On March 9th 1997, after he went “back, back to Cali, Cali,” The Notorious B.I.G. was infamously gunned down. Sixteen days after the murder, the release of his second studio album, a double-disc banger, hit the streets. Appropriately named Life After Death, the album would go on to sell almost seven hundred thousand copies the first week, debuting at number one on the Billboard charts.
Eleven times platinum and three Grammy nominations later, the sophomore album from Biggie Smalls remains an instant classic. Unfortunately, the world didn’t get the chance to celebrate with the rapper, and to this day, his presence and storytelling are missed in the music world.
I Got a Story to Tell
After the success of his first album, Ready to Die, “the black Frank White was here to excite!” One of the most anticipated albums of 1997 was finally here, and it didn’t disappoint. As soon as you “kicked in the door, wavin’ the 44,” fans were instantly hooked. The production, beats, stories, and smooth lyrics made us all realize he was “sicker than your average!”
Biggie represented the entire East Coast as he put New York on his back at a time when Tupac, Snoop, and Dre were dominating the rap game. Pac, who had passed away six months prior, left a huge hole to fill as rap’s top dog. Big, with the help of Jay-Z and Nas, would try to bring hip hop supremacy back to its birthplace and attempt to squash the East Coast, West Coast beef.
“What’s beef?” you may ask. “Beef is when you need two gats to go to sleep.” There aren’t many albums, especially nowadays, that you can listen to from the opening to the final track. “Pardon my French, sometimes I get peeved at these weak MCs,” because they don’t make rappers like they did in the 90s.
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Kills You
Unfortunately for The Notorious B.I.G., he never got to live out the success of his second album. In many ways, he predicted his demise. He may have had his own “Ten Crack Commandments,” of which my favorite will always be number six: no crackhead will be paying you back anytime soon, but there will always be a “Playa Hater” that stands in your way.
Big went from “ashy to classy,” and he would be the first one to tell you that he’s “fat, black, and ugly,” but that didn’t take away from his swagger. He proved that even a poor kid from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, knew that the “Sky’s the Limit.”
Who else have we seen with a funeral the size of Biggie Smalls’? Unfortunately, we did learn that Puffy used Big’s money to fund it, thanks 50! Anyways, once “Hypnotize” played, the streets of Brooklyn went absolutely bat-sh** crazy! The people of New York knew they lost one of their own and that no one would ever replace “Big Poppa!” The “King of New York” will always have a special place in rap and music history!
Final Thoughts
So do me a favor, since most cars nowadays don’t have CD players (“Mom, what’s a CD player?”), go to your favorite streaming service and play the Life After Death album on this anniversary. It is a little awkward now with all the Diddy skits, but at the time, he was “all up in the videos” (my best Suge Knight impression).
“Somebody’s gotta die, if I go, you got to go,” and unfortunately for us, it was Christopher Wallace. “You’re nobody till somebody kills you.” You changed the game and were the voice of a generation. “Your reign on top may have been short like leprechauns,” and for that, the world will always “Miss U,” Biggie Smalls!
Point of Vision 