Life After Death
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Life After Death | |||||
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| Studio album by The Notorious B.I.G. | |||||
| Released | March 25, 1997 | ||||
| Recorded | July 1995-January 1997 New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Miami, FL & Trinidad | ||||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop Mafioso rap |
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| Length | 109:01 | ||||
| Label | Bad Boy Records | ||||
| Producer | Sean "Puffy" Combs (Executive), The Hitmen (Including Carlos "6 July" Broady, Chucky Thompson, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Jeffery "J-Dub" Walker, Richard "Younglord" Frierson, Nashiem Myrick, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan), Buckwild, Clark Kent, Easy Mo Bee, Havoc, Daron Jones, Kay Gee, DJ Premier, & RZA | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| The Notorious B.I.G. chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Life After Death | |||||
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Life After Death (Originally titled "Life After Death...'Till Death Do Us Part") is the Grammy-nominated 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 Short, 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 4 hip-hop albums that has this status. The Album was nominated for 3 Grammy's in 1998 including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for "Hypnotize" and Best Rap Performance for a Duo or Group for "Mo Money, Mo Problems".
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" (re-titled as "Lovin' You Tonight").
Contents |
[edit] Conception
[edit] 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. The album sold 690,000 copies in its first week.
[edit] Impact and 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.
Various artists were specifically influenced by several songs on Life After Death. Evidence's "Down in New York City" is essentially "Going Back to Cali" from the perspective of a West Coast artist. Jay-Z borrows four bars from "The World Is Filled..." in his song "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)," as well as the chorus from his song "Squeeze 1st" from "Hypnotize" and a line in "The Ruler's Back" from "Kick in the Door." Ice Cube borrows the chorus from his song "Child Support" from "Kick in the Door."
[edit] 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, Jeru the Damaja, Raekwon 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. "My Downfall" also contains lyrics allegedly aimed towards 2Pac. Many believed that "What's Beef" also contains lyrics likely aimed towards 2Pac. It is worth noting however, that Biggie said in an interview that he never recorded any diss song against 2Pac because he did not want to heighten East Coast-West Coast tensions.
[edit] Reception
In 2003, the album was ranked number 483 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It's considered to be one of the greatest rap albums in hip hop history, and has also been a major influence on many rap artists.
| 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.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Disc one
| # | Title | Time | Songwriters | Producers | Additional Performers | Samples[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 4 | "Kick in the Door" | 4:46 | C. Wallace, J. Hawkins, Chris E. Martin |
DJ Premier | The Madd Rapper |
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| 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 L.O.X. | |
| 7 | "I Love the Dough" | 5:12 | C. Wallace, S. Carter, O. Harvey, R. Moore, Angela Winbush |
Easy Mo Bee | Angela Winbush, Jay-Z |
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| 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 |
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| 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, Ma$e, Kelly Price |
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| 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 | ||
| 12 | "I Got a Story to Tell" | 4:42 | C. Wallace, A. Best |
Buckwild for kurrup money entertainment co- produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen, |
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[edit] Disc two
| # | Title | Time | Songwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Additional Performers | Sample(s) | |
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| 1 | "Notorious Thugs" | 6:07 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, Al Henderson, S. Howse, S. Jordan, Bryon McCane |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony |
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| 2 | "Miss U" | 4:59 | C. Wallace, Kaygee Gist, Lionel Richie |
Kay Gee | 112 |
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| 3 | "Another" | 4:15 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, N. Ingram, K. Jones, S. Jordan |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Lil' Kim |
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| 4 | "Going Back to Cali" | 5:07 | C. Wallace, O. Harvey, Roger Troutman |
Easy Mo Bee |
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| 5 | "Ten Crack Commandments" | 3:24 | C. Wallace, Chris E. Martin |
DJ Premier |
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| 6 | "Playa Hater" | 3:57 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, W. Hart, S. Jordan |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen | Keanna Henson |
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| 7 | "Nasty Boy" | 5:33 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, S. Jordan |
Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen |
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| 8 | "Sky's the Limit" | 5:29 | C. Wallace, Bobby Caldwell, Hubert Eaves, Clark Kent, J. Williams |
Clark Kent | 112 |
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| 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 Short |
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| 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 | DMC, Karen Anderson, Deborah "Portia" Neeley Rolle |
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| 11 | "Long Kiss Goodnight" | 5:18 | C. Wallace, Robert Diggs |
RZA | Puff Daddy |
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| 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 | Faith Evans, Puff Daddy |
Songwriter(s) information taken from CD case.
[edit] Unused tracks
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007) |
- "Players Anthem" This track originally was by BIG with no Lil Cease or Lil Kim but later did it with Junior MAFIA and put it on Conspiracy (Junior M.A.F.I.A. Album). The original version featuring BIG rapping Lil Cease's verse can be found on DJ Smooth Denali's Still King of NY mixtape.
- "You'll See" (Featuring The Lox) This track was released on some Bad Boy mixtapes back in 96 and featured all 3 Lox Members rapping first with Biggie going last. Puff would use Biggie's verse on the "Duets: The Final Chapter" track "Hustler's Story" which features Akon, Bee-Gee and Scarface.
- "Dangerous MC's" This track was remixed by Nottz on Born Again featuring Snoop Dogg Busta Rhymes and Mark Curry. The original version can be found on Mister Cee's Best of Biggie 10th Anniversary Mixtape and was produced by J-Dilla who discussed the track in a youtube video before his death. The original version was suspose to feature Busta and NaS but only Biggie put a verse down. In one of the few lyrics that Biggie was may have made references to Tupac. He ends the rhyme (singing) "Round and Round, Upside Down" which was the hook to Tupac's Classic song "I Get Around".
[edit] Album singles
| Single information |
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| "Hypnotize" |
| "Mo Money Mo Problems" featuring Mase & Puff Daddy |
"Sky's the Limit" featuring 112
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"Fuck You Tonight" is found on the A-Side of "Mo Money Mo Problems".
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Album
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 1 |
| Canadian Albums chart | 3 |
[edit] 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 |
[edit] 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
- Jleon6 - Executive 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
[edit] References
- ^ The Notorious B.I.G. Search the-breaks.com.
| Preceded by Nine Lives by Aerosmith |
Billboard 200 number-one album April 12 - May 9, 1997 |
Succeeded by Share My World by Mary J. Blige |
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