Hail Mary (2Pac song)

"Hail Mary"
Single by Makaveli featuring The Outlawz and Prince Ital Joe
from the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
Released February 11, 1997
Format Airplay
Genre Gangsta rap, horrorcore
Length 5:09
Label Death Row, Makaveli, Interscope
Writer(s) Tupac Shakur, Rufus Cooper III, Katari Cox, Yafeu Fula
Producer(s) Hurt-M-Badd
Makaveli singles chronology
"To Live & Die in L.A."
(1996)		 "Hail Mary"
(1997)		 "Wanted Dead or Alive"
(1997)

"Hail Mary" is the final single by American rapper Tupac Shakur from his final album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, under the new stage name, Makaveli. The song, released after his September 1996 death, features rap verses by Kastro, Young Noble and Yaki Kadafi of The Outlawz and Prince Ital Joe. A music video was shot for the song and can be found on the DualDisc of The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. It is one of Shakur's most famous singles. The single peaked at number 12 in the R&B chart, and number 8 in the rap singles.

The song captures Makaveli zoning out the violence and negativity surrounding him, praying to God, and him making biblical reference to his own John 3:16 and likely making reference to Mary Magdalene too,[1] "Hail Mary" appeared on Shakur's Greatest Hits in 1998. A remix of the song was also featured on the album Nu-Mixx Klazzics in 2003.

Production

"Hail Mary" took under 1 hour to complete. It took about 15 minutes to write it and about five minutes to lay it. Hurt-M-Badd made the beat in 20–30 minutes. "Outlawz on a paper chase, can you relate?..." was originally going to be the hook but then Makaveli said "Nah, we going to put that at the end."[2] Some remark that this song contains his deepest verses and proved his ability to write powerful lyrics.

In popular culture

This song was played as a tribute to 2Pac at the Up in Smoke Tour, in 2000. Rap artists Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg played this song as one of 3 songs they did, for and a tribute to 2Pac, with the crowd singing the chorus.

On April 15, 2012, this song was played as part of a performance incorporating a projection of 2Pac alongside live performers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The song his projection opened with at Coachella. The track moved 13,000 downloads that week for a 1,530% sales increase.[3]

The song was played in the film Baby Boy, in which Shakur himself was supposed to play the lead. The film was released in 2001 by John Singleton, but because Shakur was no longer alive, Singleton had him replaced by Tyrese Gibson. The song was played when Jody, the lead, had a dream about being gunned down by the police or being locked up in prison with his girlfriend and son visiting him. While the song is playing, 2Pac's picture is seen in Jody's room.

The 2015 film Straight Outta Compton shows Shakur recording the song in a scene which takes place in 1993, three years before it was released.[4]

It was played in the 2015 boxing film Creed, as the entrance music to Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), Apollo Creed's son, during his final match within the film.

Cover versions and remixes

In 2001, rapper Ja Rule remade 2Pac's song "Pain" from the Above the Rim sessions, retitled the song "So Much Pain", and left in 2Pac's second verse as it was in the original song. Numerous others, especially his rivals, took offense to Ja Rule trying to emulate 2Pac. As a result, 50 Cent, Eminem and Busta Rhymes did a remix of "Hail Mary" in 2003. The lyrics were reworked to feature numerous shots at Ja Rule, including several lines aimed at his "imitation" of 2Pac.

J. Cole interpolated the chorus of "Hail Mary" in a song entitled "Enchanted" from his mixtape Friday Night Lights.

R&B singer Monica sampled it on the song "U Deserve" on her 2002 album All Eyez on Me.

Rapper Lil Wayne covered the song in his episode of MTV Unplugged in 2011.

Weekly charts

Charts (1997) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 43
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles 8
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles 12

References

External links

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