Life After Death

Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released March 25, 1997 on Bad Boy Records. A double album, it was released posthumously following his death on March 9, 1997, a fact reflected in the album's title. It features collaborations with guest artists such as Diana Ross, 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, The LOX, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits The Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre.

Life After Death was released to a significant amount of critical praise and commercial success. In 2000, the album was certified diamond in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and it has been credited as one of the best-selling rap albums of all time. It also made the largest jump to number one on the Billboard 200 chart in history, jumping from number 176 to number one in one week. Also, it spent four weeks at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and topped the Billboard Year-End chart as an R&B/Hip-Hop Album for 1997.^[1]

The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1998, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for its first single "Hypnotize", and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its second single "Mo Money Mo Problems". Along with Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), AZ's Doe Or Die (1995), Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt (1996), and Nas' It Was Written (1996) Life After Death has been considered by music writers as one of the seminal mafioso rap albums, as well as a landmark in hip hop music.

Conception

Background

Two and a half years prior to the album's release, The Notorious B.I.G. who had married Faith Evans, became 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. The album was originally supposed to be released on Halloween of 1996, but was pushed back to 1997. Two weeks prior to the album's release, The Notorious B.I.G. was shot four times in a drive-by shooting and pronounced dead at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. The album sold 2,000,000 copies in its first day and was certified Diamond three years later.^{[citation needed]}

Feud references and subliminal disses

Conflict with other rappers is a major theme shown throughout the album. Many songs on both discs contain subtle references to B.I.G.'s rivals.

"Kick in the Door"

The track "Kick in the Door" is directed at Nas, Jeru the Damaja, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and even the track's producer DJ Premier. The subliminal messages had been speculated by listeners and confirmed by artists on several occasions, including XXL Magazine's April 2003 edition "The Making of: Life After Death".

In "The Making of: Life After Death" Nashiem Myrick reveals that the second verse has lines directed at Jeru the Damaja & DJ Premier:^[2] "Nas said that record was for him, but when Big said, “Son, I’m surprised you run with them/I think they got cum in them, ’cause they nothin’ but dicks,” he was talking about Jeru the Damaja to Premo ’cause Jeru was going at Big and Puff and all them [with the Premier-produced “One Day” in Jeru's album Wrath of the Math]."

The line "Fuck that, why try, throw bleach in your eye" is a reference to Raekwon's jab on the track "Ice Water" from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... where Raekwon raps

That's life, to top it all off, beef for white
pullin bleach out tryin to throw it in my eyesight

The lines on the final verse are directed at Nas as a reference to Nas challenging The Notorious B.I.G. for the title of King of N.Y.^[3] in the song "The Message" from the album It Was Written in which Nas raps:

Yo let me let y'all niggaz know one thing
There's one life, one love, so there can only be one King

Biggie struck back with the lines:

Ain't no other kings in this rap thing
They siblings, nothing but my chil'ren
One shot, they disappearin'
It's ill when MC's used to be on cruddy shit
Took home Ready to Die, listened, studied shit
Now they on some money shit, successful out the blue

In "The Making of: Life After Death" article Lil’ Cease explains: "Big talked about Nas a little bit in that shit. It was the King of New York part, the last verse: “This goes out for those that chose to use disrespectful views on the King of NY.” That’s when Nas had that freestyle out, where he was like, “I’ll take the crown off the so-called King and lock it down.” That’s when Big had the cover of The Source, and it said, “The King of New York.”^[2]

Nas has touched on the track on his album God's Son. Here Nas states:

Y'all don't know about my Biggie wars
Who you thought "Kick in the Door" was for?

And finally commenting on the whole situation with Ghostface and Raekwon:

BIG was ahead of his time, him and Raekwon my niggaz
But dig it, they couldn't get along
That's when Ghostface said it on the Purple Tape
Bad Boy biting Nas album cover, wait??
BIG told me Rae was stealing my slang
And Rae told me out in Shaolin BIG would do the same thing

"Long Kiss Goodnight"

It was also speculated by many listeners that the song "Long Kiss Goodnight" contains cryptic insults towards 2Pac and Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, although at the time it was never confirmed due to the sensitive nature of both rappers' recent deaths.

