up was released on June 4, 1996 as the B-side and is regarded as one if the most important songs in hip-hop history
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory:
-Released November 5, 1996 with first week sales of 664,000 and second week sales of 250,000
-Peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (November 23 - November 30)
-As of 2004 the album is certified as 5x platinum by the RIAA
Singles:
-Toss It Up failed to chart in the Billboard 100, but this was because Blackstreet issued Death Row with a cease and desist to prevent the song being released in the US
-Hail Mary and To Live & Die In L.A. was released the following year
The Fugees - The Score:
-Released their sophomore album The Score on February 13, 1996
-Following its debut, the album stood at #1 almost #1 month (May 25 - June 21 1996)
-The album peaked at #1 in FIVE countries outside of the USA, and was in the top five for EIGHT countries outside the USA (
)-The Score was certified as 6x platinum by the RIAA on October 3, 1997, so if it was released as double album like All Eyez on Me it would've went diamond in a little over a year
-They won TWO awards at the 1996 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album (The Score) and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (Killing Me Softly)
Singles:
-Released January 9, 1996, Fu-Gee-La peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified gold (500,000 copies sold)
-Released May 31, 1996, Killing Me Softly peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold over 1 million copies in the UK where it was #1 for almost one month (June 2 - June 30 1996) and then again for one week (July 7 - July 13 1996)
-Released August 28, 1996, Ready or Not peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100, but again dominated the charts in the UK where it reigned at #1 for 2 weeks
-Lauryn Hill performed the chorus of " If I Ruled" by Nas that peaked at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100
...and to a lesser extent, Nas:
-Released his sophomore album It Was Written on July 2, 1996
- The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 268,000 in its first week
-The album lasted at #1 on the Billboard 100 for almost one month (July 20 - August 16 1996)
-As of 2014 the album is certified 4x platinum by the RIAA in the US alone
Singles:
-Released on May 28, 1996, If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) peaked at #53 on the Billboard 100, but landed #12 on the UK Singles chart
-Released on October 22, 1996, Street Dreams the song peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold (500,000 copies sold) less than four months later
Who do you guys have as running 1996?
