Considered by most to be one of the greatest MCs in history, then selfishly refusing to make any more music due to being dead, Biggie is one of those artists whose vocals have been cut and pasted onto projects varying from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Here, French producer Kensaye manages to find something new to do with a BIG track, creating a hauntingly relaxed beat for the Life After Death classic. Kensaye himself explained his reason for making the track, saying: “Anyone that loves Hip-Hop today needs to pay dues to the King of Brooklyn. That’s why as an avid Hip Hop fan I remixed one of his tracks, opting for the more chilled and atmospheric approach.”
Does this stand out among the plethora of Biggie remixes? Let us know in the comments.
The infamous baby who featured on the cover of Biggie’s classic Ready To Die album has finally been uncovered. It’s been long thought to be a complete mystery as to who the baby was, even Diddy (when recently questioned by Rap Radar) had no clue.
Actually crazy to see how old this guy is now, a timely reminder of how long ago one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time dropped.
You can read more about the kid’s (Keithroy Yearwood) story here.
I’m very much one of those (single) people who don’t particularly agree with Valentine’s Day. Not because I’m bitter (Trust me, I love being single); Simply because you have 364 other days a year (no leap year quips please) to tell someone you love them.
I’m all for having #BiggieDay as it serves ideal opportunity to educate the younger generation amongst us unfamiliar with his name and work. But just like Valentine’s Day, there are 364 other days to bump his shit. With that all said, 14 years and 1 day since his life was prematurely ended, here’s a video with R.A. talking about the man himself, the first time he met B.I.G. and the infamous Cunt Renaissance.
There’s a lot of wannabe DJ’s and remixers on YouTube with far from impressive results. This guy doesn’t fall into that category and puts together some absolutely belting remixes.
He hooked me up a few months back with a link to all his mixes (I think now you have to donate, but it’s more than worth it) so this is my way of returning the favour.
NickT puts together the tracks ‘which should have been’. Empire State Of Mind with Biggie, Nas and Jay one of his best. Make sure you visit his YouTube page and subscribe for access to hundreds of other excellent mixes with all your favourite beats and MC’s.
New track by Shyne, which enlists the late greats Biggie & Bob Marley on the hook. Still trying to get used to Shyne’s new flow, but he has improved on those rather bewildering freestyles & remixes he released when he first came out of prison.
Shyne – Belize ft. The Notorious B.I.G. & Bob Marley
Those talented Cookin’ Soul boys are putting together a remixed version of Drake’s Thank Me Later, and you can thank us later for bringing you the first leak from it.
I’m really liking this. I did enjoy the original Light Up, and it’s one of the strongest tracks on Thank Me Later, so Cookin’ Soul would have to go some way to better that-and they have. Adding in a Biggie verse, they’ve also switched up the beat to fantastic effect, keeping the driving percussion of the original but supplementing it with much more on the melody front.
Definitely one for those of you that enjoyed the original and, surprisingly, one for the hip-hop heads too.
We have a treat for you: here is Biggie’s demo tape from before he was signed/became the legend we know him as today.
“This collection of Biggie Smalls demos and early freestyles paints an amazing picture of the emcee before the success of Ready to Die. It features all the demos Biggie did with DJ 50 Grand and Mr.Cee and then some. His amazing timing is already evident, but at this time also done over more uptempo production. Big thanks to whoever compiled this. Listening to these tracks Biggie Smalls remains the illest.”
Indi & Murray: start hyperventilating. One of the best alive pays tribute to one of the best ever. What a week for hip-hop music this has been.
The beat? Simple, raw, effective, will make your head bop.
The Diddy feature? Just adlibs and outro, thankfully.
The verses? Oh my word.
Edit (Notorious Indi): Yeah, I’ve now sufficiently recovered from listening to this track. Bringing this back to the top as we’ve just got the CD quality version of it – don’t say we don’t look out for you, grab it below..
I’m surprised at myself for not featuring this song before, it’s tracks like this that inspired this feature of mine in the first place. Anyway, better late than never.
I’ve ended up writing a lot more than I intended to, so click on and get educated son.
