LAD however brought a new level of realism and a certain defiance in the face of keep-it-real detractors who decried Biggie’s part in shiny suiting the market. On R2D Biggie relied on the killer slow flow, crystal clear enunciation and diction, and a distinct rhythm for a winning formula. showcased a much larger arsenal of skills. Consequently, a more polished and experienced B.I.G. Where R2D was a caricature and exaggeration of the life, LAD actually captured the real Biggie in the full range of his personality. With rampant success and the money that comes with it, the urban blithe tales no longer would ring with the same authenticity. LAD comes from a decidedly different perspective. It upped the production values on East Coast Hip-Hop albums and put a decided focus on narrative and pace. It showed that East Coast Hip-Hop could also make murder melodic in the vein of Death Row and be massively commercially viable. There are a couple skippable tracks and skits, but as an album, R2D was a game changer. Primo stopped by to give the head bangers what they wanted with “Impeach The President” driven “Unbelievable”. Easy Mo Bee was the principal architect, delivering the title track, “Machine Gun Funk” “Gimme the Loot” Method Man collaboration “The What” and a couple other tracks. From the opening intro reflecting the change is time and condition, to the final shot and the slowing heartbeat, you got a complete saga an epic, gritty trip through the Brooklyn gutter. With over a decade in the rearview, which album should be used to define greatness when we consider Biggie’s brief yet stellar run?Īs a body of work, R2D is certainly more compact and focused in theme and narrative.

Which album was better: Ready To Die or Life After Death?īoth were critically acclaimed upon release, although LAD met with some resistance after the then-venerable Source gave it a 5 Mic rating. But one question left behind by that album we will address today. How would Biggie have been 10 years later? Would Lil’ Kim still look like Kim Jones? Would Jigga have enjoyed the run he did? Would Hip-Hop be in its present state? A million and one questions certainly, and most of them can be answered only with assumption and theory. An expansive work to say the least, Life became his last will and testament, bequeathing his work to his fans and bad boy’s bottom line, his BK throne to Jay-Z, and tragically a life time of “what if’s” to Hip-Hop enthusiasts. On March 25th, 1997 we were served with the bittersweet entree of Life After Death, the final living work of the Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie smalls life after death