Life After Death
- This article is about the music album. If you meant the concept of existing after death, see Afterlife.
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Life After Death is the second album by East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls), released on March 25, 1997 (see 1997 in music).
Overview
A double album that acts as a sequel of sorts to Ready to Die (1994, see 1994 in music), Life After Death received a great deal of critical praise, if not quite on the same level as his classic debut Ready to Die. 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, Mase and Puff Daddy, among others, the album cemented Biggie's legacy as one of hip hop's most respected and successful MCs, and is remembered as a classic of Mafioso rap. Released less than a month after B.I.G. was killed, Life After Death sold 690,000 copies in its first week according to Soundscan. It was later certified diamond by the RIAA for selling more than ten million units.
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 Sean "Puffy" Combs and his Hitmen production team, which includes 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.
Combs and his Hitmen would continue to draw on this pop and sample-oriented production style for future releases such as No Way Out and Harlem World, ushering in what is often referred to as hip hop's "jiggy" era in the late '90s.
Track listing
Disc one
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Life After Death Intro" | Stevie J; co-produced by The Notorious B.I.G. | *Interlude* |
| 2 | "Somebody's Gotta Die" | Carlos "Six July" Broady & Nashiem Myrick | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 3 | "Hypnotize" | Deric Angelettie & Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence | The Notorious B.I.G., Pamela Long & Puff Daddy |
| 4 | "Kick In The Door" | DJ Premier | The Madd Rapper & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 5 | "Fuck You Tonight" | Daron Jones | The Notorious B.I.G. & R. Kelly |
| 6 | "Last Day" | Havoc; co-produced by Puff Daddy & Stevie J | Jadakiss, The Notorious B.I.G., Sheek Louch & Styles P |
| 7 | "I Love The Dough" | Easy Mo Bee | Angela Winbush, Jay-Z & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 8 | "What's Beef?" | Carlos "Six July" Broady & Nashiem Myrick; co-produced by Paragon | The Notorious B.I.G. & Puff Daddy |
| 9 | "B.I.G. Interlude" | The Notorious B.I.G. & Deric Angelettie | *Interlude* |
| 10 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Stevie J | Kelly Price, Mase, The Notorious B.I.G. & Puff Daddy |
| 11 | "Niggas Bleed" | Carlos "Six July" Broady, Nashiem Myrick & Stevie J | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 12 | "I Got A Story To Tell" | Buckwild; co-produced by Chucky Thompson & Puff Daddy | The Notorious B.I.G. |
Disc two
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Notorious Thugs" | Stevie J | Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 2 | "Miss U" | Kay Gee | 112, Lil' Cease & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 3 | "Another" | Stevie J | Lil' Kim & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 4 | "Going Back To Cali" | Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 5 | "Ten Crack Commandments" | DJ Premier | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 6 | "Playa Hater" | Stevie J | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 7 | "Nasty Boy" | Stevie J | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 8 | "Sky's The Limit " | Clark Kent | 112 & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 9 | "The World Is Filled..." | Deric Angelettie | Carl Thomas, The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy & Too Short |
| 10 | "My Downfall" | Carlos "Six July" Broady & Nashiem Myrick | DMC & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 11 | "Long Kiss Goodnight" | RZA | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 12 | "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)" | Stevie J; co-produced by DJ Enuff & Jiv Poss | Faith Evans, The Notorious B.I.G. & Puff Daddy |
Notes
- Somebody's Gotta Die contains a sample from "In the Rain" by The Dramatics
- Hypnotize contains a sample from "Rise" by Herb Alpert
- Kick In The Door contains a sample from "I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
- Mo Money Mo Problems contains a sample from I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross
- I Got A Story To Tell contains a sample from "I'm Glad You're Mine" by Al Green
- Miss U contains a sample from "Missing You" by Diana Ross
- Going Back To Cali contains a sample from "More Bounce To The Ounce" by Zapp
- Ten Crack Commandments contains a sample from "Valantra" by Les McCann
- Playa Hater contains a sample from "Hey! Love" by The Delfonics
- Nasty Boy contains a sample from "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid
- Sky's The Limit contains a sample from "Keep On" by D Train
- Long Kiss Goodnight contains a sample from "The Letter" by Al Green
- Long Kiss Goodnight contains a sample from "The Letter" by Grant Green
Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
 |
"Mo Money Mo Problems" featuring Mase & Puff Daddy |
|
"Sky's The Limit" featuring 112
|
|
"Hypnotise" |
Chart positions
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Billboard 200 | 1 |
| 1997 | Top Canadian Albums | 3 |
| 1997 | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 1 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Hot Rap Singles | 1 |
| 1997 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 2 |
| 1997 | "Hypnotize" | Canadian Singles Chart | 3 |
| 1997 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Canadian Singles Chart | 2 |
| 1997 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 |
| 1997 | "Hypnotize" | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| 1997 | "Hypnotize" | Hot Rap Singles | 1 |
| 1997 | "Hypnotize" | Rhythmic Top 40 | 3 |
| 1997 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Rhythmic Top 40 | 2 |
| 1997 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Top 40 Mainstream | 22 |
| 1997 | "Hypnotize" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| 1997 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| 1998 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | Canadian Singles Chart | 13 |
| 1998 | "Sky's The Limit" | Canadian Singles Chart | 11 |
| 1998 | "Going Back To Cali" | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 31 |
| 1998 | "Going Back To Cali" | Hot Rap Singles | 3 |
| 1998 | "Going Back To Cali" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 26 |
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 - 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
- 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