Life After Death [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Notorious B.I.G.

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 25, 1997)
• Original Release Date: March 25, 1997
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Bad Boy
• ASIN: B0000039QA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (302 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #613 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > East Coast
  #3 in	Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Gangsta & Hardcore
  #11 in	Music > Pop > Pop Rap

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
The King of Brooklyn, Biggie Smalls, busted through with an instant hip-hop classic on his first album, Ready to Die, but he outdid even his standard on Life After Death, an audible, posthumous autobiography about the life of the former dope dealer. The 2 CD set revels in death, especially on "Niggaz Bleed," "Somebody's Gotta Die," and "You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You)," but it's painfully clear that this chestnut-cheeked, fun-loving father of two wanted to see his kids grow up on "Sky Is the Limit" and "Miss U," both of which point to the future. The album also serves as a testament to Biggie's flexibility: he adopts Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's rapid rhyme flow and Midwestern beats when they guest on "Notorious Thugs," he positively bounces on both "Mo Money Mo Problems" and "Going Back to Cali" (guesting Eazy Mo Bee), and even kicks it Wu-Tang style when RZA shows up for "Long Kiss Goodnight." --Asondra R. Hunter

Amazon.com
The King of Brooklyn, Biggie Smalls, busted through with an instant hip-hop classic on his first album, Ready to Die, but he outdid even his standard on Life After Death, an audible, posthumous autobiography about the life of the former dope dealer. The 2 CD set revels in death, especially on "Niggaz Bleed," "Somebody's Gotta Die," and "You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You)," but it's painfully clear that this chestnut-cheeked, fun-loving father of two wanted to see his kids grow up on "Sky Is the Limit" and "Miss U," both of which point to the future. The album also serves as a testament to Biggie's flexibility: he adopts Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's rapid rhyme flow and Midwestern beats when they guest on "Notorious Thugs," he positively bounces on both "Mo Money Mo Problems" and "Going Back to Cali" (guesting Eazy Mo Bee), and even kicks it Wu-Tang style when RZA shows up for "Long Kiss Goodnight." --Asondra R. Hunter

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tragic Loss, July 20, 2001

By A Customer

It was '92, when I first heard of Big's talent, it was played on a track called "Party and Bullsh##". He wasn't promoted much back then, still underground.

In '94, I was working with a few cats from BK, that claimed they new him ( not sure how true that was ) but they had some copies of his tracks, before the somewhat more refined versions came out on "Ready to Die".

What I am saying is, Big was not just an entertainer who was larger than life; there was always an element about him that made him humble, and real. The image of a fat kid hanging on the corner trying to "make some money to feed his daughter", its real. And to us, he personified our lives and captured the details through his words. We lived and unfortunately, died through and with him.

Remember when he was getting his award, he said "we did it, Brooklyn !". We, not I.

And when Pac was attacking him, did Big make an album to retaliate ? No. "F# the crimes now, I'm doing rhymes now." He wanted to continue to make music, to see his kids grow, "The sky it the limit". It should be every father's right.

When I heard Big had died, I thought why ! Another one of us shot dead ! Is it all entertainment for you ?

If you love Big, then buy the album. Big's lyrics reflect on his life, and this album is one of the best ever, equal in quality and lyrics to the first, and his underground work.

Puff Daddy on the other hand, I don't like. He is fake. His production is ok, but it was all Big's talent and voice that made every track phat. Big broke Bad Boy off, and made them what they are today. ( And a lot artists too, like Mace, Lil' Kim, Junior Mafia, 112, Total, Greg Mack ).

There are a lot of phat rappers out there, and many more that never make it, or haven't made it yet. After Pac and Big died, the industry has been promoting [crud]. ( Eminem, Dr. Dre, Nelly, etc. ) Yes Big was one of the best, and so was Pac.

But Rap will continue, and more Playaz will come; unfortunately, none will ever come back.

Respect Life !

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars End of BIGs brief career, May 9, 2004

By	brother_ike "brother_ike" (L-Boogie) - See all my reviews

Wow I remember back in 1997 when this album was released, the whole hip hop scene seemed like all out war... Biggie had lifted the vacant King of New York crown back in 94 with his killer debut 'Ready To Die', but got waxed on the streets of Cali weeks before this follow up album was released.

