On a semi-recurring basis, the Houston Press will deep-dive an album that dropped on that particular month in the '90s. Some were well-received. Others not. Some have held up. Others, far from it. Some marked an artist’s critical or commercial peak. Others simply set the table for more greatness to come. Regardless, they all helped constitute a decade that ranks among the most influential in music history.
This is “The Way it Was.”
The artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
The album: Life After Death
The release date: March 25, 1997
The Biggie-Tupac feud is more than well-documented at this point, so no need to rehash in great detail. In short, what began as diss tracks, coastal rivalry and awards show trash talk turned to something far more real, and far more tragic. Shakur, only 25 at the time, was murdered on the Las Vegas Strip in September 1996, and the 24-year-old Biggie was gunned down in Los Angeles in March of the following year.
Life After Death was released 16 days later.
The impact: Landscape-altering might be an understatement. Life After Death sold nearly 700,000 copies in its first week; it has since joined the elusive Diamond Club, for albums that move north of 10 million copies. The album was critically acclaimed, topping a number of year-end “best of” lists. It’s now regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and with good reason.
After all, the double album is no easy feat. Many (even some of the good ones) are bloated, indulgent, and perhaps most frustrating, are hiding a great album that might have emerged had the artist in question trimmed things down a bit. Life After Death is an exception to this rule. It logged 25 tracks, over two hours in length, and it feels lean as hell.
Not only that, whereas Ready to Die was short on supporting artists, Life After Death featured valuable contributions from such storied artists as Too Short, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (more on them in a minute), D.M.C. and a young up-and-comer by the name of Jay-Z.
The legacy: The stuff of legend. Life After Death is widely regarded among the greatest and most influential hip-hop albums of all time, which unfortunately, marked the last proper studio release from one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop artists of all time. If only the world had gotten to see what else Biggie had in store for it.
Biggest track: “Mo Money Mo Problems.” The second single from Life After Death, featuring Puff Daddy, Mase and Kelly Price, spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997. Coincidentally enough, it displaced Puffy’s “I’ll Be Missing You,” which served as a posthumous tribute to Biggie. That single spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and later won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Best track: “Notorious Thugs.” Biggie’s flow was never in question, but to so seamlessly and effortlessly adopt Bone’s rapid and fiery delivery is really something to behold. For over six minutes, it was Bone and Biggie, Biggie. And it was epic.
