Even the wonder that comes with hearing a voice from beyond the graveeventually passes. At this point, annual 2Pac releases, including books, poetry and even theatre, are so common that they're practically unremarkable. Thanks in part to a mother's determination to have her son seen as a hero rather than a studio gangster, most new 2Pac material is presented as iconic. But fans can only pay so much tribute before they morph back into listeners and start viewing the dead in the context of those alive and well. “Until the End of Time” is a posthumously released double CD of Shakurian nostalgia that only really made sense in 1996.

Tupac Shakur spent most of his life positioning himself somewhere between a cold criminal and a revolutionary. By his Makaveli period, the time during which these songs were recorded, he had become so comfortable with the glaring contradictions between the two as to seem callous. “Until the End of Time” showcases so much purposeless violence and misdirected anger, that, barring the inherent answers, Pac's prayers don't deserve to be heard: “Come take my body, God/Don't let me suffer any longer. Where is the end to all our misery? Is there a close?/I guess that's why I murder my foes.” Deliberately-sentimental missives like “Letter 2 My Unborn” and “Happy Home” are evenly distributed throughout the two discs, but amidst the overwhelming din of f------g gold-digging b-------s and busting shots at the East Coast (from “Let Em Have It:” “F--k Jay-Z”), what little variety exists gets lost.

Pac is further drowned out by the sound of today's rappers, who echo his thug-speak over contemporary electronic beats while Pac is doomed to repeat himself to the gangster-funk R&B; that was dance floor fodder over three years ago. Mom might want to suggest some big name remixers for the next comp. But even new sounds will not change the fact that, no matter how much hidden 2Pac material is out there waiting to be released, there will be no new information contained within, no new sides to the man revealed. On “Ballad of a Dead Soldier,” Pac rhymes, “my only fear of death is reincarnation.” Perhaps he knew that even a dead man could wear out his welcome.

By: Neil Drumming

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Really disgusting review-- it's as though the person writing the review not only didn't like the new CD but also despises Tupac Shakur as a person. I think it is time for Tupac fans to act and let BET know what an inspiration Tupac and his new CD are to all of us. As a fan of 2Pac, please take the brief moment to write an email about Neil Drumming's review of UTEOT and what we think of Neil's comments on the new CD. Email BET here:

[email protected]

[email protected]

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I know some people don't "get" Tupac and Neil clearly just started listening to rap music when he got his job with BET... but should he be getting paid by BET to type nonsense like this new review? Please email BET about Neil Drumming's review and tell them what we think of the new CD. Please spread the word about their disrespectful and flat-out WRONG review...