Life After Death: Difference between revisions
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| Released = [[March 25]], [[1997]] |
| Released = [[March 25]], [[1997]] |
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| Recorded = 1996-1997 |
| Recorded = 1996-1997 |
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| Genre = [[East Coast |
| Genre = [[East Coast hip hop]], [[hardcore rap]], [[mafioso rap]] |
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| Length = 109:12 |
| Length = 109:12 |
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| Label = [[Bad Boy Records]] |
| Label = [[Bad Boy Records]] |
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Revision as of 12:46, 11 September 2009
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Life After Death (Originally titled "Life After Death...'Till Death Do Us Part") is the Grammy-nominated second and final studio album by rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (also known as Biggie Smalls). 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, being regarded as one of the iconic albums in Mafioso rap, along with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx [1995], Reasonable Doubt (1996], and It Was Written(1996),
The album was certified diamond by the RIAA in 2000, (one of only 3 hip hop albums to receive this certification) , and is credited as the second best-selling rap album ever. It also made the largest jump to #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in history, jumping from #176 to #1 in one week, though it was being sold through the street market a week before its official release when it was #176 on the charts. The album was nominated for 3 Grammys 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 album featured B.I.G.’s further delving into the Mafioso Rap genre, expanding on a style of hip-hop originally pioneered by Kool G Rap with Road to the Riches, and later Raekwon and Jay-Z with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Reasonable Doubt, which together with "Life After Death" are considered the zenith of the genre. B.I.G. was depicted as a 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. This mafioso style persona was largely influenced and based on the impact of Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...,; which ironically enough, contained a diss towards B.I.G. for using a similar album cover to Nas' Illmatic. The album features 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 milestone in the history of hip hop music.
Conception
Background
Two and a half years prior to the album's release, The Notorious B.I.G. 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. 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 and was Certified Diamond in 2000.
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 Easy Mo Bee, 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."....
Beef References and Subliminal Disses
Many songs on both discs contain subtle references to B.I.G.'s rivals.
The final verse of "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 April 2003 edition "The Making of: Life After Death". The verse opens very clearly with B.I.G.'s statement:
This goes out for those that choose to use
disrespectful views on the King of NY
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.... 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
In the song "Notorious Thugs" B.I.G. refers to long time nemesis 2Pac in the line "so called beef with you-know-who." While Bone Thugs make disses towards Three 6 Mafia, Twista, Crucial Conflict and Do or Die.
It was also speculated by many listeners that the song "Long Kiss Goodnight" is a partially a diss towards 2Pac and Death Row Records C.E.O. Suge Knight although at the time it was denied due to the sensitive nature of both rapper's recent deaths. However, Lil' Cease, a close friend of Biggie and a member of Junior M.A.F.I.A. claimed the following in XXL Magazine 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.”.[2] The last 2 verses in particular is directed towards Tupac, who at the time the track was released had already been deceased:
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 Blackwoods 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 four times
Damn that three to nine, fucked you up for real doe
Sling steal slow, as for remorse, we feel no
The lines make reference to Tupac frequently mentioning Biggie by name in his raps (a practice that was not common at the time), Tupac's recent death and allegations spread by Wendy Williams (radio host) that he had been raped in his prison term at Rikers Island. "My Downfall", "Your Nobody Till Somebody Kills You", and "What's Beef" also contains lyrics allegedly 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. Yet, on Jay-Z's 1996 album Reasonable Doubt, B.I.G. raps:
"The two for five dollar hits, the blue tops
Gotta go, Coolio mean it's gettin Too Hot
If Faith had twins, she'd probably have two Pacs
Get it? Tu-pac's?"
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.
