But then, Tupac Shakur's Better Dayz, released later this month, is no ordinary album. It is the 16^th Tupac release since the gangsta rapper's murder in September 1996.
Sixteen albums in six years would be a prodigious feat for an artist who was still breathing, particularly when you bear in mind that many of them are double CD (Compact Disc) sets. For a dead artist who released only four albums during his lifetime, it smacks of macabre exploitation, not to mention an ever-dipping quality control.
Via Robot Wisdom [1], Albums from the crypt [2]
Tupac is certainly in the running to be the L. Ron Hubbard [3] of the hip-hop set. Sixteen albums? That's good.
So let's see—to make it in the music industry, record lots of music. It doesn't have to be good, just there. Release an album or two and lead a very exciting or controversial life (preferably both) then fake your own death. Cut the proceeds 50/50 with the record industry and live the rest of your life in style.
I think it could work.
[1] http://www.robotwisdom.com/
[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,12102,823068,00.html