On March 9th, 1997 The Notorious B.I.G. a.k.a. Biggie Smalls a.k.a. Christopher Wallace was gunned down in Los Angeles at the height of an ongoing East Coast / West Coast rap war that also claimed the life of his one-time friend and rival Tupac Shakur six months earlier.
Aside from teaching fans, artists and the industry that the rap game is not worth dying for, his death cemented B.I.G. as an icon in the annals of rap history. With only two full-length studio releases to his credit at the time of his death — 1994′s Ready To Die and 1997′s Life After Death, which was, eerily enough, released just weeks after his murder — B.I.G. made a lasting impression on rap music, hip-hop culture and the artists and fans who continue to carry the proverbial torch.
In celebration of the short life and dope music of The Notorious B.I.G., here are two recently released posthumous tracks: “Young G’s” featuring Buff1, and “Niggas” featuring Talib Kweli. While these songs are not destined to be the kind of classics contained on Biggie’s albums, both ride decent beats and feature nice verses from B.I.G., as well as stand-up contributions from Buff1 and Talib, and are available on Bigger & Better: The Notorious B.I.G. Remixes album.
The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Buff1, “Young G’s”…
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The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Talib Kweli, “Niggas”…
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Gotta love this post. Reminds me of my man Mickey Factz who’s raps is crackin!