Editing Loyal to the Game (section)

== Background ==
During an interview with [[MTV]], [[Eminem]] stated he was so moved by Tupac's life and work that he wrote a letter to Tupac's mother, [[Afeni Shakur]], asking her to consider letting him produce his next album. Shakur agreed, allowing Eminem to produce three new songs for the 2003 soundtrack album, ''[[Tupac: Resurrection (soundtrack)|Tupac: Resurrection]]'', and the entirety of ''Loyal to the Game'', bar bonus content.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0448,essay,58824,15.html|title=The Village Voice|first=Jon|last=Caramanica|website=Villagevoice.com|access-date=December 14, 2024}}</ref>

All songs on the album were recorded prior to Tupac's involvement in the controversial [[East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry]], serving as the second posthumous album released consisting of material from this time period, the first being 1997's ''[[R U Still Down? (Remember Me)]]''. Although the songs are mostly unreleased, the title track, "Loyal to the Game", was previously released on the [[cassette tape|cassette]] edition of the 1994 soundtrack album ''[[Above the Rim (soundtrack)|Above the Rim]]'', and subsequently as the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] to the album's lead single, "[[Regulate (song)|Regulate]]".

The album featured two singles:  "[[Thugs Get Lonely Too]]", which served as a [[promotional recording|promotional single]] for the album, and "[[Ghetto Gospel]]", which served as the lead single.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Loyal-Game-2Pac/dp/B0006IGGLS|title = Loyal to the Game|website = Amazon|year = 2004}}</ref> Originally, "Ghetto Gospel" was recorded for inclusion on the 1992 Christmas compilation ''[[A Very Special Christmas 2]]'', but due to Tupac's legal troubles, the song was dropped from the album.{{citation needed |date=February 2023}} This original version has a much faster tempo and features a third and fourth verse which didn't feature in Eminem's remix.<ref name="Deon Evans Interview">{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Deon |title=Deon Evans Interview Part 1: About How He Met 2Pac, Dope Fiends Diner & Breaking Down Ghetto Gospel |date=August 23, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvAh4PSA1Jo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/cvAh4PSA1Jo |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|publisher=2PacForumChannel |access-date=January 31, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|w7OQgDrh-R0}}</ref>