Changes (Tupac Shakur song)

"Changes" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Talent. The song makes references to the war on drugs, the treatment of black people by the police, racism (explicitly the reconciliation between the black and white people in America), the perpetuation of poverty and its accompanying vicious-cycle value system in urban African American culture, and the difficulties of life in the ghetto.

"Changes"
Single by 2Pac featuring Talent
from the album Greatest Hits
ReleasedOctober 13, 1998 (1998-10-13)
Recorded
  • 1992
  • 1998 (Remixed)
Genre
Length4:30
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Big D The Impossible, Trackmasters (Remix)
2Pac singles chronology
"Do for Love"
(1998)		 "Changes"
(1998)		 "Unconditional Love"
(1999)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Changes" on YouTube

Production and recording

The song was originally recorded during his tenure at Interscope Records in 1992 and was produced by Big D The Impossible (Deon Evans). "Changes" was later remixed in 1998 by Poke from Trackmasters.

The song re-uses lines from "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" which was recorded during the same year, and samples the 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The chorus of "The Way It Is" was slightly reworded and sung by Talent and was used for this song. At times Tupac re-used lines from other unreleased songs because he planned to make an updated version at a later date. However, since his death many of the unreleased and unmastered songs have been officially released.

The remixed version released in 1998 has notably different percussion, and a few minor changes to the musical elements. The chorus on the original track features a notable difference in a vocal sample of the line, "It's like that and that's the way it is", from Run DMCs "It's Like That", which is also played twice during the intro. The second chorus adds the Ice Cube line, "Dope dealers, you're as bad as the police," from his song, "Us". The third chorus omits the Ice Cube sample and adds B-boy-style chant with an unknown person repeating, "Clap your hands and feel it, clap you hands and feel it!" until the song ends.

Samples

The song is an interpretation of the 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, and was further influenced by the 1972 hit "Changes" by Black Sabbath. Bay Area rapper E-40 had interpreted the song already on his track, "Things'll Never Change", for his album Tha Hall of Game. The Tupac "Changes" instrumental was used by Insane Clown Posse in "Mom Song", a Mother's Day song. Nas sampled the song for his song "Black President". Polo G interpolated "Changes" on his 2020 song "Wishing for a Hero". “Changes” samples the drum loop from the 1984 song "Set It Off” by Strafe.

Overview

The song was a #1 hit in Norway and the Netherlands and reached the top ten in the singles charts of several other countries, including #3 in the United Kingdom, which gained Tupac a broader audience.

Released posthumously on his album Greatest Hits, the song talks about all of the different issues that were related to Tupac's era of influence - notably racism, police brutality, drugs and gang violence. The "Huey" that 2Pac mentions in the song ("two shots in the dark, now Huey's dead") is Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party.[2] The song refers to the possibility of a black president of the United States, claiming "we ain't ready". Further, the last verse of the song refers to Tupac's imagining himself being shot to death, mimicking the sound of the gun with the phrase "rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat".

The Chris Hafner-directed music video is a compilation of a number of previous music videos Tupac released in addition to home videos and never-before-seen pictures, similar to the format of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Dead Wrong", also released in 1999.

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor of Billboard wrote, "This latest posthumous Tupac Shakur release is an unquestionable smash. Cleverly sampling Bruce Hornsby and the Range's No. 1 "The Way It Is" from 1986, the rapper masterfully talks to his disciples like a pastor delivering a motivating and positive sermon to his congregation. He tells of the trials and tribulations of life in the ghetto and is blunt about the need for change and an end to black-on-black violence, saying that "misplaced hate makes disgrace to races." This track is a must for any playlist and ironic in that its all-important message surfaces after the artist became a victim of what his song addresses."[3]

Accolades

"Changes" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards of 2000 and remains the only posthumous song to be nominated in this category. It was also nominated at the MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing in a Video & Best Rap Video in 1999.

Charts and certifications

References
  1. Ascap entry for song ASCAP, accessed May 1, 2011
  2. "2Pac | Universal Music Publishing Group". Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  3. Taylor, Chuck (December 12, 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 21. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  4. "Australian-charts.com – 2Pac – Changes". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – 2Pac – Changes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  6. "Ultratop.be – 2Pac – Changes" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
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  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7495." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  9. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7478." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
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  13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Changes". Irish Singles Chart.
  14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – 2Pac" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – 2Pac – Changes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
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  17. "Norwegiancharts.com – 2Pac – Changes". VG-lista.
  18. "Major Market Airplay - Week 11/1999" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 March 1999. p. 27. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  19. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. "Swedishcharts.com – 2Pac – Changes". Singles Top 100.
  21. "Swisscharts.com – 2Pac – Changes". Swiss Singles Chart.
  22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  24. http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/r-and-b-singles-chart/19990214/114/
  25. "2Pac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  26. "2Pac Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  27. "2Pac Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  28. "2 Pac – Greatest Hits". Ultratop.be (in French). Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  30. "Rapports Annuels 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  31. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  32. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  33. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  34. "End of Year Charts 1999". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  35. "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1999" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on January 22, 2005.
  36. "Årslista Singlar – År 1999" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  37. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1999 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  38. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  39. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1999". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  40. "Danish single certifications – 2Pac feat. Talent – Changes". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  41. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (2 Pac; 'Changes')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  42. "Dutch single certifications – 2 Pac – Changes" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved August 24, 2020. Enter Changes in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  43. "New Zealand single certifications – 2Pac – Changes". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  44. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  45. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (2 Pac; 'Changes')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  46. "British single certifications – 2Pac – Changes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
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