It all comes down to this. When piecing together this list, I had alot of stuff to cover, and despite all my bitching about the current state of rap music, I came to find that, in the past 15 years, there really has been alot of good shit. Some stuff didn't make the list, unfortunately: shoutout to groups like UGK, The Lox and Wu-Tang Clan, and artists like Snoop, Jadakiss, Fabolous and Scarface who for one reason or another, I was unable to include on this list. Breaking shit down to 15 albums is not an easy task, but hopefully those who read this were enlightened and informed and perhaps discovered some shit you might not have taken the time to check out. Without further ado, here's my thoughts on "Life After Death"....
I said I was only gonna include one album per artist, and so it was a real toss up for me whether I was going to include Biggie's "Life After Death" or "Ready to Die". "Ready to Die" was a timeless piece of hardcore hip-hop. It had a range of subject matter and emotions that put you in the shoes of a hustler with nothing to lose. Thoughts on suicide, sticking up pregnant women, slinging crack and hopes for a better day, it embodied what it was like to be young, hungry and down for whatever. The album stood the test of time, spawned tons of hits ("Warning", "Juicy", "Big Poppa", "One More Chance", etc) and solidified BIG's spot in the game. However, I think it was second and final official album that cemented his status as the greatest to do it, and here's why.
First things first, this was a double album that from start to finish was excellent. It was not the first, and unfortunately not the last, double album in hip-hop. But before everyone and their brother decided to give it a shot, BIG was the second one after Pac's "All Eyez on Me". While I enjoyed "All Eyez on Me", there was no question there were some tracks that could have been left off. This was not the case with "LAD". Each disc had it's distinct vibe and theme to it, and flowed from beginning to end like water.
Disc one opens up with the cinematic "Somebody's Got To Die" and goes into the club rocking "Hypnotize", a song that to this day, will still set a dancefloor on fire. The next track, "Kick in the Door", featuring a gritty beat courtest of DJ Premier, has really taken on new light in hindsight. The track was actually a dis to Raekwon and Nas, among others, for their accusations of him biting their style. It was a defiant return shot, and even though Biggie didn't name names, it got it's point across. Lyrically and flow wise, you don't get much better, take a listen (skip the first minute):
This album is just an exercise in diversity, top-notch flows and vivid lyricism. Right after the brutal "Kick in the Door" comes to smoothed out slow jam "Fuckin' You Tonight" featuring R Kelly. Big kicks humorous lyrics about skipping the wining and dining and just gettin' down to business. I'm sure we all been there. This song is also significant, in my opinion, as it kinda opened the floodgates for rappers collaborating with R&B singers for crossover appeal. It had been done before, songs like Method Man and Mary J Blige "All I Need", shit like that, but after this album, it's like everyone tried to run with the formula.
Immediately following that is the showcase for then up-and-coming group The Lox. Over a haunting beat, they all kick mafioso flows, and every rapper does their best to outshine the other. It even features Jada's famous "For instance/I'll give this faggot a French kiss" line that still has fans scratching their heads to this day. Next up is, to me, one of the ultimate songs, Jay-Z and Biggie "I Love the Dough". Between the beat and the two best emcees one-upping eachother with tales of lavish spending and living in the lap of luxury, this was just awesome. Much better than "Money Ain't a Thang", Jay-Z's collabo with JD. Biggie just murks it with his verses, and Jay has some cool lines about "playin' Monopoly with real cash". This song is ahead of it's time, it sounds like it coulda been recorded yesterday, but it's almost 13 years old! Check it (35 seconds in):
After this is "What's Beef?" an eerie and ominous message that Biggie was above all the petty shit being thrown his way and detailing exactly what beef REALLY is. Some of Big's best lyrical work on that track. The next song needs no introduction, "Mo Money Mo Problems". The Diana Ross sample, the shiny suits, throwin your Roly in sky...when you look back on this era of hip-hop, THIS is the song that defines it. The disc raps up with "Niggas Bleed" (another cinematic story rap that sounds like a script to a Scorcese flick) and "I Got a Story to Tell", a story about a lover's tryst gone wrong. Now need I remind you, this is only the FIRST DISC. If I were to break it down, I'd say the first disc was a more celebratory affair, tracks featuring Biggie living it up, enjoying his new success, and brushing off haters. If disc one was the calm, then disc two is definitely the storm, as it has a darker and grittier vibe more akin to "Ready to Die".
I think BIG was just out to prove he could do anything and everything better than everyone on this album. Take the first song off disc two, the legendary "Notorious Thugs" featuring Bone. Bone was basically a one trick pony, IMO. All they were good far were rapid fire raps and harmonizing vocals, and offered little else. To each his own, I suppose. Biggie stepped out to the plate and murdered them at their own game. But don't take my word for it:
This is followed by "Another" featuring Lil Kim, a good track but probably the weakest on the album comparatively. Biggie then flips a West Coast inspired flow on the gem "Goin' Back to Cali", featuring a synth-heavy G-funk beat. Literally, BIG was proving to everyone he could do it all, and pulling it off in spades. Every track on this album has a seperate, distinct feel, yet all goes together. It was an amazing job on the production end to piece this masterpiece together, and Biggie was just at the top of his game.
I could just go on and on: the pimped out, blaxploitation of "The World is Filled", the somber and reflective "Miss U" and "Sky's the Limit", the venomous "Long Kiss Goodnight" and the forboding "My Downfall" and "You're Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)". This is a the shining example of a PERFECT album. This also laid the foundation for Puffy to rise up with "No Way Out" and it was a good indicator for the what the classic Bad Boy sound was going to be. It takes an MC of a certain caliber to shoulder the load of a double album, and in my eyes, Biggie was the only one to pull it off without a flaw. "Life After Death" sold over ten million copies, one of only three rap albums ever to do so, so I don't need to tell you to buy it. But if you haven't listened to it in awhile, dust it off and experience it again. Nearly thirteen years later, it still sounds as fresh and innovative as it was then. And that, my friends, is the definition of the best hip-hop album of not only the past 15 years, but of ALL-TIME.
No comments:
Post a Comment