With only two studio albums under his belt, Biggie Smalls defined quality of quantity. So the question becomes, "Is it even necessary to make a compilation of “greatest hits” when there are only two studio albums to pull from?" Well, there are some reasons. Namely, the posthumous mixes featuring verses from artists inspired by the great but never had a chance to work with them like Eminem’s feature on the “Dead Wrong.” There are also two previously unreleased tracks, "Running Your Mouth" and "Want That Old Thing Back.”
Few measure up to the brief career of the Notorious B.I.G. He was compared to contemporary Tupac and would continue to draw comparisons ad nauseam to modern greats like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. But what was the B.I.G. deal? Well, his influence stems from his sheer talent as an emcee. Flows as smooth as Versace threads coming from a distinct biggie voice growling stories about luxury and depravity, pop gleam and gutter practices. He captured inner-city living in a deeply personal way that blurred the line between reality and fiction. Also adding to the legend, he was shot and killed before the release of his second studio album ironically called “Life After Death.” In some ways, his death truly was what sealed him in the memory of hip-hop. Hard to imagine what could have been but what changed the game forever.
