“I Ain’t Mad at Cha” is the name of a song by rapper 2Pac released as the fourth single from his album All Eyez on Me. The song is a heartfelt tribute to his friends he knew before he was famous. The song features contemporary African American soul singer Danny Boy who provided the vocals for the song’s hook. The song did well in the United Kingdom, reaching the top 15 on the UK Singles Chart. Although a popular song in the United States, it was never released as a single in the United States, and at the time such songs were unable to make the top 100 in the U.S. (Billboard changed the rules in December 1998 to allow such songs to chart). The track was produced by Dat Nigga Daz (who now goes by Daz Dillinger) and samples the song “A Dream” by DeBarge. The song was recorded the same day 2Pac was released from prison, and was the second song he recorded when he came out (“Ambitionz Az a Ridah” being the first).[1] The single was released two days after 2Pac’s death. As so, by the time this single was released, 2Pac already finished recording his next album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. It has been labeled by many one of the best songs on “All Eyez on Me”[2] and one of the greatest in 2Pac’s career.
The song also appeared on 2Pac’s Greatest Hits album and a remixed version appeared on Nu-Mixx Klazzics. Another song on the CD single proved to be popular among fans. “Heartz of Men” appeared on 4 of 2Pac’s albums, compared to 3 for I Ain’t Mad at Cha. These include: All Eyez on Me, 2Pac Live, 2Pac’s Greatest Hits, and a remixed version on Nu-Mixx Klazzics. A remix was made of Rihanna’s We Ride to include elements of I Ain’t Mad at Cha. R&B group BLACKstreet also used the identical keyboard tune in “Don’t Leave Me” off of their Another Level album. “American Dream,” a track featured on deceased rapper Big L’s cd In Memory of Big L, Vol.2 samples the I Ain’t Mad at Cha track.
