Krazy Country Roads 8️⃣

2pac x John Denver

Song	Krazy	Take Me Home, Country Roads
Artist	2pac	John Denver
Year	1996	1971
BPM	82	82
Part	Acapella	Instrumental/Chorus

Final Cut

So how on earth did this mashup come to be? How much time do you have?

First, let me briefly say that about four to five years ago, this mix could not have been possible. Thankfully, our technology today with AI, allows us to make near pixel-perfect acapellas and instrumentals that never existed before! I didn’t extract either of the tracks used in this mix, but instead found them already published on YouTube. With this ever expanding library, mashups are only going to get more innovative and it’s exciting to experience it!

My spouse has been practicing the ukulele for the past month or so. Because of this, Take Me Home, Country Roads is a song I hear daily! Interestingly, this “West Virginia” song by John Denver isn’t easy to get tired of. The original recording is almost heaven, and who can’t get enough of that magical chorus? With that song in my head, I wondered what I could mix it with.

Krazy by 2pac was probably my most favorite track from The Don Killuminati album. I can’t explain why, but this song instinctively came to mind when pondering this project. In my head, I thought the tempos seem similar; and sure enough, they both perfectly match at 82 BPM! However, since Country Roads was recorded “live” without the use of electronic sequencing, the tempo shifts every now and then, throwing the mix off beat. But thanks to some awesome beat mapping technology built into Magix Acid Studio, this can be corrected! I shared this similar situation in my previous mix, 7 Years Time.

My first iteration of this mix didn’t have the Country Roads chorus in it. I almost published it that way! Thankfully I took the time to add the hook. As you can tell, I tossed it in whenever Krazy’s chorus would kick in. I used just the acapella version of the chorus to prevent any awkward transitions in the instrumental track, and to also control the volume as I wanted it softer than the original. I’m very glad I added it, it definitely seals the deal for those nostalgic to Denver’s hit!

Since Krazy is two minutes longer than Country Roads, I had to loop Denver’s track a second time. As with most my mixes, I like to let the instrumental track play out as it is, instead of cutting or looping it. For this mix, I think the transitions in many key points of the acapella turned out wonderful! Lots of delightful changeups whenever the lyrics change in tone or change to/from chorus.

My favorite part is right around the end, when Denver’s chorus comes in right on queue just like in his original track. This wasn’t done intentionally, as I had to restart the the entire instrumental at the start of Bad Azz’s verse. As 2pac’s hook & his add libs continue over the chorus, it overwhelms me at times, it’s so majestic. Especially when Denvers chorus repeats and the choir joins in for that second round. I hope you all can also feel those vibes.

Lastly, as you can see in the final cut screenshot, the fourth track is something I felt I needed to add. It’s a bit to unpack here, but I’ll be brief. First, the track is simply the work “crazy” as 2pac vocalizes in the chorus. There is one time where you can hear it clearly, without overtalk, so I took that one and placed it where he sings “crazy” at each turn of the track. Why did I do this? While today’s acapella extracting technology is fantastic, it isn’t perfect. If you find the acapella on YouTube and listen carefully at the chorus parts, you’ll notice that the word “crazy” gets super quite or even completely cuts off. I didn’t like this, especially since that word is the title of the track! So in my mix, at least you can hear the word Krazy each time it’s said.

This is my favorite mix so far. You gotta admit these songs have natural harmony! And not only melodically, but they also share a common theme: “lost”. What do you think?

Fun Fact: The song Krazy was almost cut from Makaveli’s album!! Tupac wanted it in, but the producer was not happy with it initially. Checkout the story on the “about” section of this web page, and what had to be done to save the track from getting axed: https://genius.com/2pac-krazy-lyrics#about

Additionally, both artists passed away due to “unnatural” causes, 13 months apart.

• 2pac – Tragically at the age of 25, on September 13, 1996, after he was shot multiple times by an unknown gunman six days prior.
• John Denver – Sadly at the age of 53, on October 12, 1997, in a plane crash. He was the pilot and the only person in the plane. The plane ran out of fuel.