However, Lil' Cease, Biggie's cousin and a member of Junior M.A.F.I.A. claimed the following in XXL Magazine's April 2003 issue about Long Kiss Goodnight: "That was about ’Pac. He had some shit at the beginning of that though, nobody heard it, on the reel. We had to change it. It was a little too much. I can’t remember what Big said about him, but it was terrible. It couldn’t make it. He didn’t want to do it. He had some fire. But he didn’t want to make it too much. He just wanted to address it and to let nigga know, “I know what’s going on, and I could get wreck if I want to.” Like, “If I really wanted to get on ya niggas, I could.”

Sean Combs, however, denies these claims stating: "Naw, it was just some emcee lyrics. I know people wanna have their imagination, but it was just lyrics. You're hearing it from the horse's mouth. I would tell the truth."^[2]

In the first verse, the lyric "Laugh Now, Cry Later" is allegedly a reference to two tattoos on 2Pac’s back.^[4] A line in the first verse is supposedly aimed at Shakur:

When my men bust you just move with such stamina
Slugs missed ya, I Ain't Mad at Cha (We Ain't Mad at Cha)

The last 2 verses in particular seem to be directed towards Tupac:

I'm flaming gats, aimin' at these fuckin' maniacs
Put my name in raps, what part the game is that?
Like they hustle backwards
I smoke Backwoods and Dutchies, ya can't touch me
Try to rush me, slugs go touchy-touchy
You're bleeding lovely with your spirit above me or beneath me
Your whole life you live sneaky
Now you rest eternally, sleepy, you burn when you creep me
Rest where the worms and the weak be

Slugs hit your chest, tap your spine, flat line
Heard through the grapevine, you got fucked fo' times
Damn that three to nine, fucked you up for real though
Slugs still slow, as for remorse, we feel no

The lines seem to be making reference to Tupac frequently mentioning Biggie by name in his raps, and allegations spread by Wendy Williams that he had been raped during his prison term at Rikers Island.^[4] Although some fans have interpreted these lines as references to Shakur's murder, XXL Magazine wrote that the song was most likely recorded before 2Pac's death.^[5]

Other references

In "Going Back to Cali" the second verse opens up with Biggie's thoughts on the inter-coastal war and his relationship with the West Coast:

If I got to choose a coast I got to choose the East
I live out there, so don't go there
But that don't mean a nigga can't rest in the West
See some nice breasts in the West
Smoke some nice sess in the West, y'all niggas is a mess
Thinkin' I'm gon' stop, givin' L.A. props
All I got is beef with those that violate me
I shall annihilate thee
Case closed

In the song "Notorious Thugs", B.I.G. clearly refers to long time nemesis 2Pac in the line "so called beef with you-know-who", calling the feud between him and Shakur 'bullshit', while Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (who featured 2Pac on one of their songs the same year) throw jabs at Three 6 Mafia, Twista, Crucial Conflict and Do or Die.

The tracks "What's Beef" and "My Downfall", both of which deal with the subject of feuding, as well as "Last Day" and "You're Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)" are also said to contain apparent jabs aimed at his rivals (including Shakur), even though Biggie stated in a Spin Magazine interview that the song "You're Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)" was not directed at Shakur, who at the time had recently been slain.^[6]

Reception

Initial reaction

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[7]
Robert Christgau	A^[8]
Entertainment Weekly	C+^[9]
Los Angeles Times	^[10]
Rolling Stone	^[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[12]
The Source	^[13]
USA Today	^[14]

Life After Death received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Jon Pareles of The New York Times described the album as "flaunting affluence with a leisurely swagger, midtempo grooves and calmly arrogant raps".^[15] Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone magazine called it a "conscious continuation of Ready to Die", and stated "Life After Death captures crime's undeniable glamour but doesn't stint on the fear, desperation and irretrievable loss that the streets inevitably exact".^[11] Cheo Hodari Coker from Los Angeles Times wrote that "Life After Death reflects both the dark and the heartfelt sides of the rapper's Gemini personality. It's not only a complex testament to who he was in his private life, but also a demonstration of his amazing rhyming ability. In key moments, B.I.G. does a marvelous job of surfing between accessible music fare tailored for the radio, and more challenging material that will be savored by hard-core rap fans who have long admired B.I.G.'s microphone skills. Rarely has a rapper attempted to please so many different audiences and done it so brilliantly".^[10] Although David Browne of Entertainment Weekly was un-favorable of the album’s long length, and some of its violent and materialistic content, he commended Notorious B.I.G.’s "bicoastal respect" by working with other hip-hop styles and artists from other regions of the United States.^[9]

