He indeed was one of the livest ones to ever do it. Christopher Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G or Biggie Smalls., was without question one of the best rappers ever in Hip Hop. Possessed with an exceptional skillset, he was arguably the perfect combination of street grit mixed with commercial appeal.
Even though his life was cut short at the young age of 24, he left the world with an impressive catalog of music that still bumps to this very day. In fact, his music has heavily influenced the Hip Hop genre as he laid out the blueprint for how an artist can provide music that satisfies the streets as well as the clubs.
The streets loved him because he gave it to you raw and uncut. No mincing words. No sugarcoating. He showed the pros and cons of being a hustler. He showed the desperation of being a kid with no father around. The stress of not knowing where his next meal would come from. The pressure of hustling just so he can feed his daughter. The pain of losing one of his homeboys to gun violence. Thinking the unthinkable; taking his own life.
As adept as he was painting the picture of street life, he was just as adept of giving you a look into the flossy and opulent lifestyle. He showed you that you had to rock Versace shades. He showed you that you had to have a fly Coogi sweater. He showed you that you had to drink champagne that cost more than your rent. He showed you that you can be “Black and ugly as ever” and still pull the finest women out there.
And when it came to bars, very few can even be mentioned in the same sentence as B.I.G. His lyrical prowess, in conjunction with the aforementioned characteristics, made him as close to the total package as one can get. When the conversation of who is Hip Hop’s G.O.A.T. arises, B.I.G.’s name comes up frequently.
In honor of the Brooklyn MC, we countdown the 20 best songs that feature him. If you don’t know, now you know!
20. Sky’s the Limit
One of Biggie’s greatest attributes was his story telling ability; on Sky’s the Limit he gives us a recap of his childhood. His capacity to mix humor in a tale of growing up poor is remarkable as he turns what is a grim topic into a feel good song that has listeners inspired that they can come out of any tough situation life throws at them.
19. Notorious Thugs
In arguably his most jaw dropping moment, the Notorious B.I.G. enlist Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to feature on the epic track Notorious Thugs and does what nobody would have fathom doing; he adopts the Bone Thug’s rapid fire flow! Not only did he adopt it, you can make a case that he actually did their flow better than them.
18. Victory
By the summer of 1997, months after the death of Biggie, P. Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy) was left as the biggest draw on his Bad Boy record label. Once his first solo album dropped, No Way Out, hip hop fans were delighted to see that Biggie would be featured on the lead song Victory. In typical fashion he steals the show and lets us know he performs like Mike; Tyson, Jordan, or Jackson.
17. Brooklyn’s Finest
Within the Hip Hop community there is one title that is the most coveted of them all, and that title is the King of New York. That title may have lost a lot of its luster lately, but back in the 1990’s the competition was fierce for those vying for that throne. You can’t have the King of New York discussion without of course mentioning B.I.G., and his fellow Brooklyn brethren Jay-Z.
One of the standout tracks on Jay-Z’s classic debut album Reasonable Doubt, Biggie lets it be known why he adopted the moniker Frank White as he goes toe-to-toe with one of the very few MCs who can keep up.
16. Ten Crack Commandments
Is it blasphemous to mix the bible with crack/cocaine; of course it is. But in Hip Hop creativity trumps etiquette and B.I.G. uses the outline of the 10 Commandments to provide all would be hustlers the blueprint on how to survive and prosper in the drug game. Whether it’s giving credit to a crackhead or getting high off your own supply, this song works better than any how-to-guide sold in stores.
15. I Got a Story to Tell
Urban legend has it that I Got a Story to Tell is not another fictitious tale, but a real life scenario that occurred involving a player off the New York Knicks. Who that player was still is debated, but this can serve as a cautionary tale of what could possibly occur if you happen to be having sex with another man’s woman in his house. It did make for quite a humorous song however.
14. Unbelievable
In what was the last song made for B.I.G.’s classic debut opus Ready to Die, he collaborated with legendary producer DJ Premier to create the first of their many standout records together. It was almost a prerequisite to have a Premo beat on your album in the 1990’s for it to be dubbed a classic, so it’s fitting that Unbelievable stamped Ready to Die as such.
13. Can’t You See
During its heyday, Bad Boy had an abundance of talent on its roster from Hip Hop to R&B. One of its R&B groups, Total, received a spectacular guest appearance from B.I.G. on their first single Can’t You See. This just proved that B.I.G. had the Midas touch when it came to whatever song he was featured on, no matter if it’s rap or R&B.
