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Born
Again
The Notorious B.I.G. |
Unfortunately Big didn’t
leave 7 albums worth of new material when he died, like Pac. Born
Again is clearly a stretch to put together the remaining Big
material. It’s really a hodge-podge of featuring type songs.
There is some Biggie on each song, but on some it’s a shamefully
small amount.
Even so, we can’t
complain. The last CD ever by Notorious is flat out cool. It has
a lot of good songs on it and it features some of his best rapping
and lyrical prowess ever. New styles are explored and new levels
of senseless violence are reached. Biggie, of course, illustrates
a robbery gone violently wrong better than any rapper ever to pick
up a mic. The album reaches such a crescendo of violence, homophobia,
and sex in “Dead Wrong” that it becomes flat out
hilarious. “When I get dusted/I love to spread the blood
like mustard” is a line that will live in infamy forever.
This song is completely raw deal and is one of my all time favorites.
While I singled out ‘blood like mustard” I could
have picked any of the lines. This receives my rating for most violent
song ever. It achieves greatness through brash testosterone.
There is also a very
memorable collaboration with Cube and another wish Cash Money Records.
Hearing Cube and Biggie on the same track is just weird and the
Cash Money track (while pushing BIG to his limits) just bangs.
”Tonight”, “Notorious B.I.G.”, and
“Niggas” are all worth a good listen as well. The
cd lacks a good continuous flow, but that doesn’t mean that
it lacks good tracks.
However, it is not in
the same category with “Ready to Die” or “Life
After Death”. Those CD’s have an overall pervading
theme. They speak about ghetto life, death, and there is a lot of
Biggie in them. This is really a messy list of half-assed tracks.
There is success here, but it’s not lp success, it’s hit
track success. The mix of absolutely shitty tracks in with the good
ones betrays the circumstances under which this was produced. I
love that we have it but it doesn’t run like a reg Biggie LP,
because it simply isn’t.
Also, there are points
in the cd when you wonder if you will ever hear the large, notorious
one ever again. He pulls a disappearing act for obvious reasons.
Obviously many half-finished tracks had to be finished without him.
This of course sucks, but again, what can they do?
Overall, this is a good
album for what it is. Perhaps I would not be so lenient if Biggie
was here to criticize, but in reality this is just what’s left.
I appreciate its assembly (although greed clearly played a role)
and like the good songs while skipping the bad. Rest in Peace Notorious.
Favorite line[s]
"Oh you got me mistaken
honey/I don’t want to rape ya/I just want the paper.”
- This of course plays
on the arrogant white woman assuming that all black men want to
have sex with them. BIG blows that up by making it clear that
he only wants the cash, or the “Visa, capicha?” I don’t
speak Italian, so I can’t really spell it, but you get it.
I am not going to cite any more lines from other songs, because
all of my favorites are in Dead Wrong. The song is so lyrically
tight. It is so strong from top to bottom.
Favorite track
"Dead Wrong"
As I say above it’s lyrically tight and the beat has
a beat that is deep and hard with a snappy rhythm. I’m sorry,
snappy was the only word I could think of that really describes
it.
Total Tracks: 17
Skipped Tracks: 9
Recommend: Buy It
Just buy it to complete
your collection of Notorious B.I.G. CD’s, you won’t be
disappointed.
- The
Great Hart 
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