Retrospect

Since its release, Life After Death has received retrospective acclaim from critics. Rob Sheffield, writing in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), called it "a filler-free two-disc rush of musical bravado" and commented that the Notorious B.I.G.'s voice and lyrics were "deeper" than before.^[12] Allmusic’s Jason Birchmeier stated "It may have taken the Notorious B.I.G. a few years to follow up his milestone debut, Ready to Die, with another album, but when he did return with Life After Death, he did so in a huge way. The ambitious album, intended as somewhat of a sequel to Ready to Die, picked up where its predecessor left off".^[7] Birchmeier further stated "Over the course of only two albums, he achieved every success imaginable, perhaps none greater than this unabashedly over-reaching success".^[7] Evan McGarvey of Stylus Magazine wrote in his review "Life After Death is a grand exercise in personal mythology, narrative sweep, and truly diverse, universal pop excellence. As a double album it is the very definition of cinematic; it essentially perfected the concept and standard in hip-hop ... Sequenced as an unpacking of sorts, the album’s progression from song to song is an essay itself".^[16] In 2013, VIBE named Life After Death the greatest Hip-Hop/R&B album since 1993.^[17]

Legacy 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, Nigga Squintz, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, and Nashiem Myrick. However, other notable hip-hop producers such as Easy Mo Bee, Havoc from Mobb Deep, DJ Premier and RZA from Wu-Tang Clan 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", a line in "The Ruler's Back" from "Kick in the Door" and "You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You)" on "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)". Ice Cube borrows the chorus from "Kick in the Door" for his song "Child Support". Monica uses the "I Love the Dough" beat and a verse from B.I.G. as featured on 2010's "Everything to Me" official remix. On their RCA album, Release Some Tension, R&B trio SWV sampled the song on as the opening track, "Someone" which features B.I.G's friend Combs which was released five months later. French rapper Rohff named his album "La Vie Avant La Mort" (Life Before Death) (2001) as a tribute to BIG, the album has sold 350,000 copies.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Life After Death's album booklet.^[18]

Disc One
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Life After Death Intro"	Christopher Wallace Sean Combs Steven Jordan	Sean "Puffy" Combs Stevie J. The Notorious B.I.G.^[a]	1:39
2.	"Somebody's Gotta Die"	Wallace Nashiem Myrick Carlos Broady Combs Anthony Hester	Myrick Carlos "July Six" Broady Combs SRS	4:26
3.	"Hypnotize"	Wallace Combs Deric Angelettie Ron Lawrence Andy Armer Raul "RAZ" Zeballos R. Alpert	Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence Combs	3:50
4.	"Kick In the Door"	Wallace Jalacy Hawkins Christopher Martin	DJ Premier	4:47
5.	"Fuck You Tonight" (featuring R. Kelly)	Wallace Daron Jones Combs Robert Kelly	Jones Combs	5:45
6.	"Last Day" (featuring The Lox)	Wallace Jason Phillips David Styles Kejuan Muchita	Havoc Combs^[a] Stevie J.^[a]	4:19
7.	"I Love the Dough" (featuring Jay-Z and Angela Winbush)	Wallace Osten Harvey, Jr. Winbush René Moore Shawn Carter	Easy Mo Bee	5:11
8.	"What's Beef?"	Wallace Myrick Broady	Broady Myrick Paragon^[a]	5:15
9.	"B.I.G. Interlude"	Wallace Angelettie	B.I.G. Angelettie	0:48
10.	"Mo Money Mo Problems" (featuring Puff Daddy and Mase)	Wallace Combs Jordan Raul "RAZ" Zeballos Mason Betha Bernard Edwards Nile Rodgers	Stevie J. Combs	4:17
11.	"Niggas Bleed"	Wallace Myrick Combs Jordan	Myrick Broady Combs SRS Stevie J.	4:51
12.	"I Got a Story to Tell"	Wallace Anthony Best	Buck Wild Chucky Thompson^[a] Combs^[a]	4:42
Total length:				49:55

