Life After Death
| Untitled | |
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Life After Death is the second album by East Coast rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (also known as Biggie Smalls) and was released posthumously on March 25, 1997 (see 1997 in music). A double album that acts as a sequel of sorts to Ready to Die (1994), Life After Death received a great deal of critical praise, if not quite on the same level as his debut. B.I.G.'s brief career was cut short by his murder on March 9, 1997 just before the release of Life After Death.
The album featured B.I.G.’s mafioso crime kingpin character living a Scarface/Casino-esque lifestyle (as opposed to Ready to Die, in which Biggie rapped about life as a young street hustler) while making numerous references to theatrical crime thrillers. Featuring collaborations with 112, Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, R. Kelly, The Lox, Faith Evans, Too $hort, DMC, Carl Thomas, Ma$e & Puff Daddy, among others, the album cemented Biggie's legacy as one of hip hop's most respected and successful Emcees, and is remembered as a classic of Mafioso rap. It was certified diamond by the RIAA in 2000 and is 1 of 5 rap albums certified diamond. It was the highest selling rap album in history from January of 2000 until May 2006, when it was surpassed by OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
The Edited Version of this CD is only one disc and only has the songs: Hypnotize, Notorious Thugs, I Love the Dough, B.I.G. Interlude, Miss U, Mo Money Mo Problems, Playa Hater, Another, Sky's The Limit, Nasty Boy, Going Back To Cali, You're Nobody Til' Somebody Kills You, and Fucking You Tonight.
Conception
Background
One year prior to the album's release, The Notorious B.I.G. had married Faith Evans, become East Coast's icon in the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry and made guest appearances on albums by Jay-Z and Luke amongst others. Two weeks prior to the album's release, The Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed.
Impact & Influence
Though released in the wake of B.I.G.'s fatal shooting, Life After Death signaled a stylistic change in gangsta rap as it crossed over to the commercial mainstream. After the release of Life After Death, Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records continued to bring pop and gangsta rap closer together: the references to violence and drug dealing remained, as did the entire gangsta rhetoric, but the overall production style changed from the previously darker sound to a cleaner, sample-heavy, more upbeat sound that was directly fashioned for the mainstream pop charts, as seen in the single "Mo Money Mo Problems." The Notorious B.I.G. is often credited with initiating this transition, as he was among the first mainstream rappers to produce albums with a calculated attempt to include both gritty and realistic gangsta narratives as well as more radio-friendly productions. Much of the album is produced by Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Carlos "July Six" Broady, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, and Nashiem Myrick. However, other notable hip-hop producers such as DJ Premier and RZA contributed beats to the album as well.
Beef references
It should be noted that many songs on both discs contain subtle references to B.I.G.'s rivals. "Kick in the Door" is directed at Nas, Raekwon, Jeru the Damaja and even the track's producer DJ Premier according to speculative listeners. In the song "Notorious Thugs" B.I.G. refers to 2Pac in the line "so called beef with you-know-who." While Bone Thugs make disses towards Three 6 Mafia, Twista and Do or Die. It is also speculated by many listeners that the song "Long Kiss Goodnight" is a diss track towards 2Pac and Suge Knight although the members of Junior M.A.F.I.A. have denied this.
Reception
Template:RS500 It's considered to one of the greatest rap albums in hip hop history, and has also been a major influence on many rap artists. The information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net[1] and other website links below.
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender Magazine | USA | The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time | 2002 | #25 |
| Ego Trip | USA | Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98 | 1999 | #1 |
| Hip-Hop Connection | UK | The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005 | #14 | |
| Rolling Stone | USA | List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | #483 |
| Rolling Stone | USA | The Essential Recordings of the 90s | 1999 | * |
| The New Nation | UK | Top 100 Albums by Black Artists | #60 | |
| The Source | USA | 100 Best Rap Albums | 1998 | * |
| Vibe Magazine | USA | 51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement | 2004 | * |
( * ) designates lists which are unordered.
