Life After Death by The Notorious B.I.G. (1997)
The first album ends with a self-inflicted gunshot and one of the darker tracks in hip hop history. That moment is re-lived in the 'Intro' of this album, but now we see what happens next. Hence the title 'Life After Death'....see? We hear Puff Daddy at his artist's side begging him to pull through, but it is all futile as the beeps of the life support machine eventually go flat and we slip into the afterlife, thus beginning the album proper. Obviously the parallels with real-life here are impossible to ignore and tough to swallow at first. But separating art from real life should always be at the forefront, and while it might be morbid and off-putting to some, by tuning out you would be missing out on one of the greatest albums in modern hip hop lore.
'Somebody's Gotta Die' sets the stall out straight away. Biggie's flow sounds smoother, less angry, than his first album and here he weaves a story so cinematic that it was completely new for the genre at the time. Yes, Slick Rick loved a good story, but no one had dared go into this level of detail and atmosphere before. Biggie shows himself to be immediately in complete command. You know you're in good hands. As the drama wraps itself up, we go straight into party banger and all time undisputed classic 'Hypnotize'. Speaking of Slick Rick, the chorus rips a line from 'La di Da di' and turns it into a timeless song. At some point, now sitting here 27 years later, nearly every human being on earth has grooved to this song on some sweaty dancefloor somewhere. What is often overlooked, however, are the rapping skills on display. It's a different flow, unlike any other you'll ever hear, and is absolutely immaculate. Biggie weaves through the beat so perfectly it's like he's simply talking to you. It feels effortless and speaks to the absolute mastery of the form that this man had reached by the tender age of 24. 'Kick In The Door' is another example. A thunderous effort wherein Biggie swats away all challengers, there are very sneaky disses in here towards Nas and Wu-Tang and he sounds triumphant over DJ Premier's Screamin' Jay Hawkins sample. Four tracks in and we're in heady territory already.
The less said about "F**k You Tonight" the better. It features R. Kelly, which is not great given that he is now a proven sex offender. Biggie's raps are strong again, but it's quite the syrupy R&B number overall and probably my least favourite song on the album. 'Last Days' and 'I Love The Dough' come next. Both are collaborations with serious hip hop heavyweights (The Lox and Mobb Deep on the former, Jay-Z on the latter) but no one outshines the Big man in any given moment. Here he fully lays claim to being the best rapper in the world and the moment he comes in with "Who the fuck wanna squeeze? My desert ease make MCs freeze." He sounds like he owns the entire rap game.
'What's Beef' features some pretty disturbing lyrics but has a great beat (flipping, of all things, 'Close to You' into something truly ominous) and breaks down what it means to really be in trouble on the streets. At this point there are still no overt 2Pac disses, and you'd think this would be the place for it. But no. So far, the higher ground is taken. Impressive considering the man had been baited relentlessly for a year at this point. After a brief interlude we go into 'Mo Money Mo Problems' which is basically Mase, Puffy and Biggie rapping over Diana Ross' 'I'm Coming Out', and it works great. It is yet another ubiquitous party anthem, played at weddings, birthday parties and jeeps on Flatbush Avenue. It appeals to all. Biggie yet again proves his unmatchable talent, opening his verse with a simple spelling of his name and making it so memorable that every rhythmless white boy in the world (myself included) has belted it out at some point.
The next two tracks to close out side 1 are back in the realm of 'Somebody's Gotta Die', meaning Biggie (who has by now declared himself "Rap's Alfred Hitchcock") is back in storytelling mode. The first time I heard 'N**gas Bleed' I was absolutely blown away. The visual storytelling going on here is on a completely different level to any other rapper. Ever. The beat is dramatic and dark and, at first a little underwhelming. However, it serves perfectly to let Biggies infinite skill shine. Even here, 27 years after it's release, I still find it an incredible piece of work. It's like a 90 minute crime thriller packed into 3 minutes. Truly brilliant stuff.
This is followed by side 1 closer "I Got A Story To Tell", which chronicles the true story of Biggie sleeping with the wife of a prominent NBA player, only to get caught and then rob that player at gunpoint. Yet again, the masterful storytelling leaves no stone unturned and just in case you missed what was going on, we hear him reciting the story again to his boys in spoken word format. All of which takes place over an all-time classic Buckwild beat and there is a joy here which shines through. Although, now that I'm typing this, that story was probably quite traumatic for the player involved. Took 27 years to realise that. Sigh.
