Purpose: a concise investigative guide for researching the origin, legality, authenticity, distribution, and preservation of an audio release referenced as "2Pac Nu Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 — Evolution Duets Remixes iTunes ZIP."
In the mid-2000s, the legacy of Tupac Shakur was a complicated tapestry. While his original Death Row catalog was sacred ground, his mother, Afeni Shakur, and the estate were navigating a new era: the digital download boom. It was an age of ringtones, iTunes gift cards, and the elusive, often-shared ZIP file. In 2007, Amaru Entertainment released Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2: Evolution – Duets & Remixes, an album that exists as a fascinating, flawed, and forgotten time capsule of that transition.
The Concept: Reanimating the Vaults
Unlike the first Nu-Mixx Klazzics (2003), which focused on remixing All Eyez on Me with a G-Funk update, Vol. 2 had a bolder, stranger mission: to transform unreleased 2Pac demos and lesser-known tracks into duets. The producers, including the enigmatic Street Radio, Sha Money XL, and Eminem’s right-hand man (a few tracks bear his stark, haunted touch), were given access to multi-track vocals from the Better Dayz and Until the End of Time sessions.
The goal was “evolution.” Not just remixing, but re-contextualizing 2Pac’s poetry alongside living artists—some of whom had never met him.
The Tracklist That Broke the Forum Boards
In late 2006, leaked tracklists began appearing on hip-hop forums like HipHopDX and 2Pac-Forum.com. The buzz was seismic. A remix of “Thugz Mansion” featuring Nas? A version of “Street Fame” with Young Buck? Most shocking of all: “Runnin’ (Dying to Live)” – a remix of the Livin’ it Up demo – now featured The Notorious B.I.G., stitched together via studio alchemy. Handbook: Investigating "2Pac Nu Mixx Klazzics Vol
When the iTunes pre-order went live in early 2007, the marketing tagline read: “The mixtape re-imagined. Digitally mastered. Undeniably Pac.”
But the real story happened in the comments sections. A user named ThugAngel4Ever wrote: “Does anyone have the iTunes Plus AAC version? I need the 256kbps for my iPod Classic.” Another replied: “Just download the ZIP from the blogspot link. It’s the CD rip + 2 bonus remixes.”
And just like that, Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 became a file-sharer’s artifact.
The iTunes Exclusive Cut
The official CD release (June 26, 2007) had 12 tracks. But the iTunes version—and this is where digital archaeology comes in—contained a hidden gem: “Why U Turn on Me (Nu-Mixx)” featuring a then-unknown B.o.B. This track wasn’t on any physical pressing. To get it, you had to buy the digital album. For $9.99, you downloaded a ZIP folder containing a digital booklet (PDF) and the exclusive track, encoded in protected AAC or, later, iTunes Plus.
Fans scoured peer-to-peer networks for “2Pac_Nu-Mixx_Klazzics_Vol_2_iTunes.zip.” The file size was roughly 110MB. It became a rite of passage—either you had the CD with the muddy bass, or you had the crisp digital rip with the secret song. Official purchase: Available on iTunes / Apple Music
The Remixes: Genius or Heresy?
Listening to the album now is like hearing a ghost conduct an orchestra from beyond.
The ZIP File Generation
What makes this album’s story unique is its medium. 2007 was the year of the ZIP. Before streaming, you downloaded a single compressed folder. You’d unzip it, drag the tracks into iTunes, sync your iPod Nano (the silver one), and listen on the school bus.
The ZIP file of Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 carried metadata errors. On many downloads, track 5 (“Black Jesus”) was mislabeled as “Black Jesuz.” The album artwork was often a low-res JPEG of Pac’s Makaveli crown. Errors became canon.
Legacy: The Digital Graveyard
Today, Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 is out of print. It’s not on most streaming services due to sample clearance hell. The iTunes exclusive “Why U Turn on Me” has vanished from the store. The ZIP files live on in dusty external hard drives, old Dropbox links, and forgotten Soulseek queues.
Critics panned it. Hardcore fans disowned it. But for a generation of digital pioneers, this album was their first encounter with 2Pac’s raw vocals. They heard him rhyme about paranoia and pain over beats that sounded like 2007—the year of Graduation and Curtis.
In the end, Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2 isn’t a great album. It’s a great story. It’s the story of a dead legend remixed for a living world, compressed into a ZIP file, purchased with an iTunes gift card, and played through white earbuds. It was evolution—awkward, illegal, beautiful, and lost to time.
And somewhere, on a broken iPod in a landfill, the last copy of the iTunes exclusive still spins in digital silence.
Here’s a helpful content summary regarding "2Pac – Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2: Evolution – Duets & Remixes (iTunes / ZIP)" :
By 2007, the music industry was drowning in 2Pac posthumous releases. The quality ranged from the brilliant (Until the End of Time) to the barely listenable (Pac’s Life). Enter producer Sha Money XL (famous for his work with G-Unit). His task was brutal: take 2Pac’s most beloved lyrical performances and make them "relevant" for the 2007 club and mixtape scene. The Lost Evolution: How 2Pac’s Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol
The result was Nu-Mixx Klazzics Vol. 2. However, the Evolution subtitle refers to a specific, updated version of the album. The standard version was decent; the "Evolution" version was aggressive. It re-eq’d 2Pac’s vocals, isolated them from the original Death Row multitracks, and layered them over entirely new compositions.
A haunting, organ-driven beat. This remix strips away the G-funk whistles of the original and replaces them with minor chords. It sounds like a funeral march for the concept of "street credibility." The iTunes zip version of this track is noticeably brighter than the CD release, showcasing superior dynamic range.