Track listing
Disc one
| # | Title | Time | Songwriters | Producers | Additional Performers | Samples[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Life After Death (Intro)" | 1:39 | C. Wallace, S. Jordan, Sean Combs |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Puff Daddy |
|
| 2 | "Somebody's Gotta Die" | 4:26 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, A. Hester, Nasheim Myrick, Carlos Broady |
Sean "Puffy" Combs, Nashiem Myrick, & Carlos "6 July" Broady for The Hitmen | N/A |
|
| 3 | "Hypnotize" | 3:49 | C. Wallace, R. Alpert, D. Angelettie, Andy Armer, Sean Combs, Ron Lawrence |
Sean "Puffy" Combs, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, & Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence for The Hitmen | Pamela Long, Puff Daddy |
|
| 4 | "Kick in the Door" | 4:46 | C. Wallace, J. Hawkins, Chris E. Martin |
DJ Premier | The Madd Rapper | *Contains a sample of "I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
|
| 5 | "Fuck You Tonight" | 5:45 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, D. Jones, R. Kelly |
Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen & Daron Jones | R. Kelly | |
| 6 | "Last Day" | 4:18 | C. Wallace, Kejuan Muchita, J. Phillips, Dorothy Stiles |
Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen & Havoc | The LOX | |
| 7 | "I Love the Dough" | 5:12 | C. Wallace, Sean Carter, O. Harvey, R. Moore, Angela Winbush |
Easy Mo Bee | Angela Winbush, Jay-Z | *Contains a sample of *"I Love You More" by Rene & Angela |
| 8 | "What's Beef?" | 5:15 | C. Wallace, Carlos Broady, Nasheim Myrick |
Nashiem Myrick & Carlos "6 July" Broady for the Hitmen | Puff Daddy | |
| 9 | "B.I.G. Interlude" | 0:48 | C. Wallace, D. Angelettie |
Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen | The Notorious B.I.G. |
|
| 10 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | 4:17 | C. Wallace, M. Betha, Sean Combs, B.H. Edwards, S. Jordan, Nile Rodgers |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Puff Daddy, Mase, Kelly Price |
|
| 11 | "Niggas Bleed" | 4:51 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, S. Jordan, Nasheim Myrick |
Sean "Puffy" Combs, Nashiem Myrick, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, & Carlos "6 July" Broady for The Hitmen | The Notorious B.I.G. | |
| 12 | "I Got a Story to Tell" | 4:42 | C. Wallace, A. Best |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen, Buckwild | The Notorious B.I.G. |
|
Disc two
| # | Title | Time | Songwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Notorious Thugs" | 6:07 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, Al Henderson, S. Howse, S. Jordan, Brian McCane |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | |
| 2 | "Miss U" | 4:59 | C. Wallace, Kaygee Gist, Lionel Richie |
Kay Gee | 112 |
|
| 3 | "Another" | 4:15 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, N. Ingram, K. Jones, S. Jordan |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | The Notorious B.I.G.
|
|
| 4 | "Going Back to Cali" | 5:07 | C. Wallace, O. Harvey, Roger Troutman |
Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. |
|
| 5 | "Ten Crack Commandments" | 3:24 | C. Wallace, Chris E. Martin |
DJ Premier | The Notorious B.I.G. |
|
| 6 | "Playa Hater" | 3:57 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, W. Hart, S. Jordan |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | The Notorious B.I.G. |
|
| 7 | "Nasty Boy" | 5:33 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, S. Jordan |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | The Notorious B.I.G. |
|
| 8 | "Sky's the Limit" | 5:29 | C. Wallace, Bobby Caldwell, Hubert Eaves, Clark Kent, J. Williams |
Clark Kent | 112 |
|
| 9 | "The World Is Filled..." | 4:54 | C. Wallace, D. Angelette, Sean Combs, T. Shaw, K. Walker |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen | Carl Thomas, Puff Daddy, Too $hort |
|
| 10 | "My Downfall" | 5:26 | C. Wallace, Carlos Broady, Sean Combs, Darryl McDaniels, Nasheim Myrick |
Sean "Puffy" Combs, Nashiem Myrick, & Carlos "6 July" Broady for The Hitmen | The Notorious B.I.G.
|
|
| 11 | "Long Kiss Goodnight" | 5:18 | C. Wallace, Robert Diggs |
RZA | The Notorious B.I.G. |
|
| 12 | "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)" | 4:56 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, Gary Johnson, S. Jordan, E. Lopez, B. Preston |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen, DJ Enuff, & Jiv Poss | The Notorious B.I.G.
|
Songwriter(s) information taken from cd case.
Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
| "Hypnotize" | |
 |
"Mo Money Mo Problems" featuring Mase & Puff Daddy |
 |
"Sky's the Limit" featuring 112
|
"Fuck You Tonight" is found on the A-Side of "Mo Money Mo Problems".
Chart positions
Album
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 1 |
| Canadian Albums chart | 3 |
Singles
| Song | Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Hypnotize" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| "Hypnotize" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 1 |
| "Hypnotize" | U.S. Hot Rap Tracks | 1 |
| "Hypnotize" | Canadian Singles Chart | 3 |
| "Mo Money Mo Problems" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| "Mo Money Mo Problems" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 2 |
| "Mo Money Mo Problems" | U.S. Hot Rap Tracks | 1 |
| "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Canadian Singles Chart | 2 |
| "Going Back to Cali" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 26 |
| "Going Back to Cali" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 31 |
| "Going Back to Cali" | U.S. Hot Rap Tracks | 3 |
| Song | Chart (1998) | Peak position |
| "Sky's the Limit" | Canadian Singles Chart | 11 |
Credits
- Barry White - Hair Stylist
- Kit Walker - Sampled Keyboards
- The Notorious B.I.G. - Vocals (background), Producer, Liner Notes
- Karen Anderson - Vocals (background)
- Easy Mo Bee - Producer
- Michael Ciro - Guitar
- Sean "Puffy" Combs - Producer, Mixing
- DJ Premier - Producer
- Ben Garrison - Engineer
- Rich July - Engineer
- Marvin Scandrick - Vocals, Vocals (background) (112)
- Quinnes Parker - Vocals, Vocals (background) (112)
- Daron Jones - Producer, Vocals, Vocals (background) (112)
- Michael Keith - Vocals, Vocals (background) (112)
- Clark Kent - Producer
- Paul Logus - Mixing
- Manny Marroquin - Engineer
- Tony Maserati - Mixing
- Axel Niehaus - Engineer
- Michael Patterson - Engineer, Mixing
- Herb Powers - Mastering
- RZA - Producer
- Eddie Sancho - Mixing
- Richard Travali - Mixing
- Doug Wilson - Engineer
- DJ Enuf - Producer
- Faith Evans - Vocals (background)
- Carl Thomas - Vocals
- Pierre Retrayt - Producer
- Rasheed Goodlowe - Engineer
- Nasheim Myrick - Producer
- Michael Lavine - Photography
- Camilo Argumedes - Engineer
- Deric Angelettie - Producer
- Stevie J. - Producer
- Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander - Engineer, Mixing
- Carlos Broady - Organ (Hammond), Producer
- Lane Craven - Engineer, Mixing
- Krayzie Bone - Vocals
- Deborah "Portia" Neeley Rolle - Vocals (background)
- Jiv Pos - Producer
- Stephen Dent - Engineer
- Lynn Montrose - Engineer
- Steve Jones - Engineer
- Bizzy Bone - Vocals
- John Meredith - Engineer
- Layzie Bone - Vocals
- Diana Pedraza - Engineer
- Mike Pitts - Assistant Producer
- Kay Gee - Producer
- Groovey Lew - Stylist
- Ron Grant - Guest Appearance
- Keanna Henson - Vocals (background)
- Justin Cortinas- Producer
References
- ^ "Life After Death at AcclaimedMusic.net". Retrieved December 23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ The Notorious B.I.G. Search the-breaks.com.