12. Big Poppa
Let’s be honest, B.I.G. wasn’t the most handsome fella out there, but he had a swagger about him that made up for his lack of good looks. On Big Poppa he jumps into full mack mode and puts on full display his charisma and humor that’s bound to make her friends, meet up with your friends, so you all can be friends.
11. The What
Back in early 1990’s the New York Hip Hop scene was in the midst of resurgence, and one of the key figures during that time was Method Man from the Wu Tang Clan. In fact Method Man was scorching hot and once he paired up with B.I.G. on The What, you knew something great was about to happen. Great is an understatement as both MCs bounce off of each other’s flow with an ease that makes you think they’ve been rhyming together for years.
10. Kick in the Door
We spoke earlier on the King of New York title and it was perceived that B.I.G. wore the crown. As with any position at the top, there’s no shortage of slander that comes your way. Fed up with the years of sneak dissing, B.I.G. takes aim at those who had “Disrespectful views on the King of NY”. Verbal shots were fired at Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, Jeru the Damaja, and Nas.
9. Player’s Anthem
Right after the success of his debut Ready to Die, B.I.G. wasted no time putting his crew on to the rap game. That crew, Junior M.A.F.I.A., introduced the world to Lil Kim and Lil Cease. The lead single off their 1995 album Conspiracy was the club banger Player’s Anthem.
8. Flava in Ya Ear Remix
It’s hard to believe that at one point and time, Biggie Smalls was not looked upon as the best artist over at Bad Boy. Coming off the huge success of his debut single Flava in Ya Ear, Craig Mack was the face of the newly formed label. That all changed once the remix to Flava in Ya Ear dropped. B.I.G.’s lead off verse was all it took for him to snatch the baton and never give it back. And who can get mad at that. And if you did get mad, UPS is hiring.
7. Mo Money, Mo Problems
Famously coining the sentiment that the more money you make the more problems you face, Biggie turns this stark reality of life into a club anthem ironically. Accompanied by an up-and-coming Mase and a surprising label exec turn rapper Puff Daddy, all three spit floss filled flows over a loop of Diana Ross’s famous I’m Coming Out song.
6. Warning
One thing Biggie wanted to make clear on this classic off of Ready to Die; don’t try to catch him slipping. Getting a heads up from a friend about some old associates of his planning to rob him, Biggie gets very detailed on the pain agony they’ll be sure to face trying to cross him and relieve him of his riches. He didn’t call it Warning for nothing.
5. Who Shot Ya
By far Who Shot Ya is the most controversial song of Biggie’s career, and unfortunately may have played a part in his murder. It is well document the beef between Biggie and 2Pac, one time friends turned rivals. Shortly after 2Pac was robbed and shot at Quad Studios in 1994, Who Shot Ya was released and rightfully so it raised an eyebrow. This could be interpreted as a jab at 2Pac (which he thought it was), or this could have simply been a case of a song being released coincidentally at the worst possible time in history.
Whatever the case is, this song more than any is the one that will get the most conspiracy theories tied to it.
4. Hypnotize
The lead single of off his classic second album Life After Death, Hypnotize finds B.I.G. right in his comfort zone with another radio/club hit to kick off the hype for his follow-up to Ready to Die. Add a million dollar video that was a mini action movie; and you got the recipe for a successful song.
3. Get Money
Speaking of a recipe for a successful song, Get Money had the same affect Hypnotize did just two years earlier. Already a club anthem, the video added some low hanging gossip fruit for the masses to indulge in. Going through some ups and downs in his marriage to fellow Bad Boy label mate Faith Evans, the video features what appears to be an actress portraying to be Faith committing some “questionable” acts behind B.I.G.’s back. To add insult to injury, the actress was none other than Charlie Baltimore, who was rumored to be having an affair with B.I.G.! This creates the perfect backdrop for a song saying the hell with trusting women, get money.
2. One More Chance Remix
Out of all the club anthems that B.I.G. and the entire Bad Boy label have on their resume, this one is THE ONE. Plain and simple, the One More Chance remix is one that is guaranteed to have everybody bobbing their head and doing their two-step on the dance floor. It’s laid back, it’s mellow, it’s the perfect club song.
1. Juicy
This should come as no surprise at all. Juicy is not only the greatest song ever made by the Notorious B.I.G., this is arguably one of the greatest songs ever made in Hip Hop. Once you hear “It was all a dream”, it is guaranteed that you know the words from there verbatim. Juicy is simply a timeless record that will be played forever. Cookouts, clubs, the radio, TV, it doesn’t matter; you will hear this song for the rest of your life. It is without question his signature song.
