Its hard tothink ofany other rapper with as many classic records under their belt at the age of 24 as The Notorious BIG. The epic and eerie triple vinyl follow-up to , released just 2 weeks after Christopher Smalls' death, contains less of the energetic Brooklyn block party MCing that he flexed on Gimme The Loot and Respect; instead, Biggie pursues the slick, laid back sort of flow he became known for after Big Poppa blew up. At the time of its release, many hip hop heads dismissed Biggie, Puff and the ubiquitous movement (a.k.a. the jiggy sound) as too flashy and materialistic, but the truth is that has more #bars than any underground hip-hop record released within two years of it. Check Bigs epic storytelling on N****s Bleed and Somebodys Gotta Die, or the gritty street anthems Whats Beef and Ten Crack Commandments (at least a decade before coke rap was a thing) for proof. Not to mention the soul-baring humility of Skys The Limit. Big delivers an unforgettable verse on Notorious Thugs proving he can keep up with midwestern speed demons any day of the week. Going Back To Cali, I Love The Dough and Fuck You Tonight are all sing-a-long club smashes to this day, and we havent even mentioned any of the radio singles. Production is handled by , Easy Mo Bee, Buckwild, and of course, Puff Daddy & The Hitmen. Rarely (especially in hip-hop) do you get a triple LP / double CD this consistent. Well always love Big Poppa. Recommended.
- blacktriple vinyl pressing
- includes printed insert
- original release year: 1997
- music label: Bad Boy Entertainment 2017