The Notorious B.I.G. Album: “Life After Death [Clean]”

It seemed that with the release of his debut masterpiece 'Ready to Die', Biggie was instantly crowned the King of the East Coast. It was a title that he was undoubtedly deserving of, so when it came time to succeed his instant classic, Biggie and executive producer Puff Daddy decided to release the epic 24-track 'Life After Death', figuring that if they couldn't surpass the near-perfect quality of 'Ready to Die', they would at least surpass it in terms of quantity. It seems to me after listening several times to this staggering epic, that even if this had been Biggie's first album, he would have still gained mass success and even if it's release hadn't been marred by his tragic and senseless murder earlier that March, hip-hop fans would have still laid down the money to purchase this daunting double-CD set. His explosive lyrical talent, sharp wit and larger-than-life personality, is the showcase of this truly great album. He is never short on rhymes and never stumbling, as he moves swiftly from one motif to another, forever retaining his sense of gangsta suave. It is this uncanny marriage of urbane sophistication and ruthless aggression that makes Biggie so engaging - he finds a perfect balance between his money-making playa persona and the raw reality of the big kid from Brooklyn hustling on the corner. While his debut album's lyrical content was eerily prophetic, the content here is disturbingly and heart-breakingly prophetic. Many of the songs revel in death, such as 'Somebody's Gotta Die', 'Niggaz Bleed', and 'You're Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)', and it seems as if Biggie saw the end coming. If you've seen any of the final interviews with him, especially the ones done after 2Pac's death, he seems consumed by fear and paranoia, and listening to this album it's very obvious. But the most truly saddening aspect of the album comes not from the harsh and dark imagery foreshadowing his untimely demise, but in the more positive and inspirational pieces like 'Sky's the Limit' and 'Miss U'. They are a testament to his good-hearted nature and his hope for the future, and make his death feel all the more tragic. But it will still bring a smile to your face hearing him bounce postively on uptempo tracks like the G-Funk flavor of 'Going Back to Cali' and perrenial anthems like 'Hypnotize' and 'Mo Money Mo Problems'. While the entire album does contain occasional clunkers, courtesy of some mediocre production, Biggie's booming voice commands your attention and respect, and makes the daunting listen pay off in the end. It's true what many have said. We lost the two most talented rappers in the game when we lost Biggie and Pac. And the overall state of hip-hop as well as mainstream music in general has been going down the drain ever since. That is not to say that there are NO rappers who are keeping it real or releasing quality music anymore. It's just that the ones that are staying real aren't getting the attention and respect they deserve from the Top 40 and these so called hip-hop station DJ's

First things first, before we dig in to the music itself, ive been reading through the reviews for this album and I honestly cannot believe how ignorant a lot of these "critics" come across, they read like they're 14 year olds trying to impress their friends. No im not saying you have to like this album, in fact for the longest time I wasnt all that impressed with it either, I would have a said a 3/5 would have done it justice, but when your whole review is spent bashing BIG and talking about how "2pac is teh greatest evar!" then we have a problem. I have a news flash for you, 2pac is no where near the greatest mc, neither is BIG, if you think either of them is as talented as the likes of Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap or Pharoahe Monch then you're fooling yourself. Both of them were extremely talented artist though and, believe it or not, its ok to like both of them, grow up people.

On to the album, ive spent enough time rambling so i'll try to keep this somewhat short and simple. This album is what today is considered a Hop Hop classic, I myself would agree with that even if I dont think the album is "Perfect". A Few annoying beats and shamefully shallow songs hold this back from greatness, as do a few weak guest spots from Diddy (no hate to Diddy, he's just not a very talented mc, ghostwriters or not).

The good things though really push this album to greatness, some wonderfully dark production that sets the perfect backdrop for BIG to paint his mafia style pictures over, some very ill flows that are always changing and evolving as the song moves along, and very diverse subject matter that should have a little something for everyone. Looking for a track to vibe too? Check Notorious Thugs, want some Raw New York Rhyming? look no further then the Preemo laced "Kick in the Door" (with BIG's subtle diss to Jeru the Damaja of course), or hell maybe you just wanna kick it with some friends and party, throw on "Mo Money, Mo Problems" and let loose.