This is not a Hate Is The New Love episode, but actually a mashup mixtape/album from newcomers Wait What. Beautifully appropriate name. Have a read of the press release for this project if you’ve got a minute or so, it’s interesting stuff.
I can’t even begin to describe my excitement at listening to this. I was put onto The xx’s debut album recently, and have had the whole thing in regular rotation for the best part of 6 weeks (a phenomenal album that I’d recommend to anyone!). Throw in some classic Biggie raps on top, and you’ve got both my attention and adulation.
It’s mind-fryingly eclectic stuff like this that this site is all about. Even if the tracks don’t end up being decent, I applaud this guy for the idea and creativity.
Having been AWOL (great AZ album btw) for the past week or so, what better way than to mark my return with a commonly overlooked beef between two of Brooklyn’s finest MCs.
Firstly, if you’re unfamiliar with the works of Jeru The Damaja then ensure you check my throwback before proceeding here.
If you missed the first episode of OTU’s newest feature, then take the time to revisit here.
Into this week’s business.
What many people don’t realise is that 2Pac and Biggie’s feud wasn’t just exclusive to them. Hip-hop’s most infamous rivalry spilled into studios with artists who had never even worked with the originators, feeling their dignity had been violated and now wanted their shit on record.
The beef started when Tha Dogg Pound’s New York, New York filtered over to the East Coast. Mobb Deep took offence and responded with Queensbridge counterparts Tragedy Khadafi and Capone-N-Noreaga on LA, LA. Although both tracks call out their opposite coasts to ‘come outta town’, at this point, things were still rather innocuous…
Diddy made one of the most expensive music videos of all time in an attempt to do justice to this epic track. An outstanding motivational song which sadly Biggie wasn’t alive to be involved in the actual video itself. A real shame given the quality of his verses in this.
As always, if you haven’t got this already you can redeem yourself by clicking the red text below, I’ve also thrown in the 2004 remake of this song which features 50 cent and Lloyd Banks for good measure.
So before getting into things I feel it is only appropriate to show our remorse at the tragic death of Brittany Murphy and our thoughts at OTU go out to all her family during this difficult time. Her work was admired by masses across the globe, and her performance in 8 Mile was, for me, one of her best moments on the big screen.
Ever since joining the OTU team I’ve been looking forward to doing this review. Why? Not only is 8 Mile an awesome insight into the hip-hop world back in the mid nineties, but also because it showcases an array of hip-hop talent throughout the picture. You cannot get these on the OST released with the film, these are the tracks from the 90′s when the film was set. 7 years on from the film’s UK release date, I’ve got eleven absolute gems (the other two are essential to cover, but don’t achieve the minimum standard 4 BDK rating) to share with you over the next few minutes of your life and I guarantee they are going to make you feel more complete because of it…
We’ve all heard the Eminem produced track Runnin’ (Dying To Live) which features both 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. on the same track right? Well the verses of both rappers were taken by Eminem from a song that ‘Pac and Biggie actually collaborated on. Also featuring The Outlawz, the track itself has that chilled out old school vibe and I prefer it to Eminem’s version tbh. If you don’t have this track, you should definitely get it below right now, as anyone who loves hip hop should have this legendary collaboration in their collection.
Many people first heard B.I.G. with his opening verse on Craig Mack’s Flava In Ya Ear Remix. However, over a year before his feature, he dropped his first solo track Party and Bullshit which surfaced on the Who’s The Man? Soundtrack in 1993.
This kid amazes me. Shyheim forms this week’s Thursday Throwback and is a little bit more underground that what you have been used to over the last few volumes. He was 14 when his debut LP AKA The Rugged Child dropped. Yes, 14. Growing up he lived with Ghostface and quickly became the Wu’s youngest affiliate.
Three great tracks for you here from some of the biggest artists in Hip-Hop, all with 1 thing in common – a tribute to the late great Notorious B.I.G.
The tracks are all pretty different to each other, so they’re all definitely worth listening to. Click below to grab the tracks and don’t forget to comment and let us know which is your favourite. → Continue Reading Sunday’s Classic Collabo: A Biggie Tribute
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