The Notorious B.I.G. Album: “Mo Money Mo Problems [US #2]”

When this single was originally released in the summer of 1997, I couldn't bring myself to buy it because I was saddened by the loss of the late, great Notorious B.I.G. I didn't personally know the man, but it was still a very sad time for anyone who missed his witty flows, trademark voice, and boundless style; and boy did he have style! "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" is an upbeat, party song that dominated MTV and the radio when it was released, and it also marked the commercial peak of Bad Boy records in the 90s. 1997 was a great year (musically, that is) for Bad Boy; and for pop/R&B music in general. (Missy Elliot and Timbaland, anyone?)

But you want to know why I think this CD-single is worth it? It's because of the variety you get: Track #1 is the "clean" version of "Mo' Money, Mo Problems", and it has a slightly different ending than the album version. (Most people won't hear it) Track #2 is "Lovin You Tonight", the "clean" version of the song found on Biggie's album "Life After Death". Incidentally, "Lovin You..." (which features R.Kelly) was co-produced by 112-member Daron Jones, who produced his group's mega-hit, "It's Over Now"...

Track #3 is the instrumental, which is great - it's just really fun. Love it.

The next two tracks, #4 and #5 are slammin! These are house remixes of "Mo' Money", and they're both very good. #4 is the short version, (4:09 min), and #5 is the full version (10:33 min). The happy melody of this mix reminds me of a french Christmas carol called "Il est ne, le divin Enfant" (for those who may know it). In both versions, the music slows down near the middle...we get a souped-up version of the original "Mo' Money" beat, and B.I.G. does his verse - and it's great. The track then speeds up again, and finishes the way most house songs finish - perfectly.

"Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" is one of the most satisfying CD singles I've purchased in a long time. Important tip: just make sure that you can appreciate both hip hop music (and not the undergound/URB magazine kind) and radio-friendly house a la Armand Van Helden; in other words - just have an open mind when you listen, cool? Enjoy...

Thanks for reading!

C.H.R.

let me share my old memory with y'all when i was, say, 10 years old, i heard this one first on m.t.v and that was the first song (i heard on thst station) i loved! in the last couple of weeks i have been tryin' to remeber the name of this great up lifting song, but... i couldn't remeber!! luckily, my sister has just remided me!! this is such a great track, i love it so much... i really recomend this to everybody...

A perfect track has the people just forgeting what is going around and just enjoying the great talented mans music. the song really is catchy and very addictive. I just can't stop playing the track, it's one of my favorite of all time.

biggie did'nt live to enjoy the money he could have made off this cut but puffy and mase was tight on here and plus the diana ross sample made the kids wanna check her old stuff out.

This single offers lots of variety for a cheap price. The single is kicked off with the radio version of Mo Money Mo Problems, which it is edited for time and some key words. Also to finish the song, it drifts away rather than the original version, which goes into the next track of the Life After Death Album. Next is a very clean radio edit featuring R. Kelly called Loving You Tonight. I will admit that R. Kelly does provide very good background vocals and it adds texture to the beat. The third track is instrumental and features the same 5-second loop "I'm coming... out" over and over again, not much there. The final two tracks are house remixes, a short version running about four minutes. Then the second version lasts about ten minutes! The mix is good, with an enhanced beat. BIG's vocals a bit more slow for a nice bass effect, but you can do with the four-minute version and skip out on the ten-minute version unless you want to get really bored. There is too much of the same to be a worthy single, unless you don't want to spend the twenty bucks on the Life After Death double disc album.