Side 2 begins with a departure. For a true New York rapper, probably the most prominent one of his era, Biggie risked rack and ruin by partnering with Bone Thugs N' Harmony and attempting a double-speed flow. It cannot be stressed enough how dangerous this was in 1997, when lyrical mastery was the most recognised and coveted thing in the music. One terrible performance (i.e. Canibus - look it up) could ruin a career. Instead, Biggie speeds up his cadence and not only keeps up with the rapid fire Bone Thugs, but happens to also drop one of the best verses of his career. Subtle 2Pac references are starting to bubble and the song has become a classic, pioneering, blend of styles.
'Miss U' is an ode to a childhood friend who passed away, so you can't hate it too much. We are definitely in R&B territory here though. 'Another' is a duet with on/off sidepiece Lil' Kim and it's a strong beat over some rather derivative lyrics about thugs and ladies being less than faithful to each other. 'Going Back To Cali' is one of only two Easy Mo' Bee beats on the album (the other being 'I Love the Dough'). Odd, considering he basically created the sound of the first one. It is a joyous ode to California but, considering his murder that took place there, it's hard to fully enjoy it. You find yourself shaking your head at the senselessness of it all. Which is a shame because this song should be fantastic. It just feels too eerie.
Another collaboration with DJ Premier comes next on 'Ten Crack Commandments' which flips a Public Enemy sample, much to the chagrin of the group. Considering it is essentially a 'how to' about becoming a safe and effective drug dealer, it's not a huge surprise that the group came out fully derisive of this song. Do I, not a member of Public Enemy, care about that though? No I do not. The beat is booming and sounds fantastic turned up full volume as you're rolling through the mean streets of Whipton-on-the-Naze.
'Playa Hater' is completely absurd. It is the only time, to my knowledge, that Biggie and Puff Daddy were ever recorded singing (and I use that term loosely) which is very much for the best. It sounds like a bag of cats being thrown out of a moving vehicle. In the context of this album though, wherein we are inside the varying mindstates of Christopher Wallace, it somehow works. Even though it is pretty much unlistenable. I can't explain it, ok? Just go with me on this one.
The closing few tracks quickly lift us back to the high bar shown early in Disc 1. There are a couple of standout tracks worthy of mention. 'Sky's The Limit' is like a smoothed out version of 'Juicy' and a great example of the Hip Hop/R&B blend that was happening at this time in music. When done right, it really did work. 'Long Kiss Goodnight' is probably the hardest song Biggie has ever done. A sinister beat (courtesy of RZA of the Wu Tang Clan) looms heavy and Biggie finally lets loose on his main musical enemy of this time - 2Pac. There have been claims that this isn't a diss song but if you listen closely it very much is, and a ferocious one at that. Most people in the know know this. People in 2Pac's circle certainly know this and you have to question the decision to leave it on the record considering the subject of the song died 6 months earlier. That said, if you put all of that aside, the song is a classic and should probably just be treated as such. If it wasn't for the utter tragedy surrounding both men, this song would probably rank among the great diss songs of all time. No names are ever mentioned but the subtle slaughter cuts deep.
We end with another eerily prophetic title 'You're Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)' and at this point the macabre nature of things comes full circle. You start to wonder if all this death imagery and foreshadowing ended up having some terrible manifesting effect on its author. Or maybe when it's your time, it's your time. Who knows? When considering this albums legacy, that question will always furrow away in the background. But if are able to shut that out, you are left with one of the greatest rap albums of all time. Lyrically, Biggie was on another level and undoubtedly about to see his star shine beyond his wildest dreams. You see? This is why it's so hard to just judge the music with no context, damnit! It's all tarnished by sorrow. However, for a 24-track, double album this contains mostly pure gold and even the bits that aren't as strong still somehow work in the context of the whole suite of music. It's hard to escape the darkness surrounding the release of this record and, as such, I wish it had a different packaging to it. Because as a magical mystery tour through an artist's mind (and life), it is almost peerless. It is a truly cinematic experience from start to finish and I'm quite positive that songs from this album will be blasting at my Grandson's 98th birthday party. That, my friends, is a sign of a great record.
JB.
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