Top Ten Notorious B.I.G Songs

It’s been 22 years since the passing of the only Christopher we acknowledge, Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G and yet his influence on hip hop has seemingly not diminished. Aside from the fact his good buddy, Jay Z references him in every album he’s done since his passing, he also regularly tributes him in his concerts. Countless rappers have sampled his classic songs and his witty wordplay over the years. Unlike his one-time rival, 2Pac Shakur, Biggie didn’t leave behind a lot of music and as such all fans have to treasure are about 3 albums worth of songs. Despite this, the Notorious B.I.G is still known as the rappers’ rapper with the likes of Jay Z, Fabolous, Pusha T and Lil Wayne swearing by the lyrics of the Brooklyn MC. He’s still for my money the most gifted rapper to pick up a mic and as such has to be considered the ‘illest’. If you didn’t know, now you know.

Ten

Notorious Thugs (feat. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)

Life After Death (1997)

It’s easy to forget just how big Bone Thugs were in the mid-nineties considering their music hasn’t necessarily aged as well as Tribe Called Quest, Outkast and Wu Tang Clan. But with E. 1999 Eternal, Bone Thugs established themselves as that rare thing in hip hop – critical darlings who could sell a lot of records. Considering Biggie was also one of the few artists who combined sales with actual skill, this collaboration was destined to be successful before pen hit paper. With the aptly titled “Notorious Thugs” – a combination of the artists’ names – Biggie and his producers showed their regard for the Cleveland rappers by creating a musical template they could be comfortable with. Biggie put aside his trademark relaxed flow as he delivers his words with the same rapid fury as his featured guests. With the glorious beat by Stevie J and the nimble delivery of Biggie, Krazy, Layzie and Bizzy, this collaboration is rightly revered as one of the greatest collaborations in hip hop history.

Nine

My Downfall (feat. DMC)

Life After Death (1997)

If Life After Death was meant to be a more celebratory album than his debut, Ready To Die, songs like “My Downfall” proved that things in Biggie’s life weren’t all sweet. The aftermath of his beef with 2Pac saw an unprecedented rise in violence between the Bad Boy and Death Row camps as the media endlessly reported on an East Coast-West Coast war. Part of this fallout meant Biggie had to deal with an unfathomable degree of hatred from 2Pac and West Coast fans for a beef he didn’t initiate or want to participate in. With this song he addressed his haters and let them know that no matter how much they prayed for his downfall, he had no intentions of slowing down with his pursuit of more success.

Eight

Unbelievable

Ready To Die (1994)

According to DJ Premier, the song’s producer, when Biggie approached him to work on his album, there was little to no money left in the budget. But so determined was Biggie to have a beat from one of hip hop’s greatest beatmakers that he managed to convince him to accept just $5000 for his work. It was a good thing Biggie managed to convince Premo considering “Unbelievable” is one of the standout songs on the former’s classic debut. Biggie is typically nimble with his wordplay as he lets fans, foes and everyone in-between know that his skills on the mic are truly unbelievable.

Seven

Hypnotize

Life After Death (1997)

The first single from Life After Death was also the last video Biggie shot before his passing. The song was in some ways straight from the standard Bad Boy hit making formula - interpolate classic lyrics for the hook from Slick Rick’s “La Di Da Di”, and build the beat around a sample from a 70’s or 80’s hit. But such was Biggie’s charisma at that point that he was able to give what should have been a throwaway radio hit serious legitimacy. He’s in his element here as he brags about his skills and his lifestyle while propositioning the ladies. The song went to the top of the charts just two weeks after its release, making it the fastest rise to the top of the chart since The Beatles and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. With songs like “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money, Mo Problems”, Biggie showed he was able to make critically acclaimed music that could still dominate the charts.

Six

Things Done Changed

Ready to Die (1994)

Driven by a simple Easy Mo Bee beat and a Dr. Dre vocal sample (“Lil’ Ghetto Boy”), Biggie uses this song to wistfully reminisce on how different things are in his life in Brooklyn. The listener gets a firsthand account of life as Christopher Wallace as he deals with the realities of poverty in the ghetto, street hustling and living in a state of constant paranoia. He may not have made a lot of songs with strong, social messages but this is as close to a PSA as Biggie got in his songs. His tone is angry, his words are dripping with bitterness and his overall demeanor is more defeated than hopeful. When he concludes his final verse with the line, “My momma got cancer in her breast, don’t ask me why I’m mother*$#ing stressed”, you can tell his frustration is all too real.