Overall I love this album, its grown on me the older I got, when I was younger and going through my whole "rebellious, I hate anything that sounds pop or mainstream" phase I couldnt stand this, but being older now and being able to enjoy all music has really opened my eyes to how great this is, its a shame he never got to follow this up, I would have loved to hear more of his story telling abilities, one of the only mc's to rival the legendary Slick Rick in my opinion. anyways check the album out, go in with an open mind, and discover what a truly rewarding experience it can be.

WOW this album is perfect. This album is everything you want a Rap album to have. Great songs about what Biggie was feeling at the time. This album makes you think. Thats something that todays mainstream rap music cant do. I remember when i first heard Biggie in 1993 before he hit it big in 1994 with "Big Poppa" i was BLOWN away with his flow and lyrical mastery. I was only 11 when i heard it and i had to find more about this guy. His First album is a masterpiece. This sophomore LP can be called his 2nd masterpiece. With songs like "Notorious Thugs" and "Hypnotize" they will leave you hungry for more. Unfortunately Biggie was killed for NO REASON AT ALL in 1997. His music will live on forever!!

Looking back to the mid-90's in Rap music i can honestly say that todays rap makes me cringe. I mean Big Tymers, Nelly, Eminem, Jay-Z, are just too concerned with image and making money instead of making music with emotion and meaning. If you really love rap music listen to Underground rappers like Mos Def and Talib Kweli. They are actually keeping the REAL art form alive.

Big's Life After death is a flawless album when compared to the hip hop today. Although BIG would not be the first or the last to profit off of the drug selling gangsta image, his undeniable flow, wit and wordplay somehow made it more believable, then say, 50 cent or Lloyd Banks. From the opening intro of catching the listener up from the outro of Ready to Die to the chilling ending of the album BIG crafted a double disc rap concerto. His influence on other artist (read: Jay-z) as well as his style (read: Guerrilla Black)is still being felt in the hip hop community. The track Notorious Thugs will forever be a testament to his undeniable and tragically lost skills as an MC. His ability to mimic other artists flow better than they can. along with the fact that he never wrote his rhymes, is ridiculous. New albums may come and go, but this will forever be in the my house, car, and dorm room within easy reach.

Ok, I'm not going to get into the whole Tupac vs. Biggie debate that has inexplicably found its way into dozens of reviews on here. I'm also not going to give this a track by track review, it's a double disc and it would be too much. So here are the positives and negatives:

Positives: Biggie's flow is undeniable and his ability to paint a picture through his lyrics went unmatched until The Slim Shady LP, but hasn't been touched since. "Kick in the Door", "What's Beef", "Going Back to Cali", his incredible and perhaps most famous verse on "Mo Money" (regardless of how cheesy/poppy the song is) make this album a classic before you even get to mention "Notorious Thugs" and "I Got a Story to Tell". I could go on, but the bottom line is there are countless classic tracks on this chilling album.

Negatives: Honestly, after listening to this album you will want to strangle Puffy. His voice overs were annoying but acceptable at the time Ready To Die came out, but by this point they were potentially song ruining. He seems to pop up on nearly every song without ever bringing anything to any of them, including his utterly ridiculous and laughable attempt at actually rapping on "Mo Money Mo Problems" (especially when compared with the Biggie portion of the song that follows his verses). In addition to this annoyance, you will have to deal with the generic 90's interludes and skits, which apparently weren't bad enough when they were placed between songs, on this album we get them at the beginning and end of the actual songs (why does it take a minute for songs like "Miss You" to start?). Thankfully the days of cassette tapes were nearly done by the time this was released.

One last negative, if you were looking for the Biggie/Jay Z track to stand up to "Brooklyn's Finest" than you will surely be disappointed.

Bottom Line: This is one of those albums you have to have as a hip hop fan, but that doesn't mean it's not without it's flaws. Still, this is a classic album that will forever be listed as one of the best of all time.