This is a very emotional and touching song, which in my opinoin is one of 2Pac's best. However, the lyrics were actually not intended to be in his voice. After MC Hammer joined Death Row in 1996, 2Pac wrote this song and wanted Hammer to rap the lyrics. Hammer did eventually record a version of the song after Pac's death, but it was never offically released. A bootleg of Hammer's version did leak, however. If you listen closely though, Pac's version of Unconditional Love is of somewhat low quality and does not sound like a professional polished master when compared to the rest of the Greatest Hits album. When the 2Pac version of this song leaked (about 10 years ago), it was tagged with a voice saying "Power 106, where hip hop lives." It seems that this track at some point got exclusive airplay on Power 106. However, It would appear that they were not able to find the original vocal tracks for this song to make a final master. On the Greatest Hits album, the "tagged" parts were simply CUT out and cleverly replaced with small bits from another part of the song. Example1: ORIGINAL 1st verse "Wach mama open up her arms to hug me / And I ain't worried bout a damn thang, She still ("Power 106....") love me." ALBUM 1st verse "Wach mama open up her arms to hug me / And I ain't worried bout a damn thang, [paste] with unconditional love." Example2: ORIGINAL 2st verse "my family's gotta eat ("Power 106...."), tryin'a make somethin outta nuthin" ALBUM 2st verse "my family's gotta eat ("Power 106...."), [paste] -where would I-somethin outta nuthin." This pasted part was taken from earlier in the 2nd verse "'where would I' be without my doggs." 2Pac most likely recorded this track for Hammer so that he could learn the lyrics, which is a very common ghostwriting practice. It's arguable that this was the only intended purpose of him recording this particular song in his voice. He may have desposed of his original vocal tracks himself, as in the case of most instances of ghostwriting that the general public never hears about [ie. the original artists who write Jermaine Dupri's or Diddy's music etc.]. Most likely 2Pac did not want this song to be released in his voice. It was completely intended for MC Hammer. Nevetheless, though Hammer does a decent job of performing the song in his voice, in 2Pac's voice, it still remains one of his greatest songs to date.
This is a very emotional and touching song, which in my opinoin is one of 2Pac's best. However, the lyrics were actually not intended to be in his voice. After MC Hammer joined Death Row in 1996, 2Pac wrote this song and wanted Hammer to rap the lyrics. Hammer did eventually record a version of the song after Pac's death, but it was never offically released. A bootleg of Hammer's version did leak, however. If you listen closely though, Pac's version of Unconditional Love is of somewhat low quality and does not sound like a professional polished master when compared to the rest of the Greatest Hits album. When the 2Pac version of this song leaked (about 10 years ago), it was tagged with a voice saying "Power 106, where hip hop lives." It seems that this track at some point got exclusive airplay on Power 106. However, It would appear that they were not able to find the original vocal tracks for this song to make a final master. On the Greatest Hits album, the "tagged" parts were simply CUT out and cleverly replaced with small bits from another part of the song. Example1: ORIGINAL 1st verse "Wach mama open up her arms to hug me / And I ain't worried bout a damn thang, She still ("Power 106....") love me." ALBUM 1st verse "Wach mama open up her arms to hug me / And I ain't worried bout a damn thang, [paste] with unconditional love." Example2: ORIGINAL 2st verse "my family's gotta eat ("Power 106...."), tryin'a make somethin outta nuthin" ALBUM 2st verse "my family's gotta eat ("Power 106...."), [paste] -where would I-somethin outta nuthin." This pasted part was taken from earlier in the 2nd verse "'where would I' be without my doggs." 2Pac most likely recorded this track for Hammer so that he could learn the lyrics, which is a very common ghostwriting practice. It's arguable that this was the only intended purpose of him recording this particular song in his voice. He may have desposed of his original vocal tracks himself, as in the case of most instances of ghostwriting that the general public never hears about [ie. the original artists who write Jermaine Dupri's or Diddy's music etc.]. Most likely 2Pac did not want this song to be released in his voice. It was completely intended for MC Hammer. Nevetheless, though Hammer does a decent job of performing the song in his voice, in 2Pac's voice, it still remains one of his greatest songs to date.