In Brief

Like most of this year’s many gangsta-rap double albums, this collection could have been whittled down to one disc. It would include such gems as Daz’s “Way Too Major,” a double-barreled blast of pure flavor, and “Life’s So Hard,” one of the best 2Pac tracks to hit the street since “California Love.” Two other 2Pac entries, the chilling “Staring Through My Rearview Mirror” and the closing “Lost Souls,” would also easily make the cut.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).

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Hear the Music

* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https://www.latimes.com/soundclips