The classic Tupac Shakur song that was meant for Snoop Dogg’s ‘Doggystyle’ album
The second disc of All Eyez On Me, 2pac’s double album from ’96, goes hard right from the off.
It opens with ‘Can’t C Me,’ an energetic, combative gangsta song that, in addition to Tupac Shakur himself, features the contributions of two bona fide legends in Dr Dre and George Clinton. It also features the vocalist Nanci Fletcher, who, in the years since it was recorded, has revealed some of its big secrets.
Dre produced ‘Can’t C Me,’ and there’s a rumour out there that he had once planned to use the track on an album called Heltah Skeltah, a cancelled collaborative album he was considering making with Ice Cube. Fletcher, though, has claimed ‘Can’t C Me’ was initially intended to feature somewhere else entirely, on another now-famous rapper’s first album. “We actually did this song for Snoop’s Doggystyle album,” she has claimed, as quoted by the 2Pac fan site 2PacLegacy.net, “but for some reason it didn’t make the cut.”
To be fair, once you learn that, the track really does sound like it would fit onto Doggystyle perfectly. But, for one reason or another, the track was shelved and Snoop never used it, which was a real downer for Fletcher. She’d been so excited to work on it, especially considering the funk legend that is George Clinton had played such a key part on it.
“The day we recorded it,” Fletcher reflected, “I think me and Dre were the only ones in the studio and I remember us both being so hyped and excited when George stepped up in the building. He was larger than life to me and looked just like he did on his album covers: dyed hair, crazy outfit and all! He was cool and funny as hell.”
Dre was clearly delighted by Clinton’s presence, and he encouraged Fletcher to tap into the legacy of Parliament-Funkadelic to power her own performance. “When I added my part, Dre wanted me to try and imitate the Brides of Funkenstein, George’s female group at the time, plus a lil of my flavor,” she noted. “George went in and did what only he can do! He’s the greatest.”
Fletcher’s big sister growing up had been a big Geroge Clinton fan, so, naturally, the singer was so excited to tell her that she’d actually gotten to work with him on a Snoop Dogg song. It was a real blow, then, when the track was scrapped. “I was bummed out when I heard the song wasn’t going to be on the album,” she admitted. “But then a few years later, when 2Pac came to Deathrow, Dre pulled it on out of the archives.”
It all worked out in the end, because 2Pac’s performance on the track was fierce. “Pac went so hard on this song even Dre was like ‘Damn!’” Fletched noted. “I was sooo happy! I don’t even have to tell you my sister’s reaction when I told her!”