We celebrated Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace’s birthday recently.The rap icon would have turned 42 years old and while he has not released nearly as much music posthumously as the equally talented Tupac Shakur, he has left us with quite a few classics from two solo albums (Ready to Die and Life After Death) and one group collaboration (Junior MAFIA’s Conspiracy). So without further adieux, let’s click through some of Biggie Smalls greatest hits.
10) Sky’s the Limit
“Sky’s the Limit” is the third single from The Notorious B.I.G.’s second album “Life After Death”. It features vocals from R&B group and Biggie’s label mates 112 and contains samples from the songs “Is This Love” by Whitesnake, “My Flame” by Bobby Caldwell and “Keep On” by D. Train. In the US, it was released as a triple A-side along with “Going Back to Cali” and “Kick In the Door”. The track was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1998.
Watch here:
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9) Who Shot Ya
“Who Shot Ya?” is a controversial B-side to his 1995 hit single, “Big Poppa”.
Originally the song was recorded for Mary J. Blige’s second album My Life. However Biggie’s version was considered too violent for an R&B album and was subsequently removed. The song samples David Porter’s “I’m Afraid The Masquerade Is Over”.
Fellow rapper and rival, Tupac Shakur and many of his fans interpreted the song to be a diss track mocking his robbery/shooting in Manhattan, New York due to the timing of its release, merely two months after the shooting incident. Although the track did not specifically call out Tupac, it contained suspicious lines in both the first and second verse.
Watch here:
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8) Notorious Thugs
While not released as a single “Notorious Thugs” showed fans that Biggie Smalls’ flow was versatile as he held his own with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s melodic, yet rapid-fire and gangsta flow. This song did not chart and was not released as a single but the track is definitely a fan favorite! Interesting fact this song was also produced by Love and Hip Hop Atlanta star Stevie J. who produced and co-produced quite a few hits for Bad Boy Records.
Watch here:
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7) Players Anthem
“Player’s Anthem” was the first single released from the Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s debut album Conspiracy. Produced by Clark Kent, the song contains a sample of The New Birth’s song “You Are What I’m All About”. Featuring a chorus by The Notorious B.I.G.. “Player’s Anthem” became a big hit for the group, peaking at 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA on September 7, 1995 for sales of over 500,000 copies. And while not technically a solo B.I.G. song, his presence on the chorus and killer verse makes it feel otherwise.
Watch here:
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6) Get Money
Get Money” was the third and final single released from the Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s debut album, Conspiracy. The original version, which heavily sampled Sylvia Striplin’s “You Can’t Turn Me Away”, was produced by EZ Elpee with verses done by The Notorious B.I.G. and Lil’ Kim. “Get Money” became the group’s biggest hit, peaking at 17 on the Billboard 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 9, 1996 for sales of over two million copies. It ranked number 3 in Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Hits of 1996.
Watch here:
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5) Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems
The second single from the “Life After Death” album. Released posthumously, Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in 1997, replacing Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” (Puff Daddy’s tribute to the fallen rapper) on the charts. This song was Notorious B.I.G.’s second posthumous number one single, following “Hypnotize”, making him the only artist in Hot 100 History to have two #1 singles posthumously. It was the sixth song to hit #1 posthumously for a credited artist. The song was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. This song was also produced by. Stevie J.
The song features guest vocals from Mase and Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. The instrumental contains a sample of the Diana Ross song “I’m Coming Out”, including backing vocals of “I’m, coming, out”. The refrain of the song was sung by Kelly Price who was not prominently featured in the video due to label execs having an issue with her size and appearance. Based on airplay and chart success this song is considered one of the most popular singles in hip hop history.
Watch here:
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4) One More Chance/Stay With Me
One More Chance featured vocals sung by Faith Evans, and an uncredited Mary J. Blige. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 31, 1995
The original version of the song appears on B.I.G.’s album, Ready to Die. The remix, produced by the Trackmasters samples DeBarge’s 1983 song “Stay with Me”. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was the highest debuting single of all time tying Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson when it entered the Hot 100 at #5 at the time. It remained the highest debuting single for a rap song on the Hot 100 until Puff Daddy’s tribute song I’ll Be Missing You debuted at #1
Watch here:
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3) Hypnotize
This Grammy-nominated song was released as the first single from his album “Life After Death “ on April 1, 1997. It was the fifth song to hit number 1 posthumously for a credited artist, since Notorious B.I.G. was dead at the time it reached number 1. It was ranked number 30 on “Rolling Stone” Magazine 50 greatest rap songs of all time.
Watch here:
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2) Big Poppa
Based on one of The Notorious B.I.G.’s many nicknames, “Big Poppa” is the Grammy nominated and Billboard Award–winning second single from The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die. The song was his first Top 10 pop hit, and peaked at #1 on Billboard’s rap chart. It features a sample of the song “Between the Sheets” which was written by The Isley Brothers.
“Big Poppa” was one of many songs of the era to continue to break down cultural boundaries in music finding many fans outside of the urban rap market. It became a staple at parties and one of the most popular and identifiable songs of the era. It was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards and went on to win the award for Best Rap single at the Billboard Awards.
Watch here:
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1) Juicy
Some would argue that this song was a classic the moment it was released. “Juicy” was his solo debut single from the 1994 debut album Ready to Die. The song is a “rags-to-riches chronicle” detailing his early years in poverty, his initial dreams of becoming a rap artist, early influences, his time in drugs and crime, and his eventual success in the music business and current lavish lifestyle.
Produced by Poke of Trackmasters & Sean “Puffy” Combs, “Juicy” contains a sample of Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit. “Rolling Stone” and “The Source” magazines have listed this song as one of the greatest hip hop songs of all time.
Watch here:
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