Disc Two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Notorious Thugs" (featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony)	Wallace Steven Howse Anthony Henderson Bryon McCane Combs Jordan	Stevie J. Combs	6:07
2.	"Miss U"	Wallace Kaygee Gist Lionel Richie	Kay-Gee	4:58
3.	"Another" (featuring Lil' Kim)	Wallace Kimberly Jones Combs Jordan Butch Ingram	Combs Stevie J.	4:15
4.	"Going Back to Cali"	Wallace Harvey Roger Troutman	Easy Mo Bee	5:07
5.	"Ten Crack Commandments"	Wallace Martin	DJ Premier	3:24
6.	"Playa Hater"	Wallace Combs Jordan Wilbert Hart	Combs SRS Stevie J.	3:57
7.	"Nasty Boy"	Wallace Combs Jordan	Combs Stevie J.	5:26
8.	"Sky's the Limit" (featuring 112)	Wallace Clark Kent Bobby Caldwell Hubert Eaves III James Williams	Kent	5:29
9.	"The World Is Filled..." (featuring Puff Daddy and Too Short)	Wallace Angelettie Combs Kit Walker RAZ Todd Shaw	Angelettie Combs	4:54
10.	"My Downfall" (featuring DMC)	Wallace Myrick Broady SCombs Darryl McDaniels	Broady Myrick Combs	5:26
11.	"Long Kiss Goodnight"	Wallace Robert Diggs	RZA	5:18
12.	"You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)"	Wallace Combs Jordan Billy Preston Ephram Lopez George Johnson	Combs Stevie J. DJ Enuff^[a] Jiv Poss^[a]	4:52
Total length:				59:29

Notes

^{^a} signifies a co-producer
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12 of Disc One, and tracks 9, 10 and 11 of Disc Two are not present on edited version.
All interludes are produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Stevie J. and co-produced by The Notorious B.I.G..^[18]
"Notorious Thugs" features vocals by Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone and Bizzy Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.^[18]

Sample credits

"Somebody's Gotta Die" contains samples of "In the Rain", performed by The Dramatics.^[18]
"Hypnotize" contains sample of "Rise" by Herb Alpert and interpolations of "La Di Da Di", written by Ricky Walters and Douglas Davis.^[18]
"Kick In the Door" contains samples of "I Put a Spell on You", performed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.^[18]
"I Love the Dough" contains samples and of "I Love You More", performed by Rene & Angela.^[18]
"B.I.G. Interlude" contains samples of "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?", written by Weaver, Jr..^[18]
"Mo Money Mo Problems" contains samples of "I'm Coming Out", performed by Diana Ross.^[18]
"Playa Hater" contains interpolations of "Hey! Love", written by W. Hart, and performed by The Delfonics.^[18]
"Sky's the Limit" contains a sample from "My Flame" written by Bobby Caldwell.^[18]
"The World Is Filled..." contains a sample of "Space Talk" written by Kit Walver, and performed by Asha Puthli.^[18]
"My Downfall" contains a sample of "For the Good Times" by Al Green and "Together Forever (Krush-Groove 4)" by Run-D.M.C.
"Long Kiss Goodnight" contains a sample of "The Letter" by Al Green.
"Another" is the track from ANOTHER MAN by BARBARA MASON produced by BUTCH INGRAM

Personnel

Performers

Notorious B.I.G. - writer, performer
Sean "Puffy" Combs - featured performer
Lil' Kim - featured performer
Jay-Z - featured performer
Too Short - featured performer
Mase - featured performer
Bizzy Bone - featured performer
Krayzie Bone - featured performer
Layzie Bone - featured performer
Jadakiss - featured performer
Styles P - featured performer
Sheek Louch - featured performer
112 - featured vocals

