Notorious B.I.G.'s latest release, "Life After Death," delves into new realms of rap expression and resurrects questions concerning the message of gangster rap and its effect on listeners.
"Life After Death," ironically follows the theme of death which was set forth by his first album, "Ready to Die" -- a theme that was realized by B.I.G.'s recent murder.
Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls (his birth name is Christopher Wallace) set a trend within his production company, Bad Boy Entertainment, owned by the very visual Sean "Puffy" Combs. B.I.G. brought his personal life experiences of trying to survive on the streets of Brooklyn to the recording studio.
At age 20, he began rapping in the shadows of R&B artist Mary J. Blige and reggae star Supercat. In 1994 B.I.G. released his debut album, "Ready to Die" which became a major success in the rap industry.
Nearly every song from this first album reached the top of the charts soon after being released including "One More Chance," "Juicy," Big Poppa" and "Unbelievable."
"Ready to Die" has sold over 1.5 million copies to date and launched the career, not only of B.I.G., but of his producer Combs and the entire Bad Boy Entertainment company. Since B.I.G., the company has added such successful artists as Faith Evans, 112, Total and Craig Mack.
The recent album, "Life After Death" was highly anticipated, and fans expect it to exceed the success of his debut album.
To date, these expectations have been met 10-fold as the first single release, "Hypnotize" is currently soaring up the charts.
It has been suggested that the obvious fascination with death, which can be found in the titles and content of B.I.G.'s work, fuels the already enormous stockpile of strong criticisms against rap music, particularly ganster rap.
Also evident in the album are the tensions of the classic East coast/West coast rivalry, particularly the rivalry that existed between B.I.G. and West Coast rapper, Tupac Shakur.
Jason Walker '98, a tremendous fan and major supporter of B.I.G., had many positive comments about the album:
"This album was a major step in B.I.G.'s quest for a royal title. Combs and B.I.G. could have very easily put together another 15 track CD that followed along the same path as his platinum debut, 'Ready to Die.' However, B.I.G. already established himself as a lyrical master; thus he did not need to prove himself within this style any further. B.I.G. chose instead to explore different rap styles and different musical expression altogether."
B.I.G. has mastered the beat in this latest album -- he manages to not only use self generated beats, but integrates samples from well-known songs of the past. These beats force you to get up to dance.
Haigi Li, '99, had this to add: "Biggie's album is definitely worth getting. I would say most of the songs perpetuate his fascination with death, and in a strange way foreshadows his own demise. Two songs that I enjoy on this album are 'Hypnotize' and 'Goin' Back to Cali,' as well as some of the other retro-funk cuts. I look forward to hearing some of these songs played at parties across campus this term."
