"I love it when ya call me BIG POPPA!" Notorious B.I.G made that the catch phrase of the early 90s. Whether you liked his music or not, you definitely knew who he was. The hip-hop world was at a loss after his untimely death back in 1997. His short lived career changed the hip-hop game forever, and some consider him the greatest lyricist of all times (G.O.A.T)? It's all about personal opinion really, but I totally understand why some folks feel that way. Biggie definitely had all of the elements of a great MC with his wordplay, swagger, delivery, flow, street cred, crossover appeal and solid record sales. Plus, he has influenced most of the artists that he came in contact with through radio, television and especially in the studio. I realize that Biggie's impact in the game has spawned several music projects after his unfortunate death. Though it's not nearly as bad as the exploitation that 2pac's archived musical poems have suffered over the years, but there are several similarities. I ask you this question: When should you finally let the dead rest in eternal peace??
I totally understand that great souls die everyday! I know that they are definitely missed when they're gone, but when the powers that be continue to rehash and repackage their work it begins to lose it's true value in my opinion. Remember Biggie's last two projects "Born Again" and "Duets: Final Chapter?" Of course you don't! They were both mediocre projects at best, which is my point. If Biggie were still alive would any of those weakly produced and outrageously collaborated tracks have made it onto a true Notorious B.I.G album? Hell naw! Releasing music that the artist is not here to critique and/or scrutinize seems unfair to their legacy. Biggie only released two albums while he was alive, so why in the hell does he need a greatest hits project? I can't believe that anyone that considers themselves a true B.I.G fan has been patiently waiting for a greatest hits album so many years after his death dammit!! Oh, but here is the real kicker in my opinion. Not only do you get 15 tracks that you should already have, but you get two so-called unreleased tracks as well! Oh joy!! Are these some new verses that we've never heard before? Hell 2 tha naww! It's the same shizzle we've been hearing from the legend over the last 10 years, but this time around they got a few new guest appearances to hopefully spark some new life into these tracks. Plus, they want you to spend your hard earned dollars on this project to show some support? Remember, these are just my biased opinions, so do as you want. I hope Puffy has some true unreleased tracks in his closet that he will finally release for us to enjoy in the future? Until then, we're left with these....
For those of you that are interested in these cuts here are the names and guest on the two "unreleased" tracks for your listening pleasure...
1) Running Your Mouth featuring: Fabolous, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg
2) Want That Old Thing Back featuring: Ja Rule & Ralph Tresvant
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