This album is kinda like an advanced & extended version of 'Ready To Die'. Its more polished & smoother than his debut, there are some hard-edged songs but none of the beats here are gritty & street like the first album. Puffy has taken over Bigs style more and more, and now we have a lot more R&B cuts and rhymes about expensive clothes, cars, and drink. Its all cool I guess, nothing wrong with Big getting paid. Basically what we do have here are two discs of cinematic gangsta rap. Big had a rare talent for painting very vivid stories, so clear you actually find yourself there with him and his tales of gunplay and sex fiends. Primo hooks Big up with two of the best hard hitting cuts, 'Kick In The Door' (which rides that crazy Screamin' Jay Hawkins beat), and '10 Crack Commandments', whilst 'Sky Is The Limit' is probably the most pleasing smooth cut.

Disc two starts with a great cameo by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, but kinda tails off into mainly R&B and dance floor numbers. The final three cuts are probably the best. The RZA jacks an old Al Green beat with 'Long Kiss Goodnight', and 'My Downfall' and 'You're Nobody Til Somebody Kills You' are pretty creepy. Guest spots from jokes like Mase, The Lox, Lil' Kim and all the other no talent wannabes Puffy associates with should have been left off- these guys can't hang with Big on the mic at all. But other than that, you have to be impressed by this album. Jay Z and hundreds of come-and-go emcees have tried & tried to replicate Bigs formula over the years and no one can do it. Big had a unique talent I guess that is lacking in hip hop today. 'Life After Death' is an atmospheric two disc set of gangster rap, a nice but untimely way to cap off Bigs brief career. You got to say Big was the best ever.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biggie Smalls, October 17, 2003

By	Young Triger Aka Makaveli (Younkers,NewYork,USA) - See all my reviews

It seemed that with the release of his debut masterpiece 'Ready to Die', Biggie was instantly crowned the King of the East Coast. It was a title that he was undoubtedly deserving of, so when it came time to succeed his instant classic, Biggie and executive producer Puff Daddy decided to release the epic 24-track 'Life After Death', figuring that if they couldn't surpass the near-perfect quality of 'Ready to Die', they would at least surpass it in terms of quantity. It seems to me after listening several times to this staggering epic, that even if this had been Biggie's first album, he would have still gained mass success and even if it's release hadn't been marred by his tragic and senseless murder earlier that March, hip-hop fans would have still laid down the money to purchase this daunting double-CD set. His explosive lyrical talent, sharp wit and larger-than-life personality, is the showcase of this truly great album. He is never short on rhymes and never stumbling, as he moves swiftly from one motif to another, forever retaining his sense of gangsta suave. It is this uncanny marriage of urbane sophistication and ruthless aggression that makes Biggie so engaging - he finds a perfect balance between his money-making playa persona and the raw reality of the big kid from Brooklyn hustling on the corner. While his debut album's lyrical content was eerily prophetic, the content here is disturbingly and heart-breakingly prophetic. Many of the songs revel in death, such as 'Somebody's Gotta Die', 'Niggaz Bleed', and 'You're Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)', and it seems as if Biggie saw the end coming. If you've seen any of the final interviews with him, especially the ones done after 2Pac's death, he seems consumed by fear and paranoia, and listening to this album it's very obvious. But the most truly saddening aspect of the album comes not from the harsh and dark imagery foreshadowing his untimely demise, but in the more positive and inspirational pieces like 'Sky's the Limit' and 'Miss U'. They are a testament to his good-hearted nature and his hope for the future, and make his death feel all the more tragic. But it will still bring a smile to your face hearing him bounce postively on uptempo tracks like the G-Funk flavor of 'Going Back to Cali' and perrenial anthems like 'Hypnotize' and 'Mo Money Mo Problems'. While the entire album does contain occasional clunkers, courtesy of some mediocre production, Biggie's booming voice commands your attention and respect, and makes the daunting listen pay off in the end. It's true what many have said. We lost the two most talented rappers in the game when we lost Biggie and Pac. And the overall state of hip-hop as well as mainstream music in general has been going down the drain ever since. That is not to say that there are NO rappers who are keeping it real or releasing quality music anymore. It's just that the ones that are staying real aren't getting the attention and respect they deserve from the Top 40 and these so called hip-hop station DJ's