R. Kelly - featured vocals
DMC - featured vocals
Angela Winbush - featured vocals
Kelly Price - vocals
Pamela Long - vocals
Carl Thomas - vocals
Faith Evans - background vocals
Karen Anderson - background vocals
Keanna Henson - background vocals
Deborah Neeley Rolle - background vocals
Ron Grant - background vocals
Michael Ciro - guitar
Butch Ingram - Writer- publisher

Production

Sean "Puffy" Combs - producer, mixing
Carlos "6 July" Broady - producer, hammond organ
Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie- producer
Stevie J - producer
Nashiem Myrick- producer
Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence - producer
Raul "RAZ" Zeballos - producer
Easy Mo Bee - producer
DJ Premier - producer
Clark Kent - producer
RZA - producer
Havoc- producer
Buckwild - producer
SR. Shakur (as SRS) - editior, mixing
Kay Gee - editor, producer
Chucky Thompson - producer
DJ Enuff - producer
Daron Jones - producer
Paragon - producer
Jiv Pos - producer
Mike Pitts - assistant producer, editor
Michael Patterson - engineer, mixing

Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander - engineer, mixing
Lane Craven - engineer, mixing
Manny Marroquin - engineer
Camilo Argumedes - engineer
Stephen Dent - engineer
Ben Garrison - engineer
Rasheed Goodlowe - engineer
Steve Jones - engineer
Rich July - engineer
John Meredith - engineer
Lynn Montrose - engineer
Axel Niehaus - engineer
Diana Pedraza - engineer
Doug Wilson - engineer
Tony Maserati - mixing
Paul Logus - mixing
Eddie Sancho - mixing
Richard Travali - mixing
Herb Powers - mastering

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^{[ 1]}	59
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^{[ 1]}	30
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[19]	3
German Albums (Media Control)^{[ 1]}	63
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)^{[ 1]}	16
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)^{[ 1]}	28
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^{[ 1]}	30
UK Albums (OCC)^{[ 1]}	20
US Billboard 200^{[ 1]}	1
US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums (Billboard)^{[ 1]}	1

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
US Billboard 200^[20]	96

Certifications


Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (CRIA)	2× Platinum	200,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[21]	Diamond	10,000,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[22]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart procession and succession

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

Accolades

The information regarding accolades is adapted from AcclaimedMusic.net^[23] except for lists that are sourced otherwise.
(*) signifies unordered lists

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
About.com	United States	100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums ^[24]	2008	40
About.com	United States	Best Rap Albums of 1997^[25]	2008	1
Addicted to Noise	United States	Albums of the Year	1997	7
Blender	United States	The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time	2002	25
ego trip	United States	Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98	1999	1
Face	United Kingdom	Albums of the Year	1997	20
Fnac	France	The 1000 Best Albums of All Time	2008	858
Hip Hop Connection	United Kingdom	The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005	2005	14
Tom Moon	United States	1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die	2008	*
The New Nation	United Kingdom	Top 100 Albums by Black Artists	2005	60
OOR Moordlijst	Netherlands	Albums of the Year	1997	87
Pure Pop	Mexico	Albums of the Year	1997	18
Q	United Kingdom	Albums of the Year	1997	*
Rolling Stone	United States	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	2003	483
Rolling Stone	United States	100 Best Albums of the Nineties^[26]	2011	66
Rolling Stone	United States	The Essential Recordings of the 90s	1999	*
The Source	United States	The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time^[27]	2005	8
The Source	United States	The Critics Top 100 Black Music Albums of All Time ^[28]	2005	60
Spex	Germany	Albums of the Year	1997	19
Spin	United States	Albums of the Year	1997	7
(various writers)	United States	50 Years of Great Recordings	2005	*
Vibe	United States	51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement	2004	*
Vibe	United States	150 Albums That Define the Vibe Era (1992-2007)	2007	*
Village Voice	United States	Albums of the Year	1997	12

