"Life After Death is the greatest rap album ever" - Lupe Fiasco (And Royce)

[spliz]

Hate to say this in March because it could be perceived as disrespectful but...one day we gonna admit LAD's status as an album is largely inflated due to Biggie's death. If he had lived, a bunch of nerds and "real hip hop" heads would constantly be arguing that it was was too commercial, too clean, too many ladies/club tracks, and not as good or focused as RTD.


It's a really good album full of 5/5 standout tracks but it takes RTD's biggest flaw (the ladies tracks) and makes it worse. And if you wanna say AEOM had ladies tracks too.......Pac was always better at ladies tracks than Biggie. All About U, Skandalouz, How Do You Want It...come on it's no contest.

fukking You Tonight definitely competes I will say that. Lol

 

[spliz]

Breh, him dying literally stopped nothing in that regard. He still caught flack for being too commercial, too clean, and too many ladies/club tracks since Ready To Die. That didn't change when he died and those same people still hold that criticism of Biggie. Biggie was public enemy #1 to a lot of them.

Life After Death is held in high regard because it has a lot of classic songs on it. Had the album been Yeeah Baby status, nothing his death could've done to inflate its status.

Album def went from being considered a really good album with RTD being the classic. Now to the masterpiece while RTD is just a great album. shyt is weird as hell to me. Not even just about the elevation of LAD. But the underestimation of RTD.

 

[JustCKing]

Album def went from being considered a really good album with RTD being the classic. Now to the masterpiece while RTD is just a great album. shyt is weird as hell to me. Not even just about the elevation of LAD. But the underestimation of RTD.

But did that elevation happen due to time and it aging well more so than him dying? I pose this question because if there was a direct correlation with his death carrying over into the hype, its status would've dwindled with time because the hype died down over time as with most albums. Classics, however are a different story. They still remain relevant even after the smoke of the initial impact clears.

With Ready To Die, I think its more underrated in comparison to Life After Death because its more raw and some of the production is more dated. Not saying it didn't age well, but Life After Death sounds like something you could find Rick Ross attempting now.

 

[prophecypro]

I can see why some would say that, kinda left a blueprint for a certain gen of rappers to make music to appeal to different bases

 

[spliz]

But did that elevation happen due to time and it aging well more so than him dying? I pose this question because if there was a direct correlation with his death carrying over into the hype, its status would've dwindled with time because the hype died down over time as with most albums. Classics, however are a different story. They still remain relevant even after the smoke of the initial impact clears.

With Ready To Die, I think its more underrated in comparison to Life After Death because its more raw and some of the production is more dated. Not saying it didn't age well, but Life After Death sounds like something you could find Rick Ross attempting now.

I think it’s a mixture of both. shyt even I fukk with LAD more now than I did then and I fukked wit it heavy back then even while recognizing the flaws. I will say as an OVERALL thing. Biggie got a pass that his New York peers. Especially Nas. Didn’t receive at the time. Even his own label mates didn’t get the same passes. They got criticized for the shiny shyt far more than him. And that’s def because he died.

 

[Knicksman20]

I think it’s a mixture of both. shyt even I fukk with LAD more now than I did then and I fukked wit it heavy back then even while recognizing the flaws. I will say as an OVERALL thing. Biggie got a pass that his New York peers. Especially Nas. Didn’t receive at the time. Even his own label mates didn’t get the same passes. They got criticized for the shiny shyt far more than him. And that’s def because he died.

I have to disagree bro. I think it was because Big was able to it better than everyone yet still keep it gutter & street where both groups for the most part still fuked with him heavy. Others tried to copy but they weren't as nice & couldn't do it at that level. So they (and the era) got labeled as corny

 

[H.S.]

I have to disagree bro. I think it was because Big was able to it better than everyone yet still keep it gutter & street where both groups for the most part still fuked with him heavy. Others tried to copy but they weren't as nice & couldn't do it at that level. So they (and the era) got labeled as corny

This isn't true at all. No one criticized LAD because it would be in bad taste to nitpick a dead man's album. Big was already getting criticized by his peers for being too commercial before LAD.

 

[Knicksman20]

This isn't true at all. No one criticized LAD because it would be in bad taste to nitpick a dead man's album. Big was already getting criticized by his peers for being too commercial his work before LAD.

How old are you & what region are you from?

And LAD did get criticism; from backpackers & haters that wanted to be in his position. Would it received more criticism had he lived? Maybe but he would've released videos & singles that would've made it even bigger. The biggest criticisms from his peers were coming from artists that wanted his spot: Rae & Ghost (Rae even said as much in a recent interview) Jeru etc...The NY rap scene back then was ultra competitive with a crabs in a barrel mentality. I don't know how old you are or where you're from but this was common knowledge back then. And Big was the best at making mainstream records while keeping it street. That's a fact & the only one who came the closest to that is Hov

 

[Asicz]

Juelz said LAD is the GOAT album on his weed vlog back in like 2010

 

[H.S.]

@Knicksman20 If people were hating on Big before LAD for being too commercial/successful, why would that hate stop after he released his most commercial/successful album? People fell back out of respect because he passed.

 

[Knicksman20]

@Knicksman20 If people were hating on Big before LAD for being too commercial/successful, why would that hate stop after he released his most commercial/successful album? People fell back out of respect because he passed.

There wasn’t huge criticism & like I said but it was mostly from corny ass backpackers & artists that were envious of his spot.

And you never answered my question lol

 

[L@CaT]

All Eyez on me has so much more replay value. I haven’t played Life after death front to back in over a decade. Great album. But the highs of All Eyez on me > LAD

 

[H.S.]

And you never answered my question lol

I was in high school when LAD dropped and from NC. What difference does it make lol

 

[Cadillac]

IDK how anyone can try to disqualify Got My Mind as a east coast track

but sit and count Going Back as a west coast track. The shyt dont even sound west coast, it sounds like a sloppy rendition of east coast nikkas making what they think is west coast rap sound.

As much as I love AEOM it just doesn't compare. AEOM for me feels like a bunch of dope songs put together and pac staying in his lane doing what he does well already

As several have said, AEOM did what LAD a whole year before it. With no point of reference for Pac to go to.

if you prefer LAD, Cool. But its no more versatile than AEOM. Infact it doesnt have certain aspects AEOM has. One nikka brought up LAD having introspection, street, girl songs, etc. But AEOM has that

while also having concious/social songs, and a whole anthem joint with California Luv.

And if AEOM is just a collection of songs with Pac in his lane, idk how Big's isnt. Its not like this nikka changed rap styles. He was still on the same subjects, concepts, execution of rapping he was from RTD. Minus the rawness/wackiness from RTD.

 

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

IDK how anyone can try to disqualify Got My Mind as a east coast track

but sit and count Going Back as a west coast track. The shyt dont even sound west coast, it sounds like a sloppy rendition of east coast nikkas making what they think is west coast rap sound.

Yes or No?

Do Deep Cover, Straight Out Of Compton, bytches Ain’t shyt, Growin Up N The Hood & Lil Ghetto Boy have a west coast sound?