Would Life After Death have been evaluated differently if Biggie lived?

[Awesome Wells]

If Biggie lived to create that triple disc Black Album

I try not to think about that, lol.

I'm still sad we never got those projects they said he was planning on doing.

 

[Canada Goose]

I'm not sure I know what the current thinking on this album is. Do heads younger than 35 listen to this record? Know any of the classics from this record?

I'm 33 and listen to and like LAD. There's a lot of Biggie fans around my age even though most don't remember his run in real time. I grew up in Brooklyn though. I think every Millennial knows Mo Money Mo Problems and Hypnotize at least.



My only complaint is a lot of the songs I like have an skit before the song starts Going back to Cali for example you gotta listen to a skit of Biggie pretending to be half sleep while Diddy calls him about going to Cali before the song actually starts I do like the Mad rapper skit before Kick in the door though but you can't have some LAD songs on repeat because of the skits.



Long Kiss Goodnight
You're nobody till somebody kills you
Last Day
I love the dough
Kick in the Door
Somebody gotta die
Mo Money Mo Problems
Sky's the limit


Are my favorite songs off of LAD.


I would say What's Beef too, but that Gutta line ruined the song to me

 

[thelonious21]

Even when it came out I thought it was mid.. but the fact it was BIGGIE and he passed so it got elevated

 

[thelonious21]

I'm 33 and listen to and like LAD. There's a lot of Biggie fans around my age even though most don't remember his run in real time. I grew up in Brooklyn though. I think every Millennial knows Mo Money Mo Problems and Hypnotize at least.



My only complaint is a lot of the songs I like have an skit before the song starts Going back to Cali for example you gotta listen to a skit of Biggie pretending to be half sleep while Diddy calls him about going to Cali before the song actually starts I do like the Mad rapper skit before Kick in the door though but you can't have some LAD songs on repeat because of the skits.



Long Kiss Goodnight
You're nobody till somebody kills you
Last Day
I love the dough
Kick in the Door
Somebody gotta die
Mo Money Mo Problems
Sky's the limit


Are my favorite songs off of LAD.


I would say What's Beef too, but that Gutta line ruined the song to me

Whats wild is that line made it crazier..
BIG got a few lines that have aged terribly

 

[god shamgod]

It’s a dope album dead or alive

Obviously big dying 2 weeks before the album dropped enhanced its legacy

But besides another ,fukkin you tonight ,I gotta story and goin back to Cali ain’t no wakk joints on there imo

 

[Whips-n-Chains]

It has some bloat, and I've always felt that way, but maybe more people call it out in real time instead of having to pretend like every single song is classic?

As for the more pop/crossover songs (Mo Money Mo Problems), it would go over better than how Nas was criticized for IWW, b/c BIG always had that pop/mainstream appeal going back to Juicy, Big Poppa, One More Chance Remix, whereas Nas had zero crossover type songs til IWW.

Biggie presented himself as a crime boss on RTD, so it wasn't some huge change up, where as Nas was a street poet on Illmatic, then he was OT moving bricks w/ Colombians on IWW

 

[Whips-n-Chains]

Depends on who you ask. Biggie did a far better job of transitioning early to be commercially viable unlike say Nas. So the mix of popular sounds with underground sounds wasnt too far removed from who he was at the time.It probably would have been well received but not given instant classic status it got at the time.

100%

 

[Awesome Wells]

Biggie presented himself as a crime boss on RTD, so it wasn't some huge change up, where as Nas was a street poet on Illmatic, then he was OT moving bricks w/ Colombians on IWW

Facts. This is why people started criticizing Nas back then. Including B.I.G, on "Kick in the Door".

He said Nas took Ready to Die home and studied it. HAHA!!

 

[Knicksman20]

Would've been a massive hit regardless & had he had a chance to go overseas to promote it (like he was supposed to) & make more videos, it would've been crazy

 

[Whips-n-Chains]

Facts. This is why people started criticizing Nas back then. Including B.I.G, on "Kick in the Door".

He said Nas took Ready to Die home and studied it. HAHA!!

It's not completely all on Nas...the genre was evolving incredibly fast, what was hot in 94 was considered old news by 95. The genre as a whole moved from everyone being small time hustlers, gangbangers, etc. to being Mafiosi, big time connects, etc.


BIG did it from RTD to LAD

Infamous, the Mobb were hustling on park benches, by HoE they were hit men, their crime syndicate was robbing colombians,etc.

On 36 Chambers, Rae and them were selling 2 for 5s and by Purple Tape they were Wu Gambinos.

Snoop was a local gangbanger, chillin on the block for Doggstyle ,selling some rocks, then he was Tha Doggfather

Jay-Z, Nas, etc. etc.

Tbh, had Nas tried to be the street poet again on IWW with straight boom bap beats, in real time, heads would be like nah this shyt sounding old af...we already heard this before.

 

[Mac Ten]

This was Biggie’s All Eyez On Me… If Biggie didn’t listen to Diddy, he would not have made it past 1993.

He had a song for everyone on the album. The production was smooth and it wasn’t a bad song either. Everyone came correct on that album.

Puff knew that Biggie would die and the album sales would skyrocket. People was still clowning Biggie and Bad Boy due to Pac and Suge.

The real question is would Biggie even work with Cash Money???


Imagine if Biggie made Life After Death into a 3 disc album with no filler. He would have been a legend off that alone

 

[Sir Richard Spirit]

I think if he lives the album is even bigger.

 

[DaKidFromNoWhere]

Production with Biggie bars at the time was like a movie

 

[Mac Ten]

Production with Biggie bars at the time was like a movie

Biggie was ahead of his time…


If Biggie was alive, I can see him battle rapping and having the crowd laugh and giggle.


Kids in Biggie’s time had to be lyrically on point.


His Momma didn’t raise no dummy