References

↑ "Information Not Found". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Making of Life After Death: Many Men". Xxlmag.Com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ "» KING Legacy: Nasir Jones, Part Two". KING-mag.com. 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Notorious B.I.G. – Long Kiss Goodnight Lyrics". Rap Genius. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ "8 Subliminal Diss Records That No One Claims". Xxlmag.Com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ SPIN - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Birchmeier, Jason. "Life After Death - The Notorious B.I.G.". Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
↑ Christgau, Robert. [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Notorious+B.I.G. "CG: Notorious B.I.G."]. The Village Voice: July 22, 1997. Archived from the original on 2009-11-08. Note: Christgau revised the original rating of (A-) to (A).
↑ 9.0 9.1 Browne, David (April 11, 1997). "Album Review: 'Life After Death' Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
↑ 10.0 10.1 Coker, Cheo Hodari (March 26, 1997). "A memorable 'life' on its own merits". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
↑ 11.0 11.1 DeCurtis, Anthony (May 1, 1997). "Notorious B.I.G.: Life After Death : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2009-05-14.
↑ 12.0 12.1 Sheffield, Rob et al. (November 2, 2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 592. ISBN 0743201698.
↑ Gonzales, Michael A (May 1997). "Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death...Till Death Do Us Part (Bad Boy/Arista)". The Source (The Source Enterprises) (92): 79. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
↑ Jones, Steve. 'Life+After+Death'+is+a+B.I.G.+classic&pqatl=google "'Life After Death' is a B.I.G. classic". USA Today: 01.D. March 26, 1997. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
↑ Pareles, Jon (March 30, 1997). "Swaggering in Death's Face Till the End". The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
↑ McGarvey, Evan (September 11, 2007). "Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death - The Diamond". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.
↑ http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/greatest-50-albums-since-93/?page=51
↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.7 18.8 18.9 18.10 18.11
↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/418733/notorious-big/chart?f=335
↑ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
↑ "American album certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death". Recording Industry Association of America. January 6, 2000. Retrieved July 2, 2011. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
↑ "British album certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 4, 2013. Enter Life After Death in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
↑ "Life After Death". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ "The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of all Time - Top 100 Rap/Hip-Hop Albums". Rap.about.com. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ Adaso, Henry. Best Rap Albums of 1997. about.com. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
↑ 100 Best Albums of the Nineties. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
↑ "Rocklist.net...The Source 100 Best Rap Albums & Singles". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ "TOP 100". Trevornelson.Com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.

External links

Life After Death at Discogs
The Making of Life After Death at XXL
Playing God: Life After Death at Stylus Magazine

v t e The Notorious B.I.G.

Studio albums	Ready to Die Life After Death

Junior M.A.F.I.A.	Conspiracy "Player's Anthem" "I Need You Tonight" "Get Money"

Posthumous albums	Born Again Duets: The Final Chapter

Singles	"Party and Bullshit" "Juicy" "Big Poppa" / "Who Shot Ya?" "One More Chance" "Hypnotize" "Mo Money Mo Problems" "Sky's the Limit" "Notorious B.I.G." "Dead Wrong" "Nasty Girl" "Spit Your Game"

Guest singles	"Flava in Ya Ear - Remix" "Can't You See" "Runnin' (From tha Police)" "This Time Around" "It's All About the Benjamins" "Victory" "Runnin' (Dying to Live)"

Compilations	Greatest Hits Notorious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Related articles	Discography Sean Combs Faith Evans Junior M.A.F.I.A. Lil' Cease The Commission East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry "I'll Be Missing You" Biggie & Tupac Notorious

Bad Boy Records

Founder

Sean "Diddy" Combs

Artists

Current	Aasim Cassie French Montana Janelle Monáe Kalenna Harper Los Mario Winans Machine Gun Kelly Red Café

Former	112 8Ball & MJG B5 Black Rob Boyz n da Hood Carl Thomas Cheri Dennis Craig Mack Da Band Danity Kane Day26 Dawn Richard Diddy - Dirty Money Donnie Klang Dream Elephant Man Faith Evans Fuzzbubble Jordan McCoy Gorilla Zoe G. Dep Lil' Cease Liz Davis Loon The Madd Rapper Mase New Edition The Notorious B.I.G. Shyne The LOX Total Yung Joc Lil' Kim

Producers

Subsidiaries

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