The Rose That Grew From Concrete

1	Tupac Interlude 0:57
2	Wake Me When I'm Free / Sikiru Adepoju 5:51
3	Can U C the Pride in the Panther / Mos Def 2:56
4	When Ure Heart Turns Cold / Sonia Sanchez 1:37
5	U R Ripping Us Apart / Dead Prez 3:03
6	Tears of a Teenage Mother / Jasmine Guy 0:36
7	God 0:47
8	And Still I Love You / Red Rat 3:02
9	Can U C the Pride in the Panther / Mos Def 4:54
10	If There Be Pain 4:31
11	A River That Flows Forever / Danny Glover 2:20
12	The Rose That Grew from Concrete / Nikki Giovanni 2:35
13	In The Event Of My Demise / Outlawz 4:40
14	What of a Love Unspoken / Tre' & Polo 3:15
15	Sometimes I Cry / Dan Rockett 3:10
16	The Fear in the Heart of Man / Q-Tip 4:15
17	Starry Night / Rashida Jones 4:33
18	What of Fame / Russell Simmons 0:20
19	Only 4 the Righteous 2:29
20	Why Must You Be Unfaithful / Sarah Jones 1:11
21	Wife 4 Life / 4th Avenue Jones 4:05
22	Lady Liberty Needs Glasses / Malcolm Jamal Warner 2:23
23	Family Tree 3:20
24	Thug Blues 4:46
25	The Sun and the Moon 1:56

Barnes & Noble

Years after his death, the legend surrounding rapper and actor Tupac Shakur continues to grow. Although he may be best remembered for his thuggish lifestyle and his contradictory musical mix of gangster posturing and black nationalism, 'Pac was also an eloquent poet. On The Rose That Grew from Concrete, which takes its title from the posthumously published book of the same name, 25 of Tupac's riveting poems are interpreted by an illustrious cast of artists, including poets Sonia Sanchez ("When Ure Heart Turns Cold") and Nikki Giovanni ("The Rose That Grew from Concrete") and rappers Mos Def ("Can U C the Pride in the Panther") and Q-Tip ("The Fear in the Heart of a Man"). Set to music that ranges from the smoothed-out R&B of Dead Prez's interpretation of "U R Ripping Us Apart" to the quiet piano accompaniment of Reverend Run's rendering of "God," each selection reveals the sensitive soul that lurked beneath the rapper's wild and crazy public exterior. Perhaps the disc's most prophetic track is the Outlawz's interpretation of "In the Event of My Demise," on which Tupac eerily predicted, "I will die before my time because I feel the shadow of death." The lyrically profound The Rose That Grew from Concrete is a moving tribute to one of hip-hop's greatest talents. Abby Addis

All Music Guide

This album features a large cast of hip-hop personalities reading 2Pac's poetry and writing, much in the spirit of a traditional spoken word album. Jason Birchmeier