Track listing
Disc one
| # | Title | Time | Songwriters | Producers | Additional Performers | Samples[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Life After Death (Intro)"* | 1:40 | C. Wallace, S. Jordan, Sean Combs | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen, co-produced by The Notorious B.I.G. |
| |
| 2 | "Somebody's Gotta Die"* | 4:26 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, A. Hester, Nasheim Myrick, Carlos Broady | Nashiem Myrick, Carlos "6 July" Broady & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen |
| |
| 3 | "Hypnotize" | 3:45 | C. Wallace, R. Alpert, D. Angelettie, Andy Armer, Sean Combs, Ron Lawrence | Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | Pamela Young |
|
| 4 | "Kick in the Door"* | 4:46 | C. Wallace, J. Hawkins, Chris E. Martin | DJ Premier for Works of Mart Productions,Inc. |
| |
| 5 | "Fucking You Tonight" | 5:45 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, D. Jones, R. Kelly | Daron Jones & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | R. Kelly | |
| 6 | "Last Day"* | 4:19 | C. Wallace, Kejuan Muchita, J. Phillips, Dorothy Stiles | Havoc, co-produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs & Stevie J for The Hitmen | The L.O.X. | |
| 7 | "I Love the Dough"* | 5:11 | C. Wallace, S. Carter, O. Harvey, R. Moore, Angela Winbush | Easy Mo Bee for Bee Mo Easy Productions,Inc. | Jay-Z |
|
| 8 | "What's Beef?"* | 5:15 | C. Wallace, Carlos Broady, Nasheim Myrick |
Nashiem Myrick & Carlos "6 July" Broady for the Hitmen, co-produced by Paragon | ||
| 9 | "B.I.G. Interlude" | 0:48 | C. Wallace, D. Angelettie | The Notorious B.I.G. & Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for The Hitmen |
| |
| 10 | "Mo Money Mo Problems" | 4:17 | C. Wallace, M. Betha, Sean Combs, B.H. Edwards, S. Jordan, Nile Rodgers | Steven "Stevie J" Jordan & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | Puff Daddy & Mase |
|
| 11 | "Niggas Bleed"* | 4:51 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, S. Jordan, Nasheim Myrick | Nashiem Myrick, Carlos "6 July" Broady & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen |
| |
| 12 | "I Got a Story to Tell"* | 4:42 | C. Wallace, A. Best | Buckwild for Kurrup Money Entertainment, co-produced by Chucky Thompson & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen, |
|
Disc two
| # | Title | Time | Songwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Additional Performers | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Notorious Thugs" | 6:07 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, A. Henderson, S. Howse, S. Jordan, Bryon McCane | Steven "Stevie J" Jordan & Sean "Puffy" Combs 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 | Steven "Stevie J" Jordan & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | Lil' Kim |
|
| 4 | "Going Back to Cali" | 5:07 | C. Wallace, O. Harvey, Roger Troutman | Easy Mo Bee for Bee Mo Easy Productions,Inc. |
| |
| 5 | "Ten Crack Commandments"* | 3:24 | C. Wallace, Chris E. Martin | DJ Premier for Works of Mart Productions,Inc. |
| |
| 6 | "Playa Hater" | 3:57 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, W. Hart, S. Jordan | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen |
| |
| 7 | "Nasty Boy" | 5:26 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, S. Jordan | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen |
| |
| 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 | Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | Carl Thomas, Puff Daddy & Too Short |
|
| 10 | "My Downfall"* | 5:26 | C. Wallace, Carlos Broady, Sean Combs, Darryl McDaniels, Nasheim Myrick | Carlos "6 July" Broady, Nashiem Myrick & Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen | DMC |
|
| 11 | "Long Kiss Goodnight"* | 5:18 | C. Wallace, Robert Diggs | RZA |
| |
| 12 | "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)" | 4:52 | C. Wallace, Sean Combs, Gary Johnson, S. Jordan, E. Lopez, B. Preston | Sean "Puffy" Combs & Steven "Stevie J" Jordan for The Hitmen, co-produced by DJ Enuff & Jiv Poss |
Songwriter(s) information taken from CD case.
( * ) song is not present on edited version of CD.
Album singles
| 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 |
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 59[4] |
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)
- Too Short - Vocals
- 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
- 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
References
- ^ XXL (2007). "Retrospective: XXL Albums". XXL Magazine, December 2007 issue.
- ^ http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=405
- ^ The Notorious B.I.G. Search the-breaks.com.
- ^ http://ariacharts.com.au/pages/chartifacts.htm