Five

Sky is the Limit (feat. 112)

Life after Death (1997)

Positive songs weren’t exactly Biggie’s forte – most of his songs tended to deal with themes of pain, paranoia and self-doubt. But this was the advantage that Biggie and other Bad Boy artists had over the rest of the competition. Label owner, Diddy aka Sean Combs understood the power of radio hits and the power of uplifting, inspiring songs. As such, Biggie’s third single from Life after Death, not only did well on the charts but became a standout song in Biggie’s catalogue. Biggie uses his life as an inspirational rags-to-riches (or in his own words, ashy-to-classy) tale for listeners as he ruminates on his struggles growing up. It makes for wistful listening now as one can only wonder how much more of life he didn’t get to experience.

Four

Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems (feat. Mase and Puff Daddy)

Life after Death (1997)

The second single from Life after Death saw Biggie become the first (and only) artist to top the charts with two posthumous songs. The song actually replaced Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You”, (a Biggie tribute) at the top of the charts. In 1997, there wasn’t a more thriving record label than Bad Boy as they churned out smash hit after smash hit. It helps that the song featured a fresh faced Mason Betha (who became the new face of Bad Boy) and Diddy himself (who for better or worse had become as famous as his artists), but there’s no getting around the fact that Biggie’s verse is still the most memorable. The message is simple – the tremendous success they’ve enjoyed has brought its fair share of troubles. But make no mistake about it this is a party record. DJ’s all over the world can still throw on “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” at any 2019 party/event and still get the people moving. It’s easily one of the biggest songs in hip hop history.

Three

Big Poppa

Ready to Die (1994)

If Biggie had it his way, he’d have made music akin to what the likes of Redman, Mobb Deep and Scarface were making i.e. dark, moody and violent music. But Diddy saw things differently. In Biggie he saw a better version of Heavy D, a large and charming ladies’ man. It was with the latter’s direction that Biggie rhymed over an Isley Brothers sample and the world got “Big Poppa”. With Ready to Die’s second single, Biggie got his mack on and proved he was hip hop’s answer to Barry White. It even showed in his voice. While he used a more high pitched and frantic voice on songs like “Things Done Changed” and “Gimme the Loot”, here he embraced a calmer, more soothing delivery.

Two

Everyday Struggle

Ready to Die (1994)

‘Ashy to classy’ is a phrase Biggie often employed in his rhymes to show how success had changed his life. If songs like “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” and “Sky is the Limit” showed the classy part, then no song signified the ashy part better than “Everyday Struggle”. In his semi-autobiographical verses, Biggie paints the gritty picture of life as a low level drug kingpin hustling to make ends meet. It might not have veered into the utter hopelessness of “Suicidal Thoughts” or “Ready to Die”, but the life he rhymes about is endlessly bleak and dreary. He knows he can lose his life at any time and yet he is only dealing the cards life’s dealt him. Biggie shows the full range of his rap skills as he uses vivid imagery, intelligent wordplay and his powerful delivery to give listeners a powerful experience. His first verse is arguably his greatest verse ever.

One

Juicy

Ready to Die (1994)

It was all a dream! With those words, the Notorious B.I.G announced himself to the world with arguably hip hop’s greatest rags to riches song. In this song Biggie reminisces over how much his life had changed from his early struggles to dealing drugs to becoming a rap star. Interestingly enough, he initially had no interest in doing the song at all, let alone releasing it as his first single. Fortunately, Diddy saw the big picture and understood what this song could mean for Biggie’s career and Bad Boy as a record label. He even recommended the song’s sample (Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit”). With the catchy beat and Biggie’s celebratory lyrics, hip hop didn’t just get one of its biggest hits of 1994, it got one of its greatest songs period. And if you don’t know, now you know.

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