Way-Back Wednesday 3/9/11 Edition

MUSIC - 101 (My B.I.G. Top Ten)

What better way to kick off the music section of my blog, than by recognizing one of, if not the “Baddest Boy” of hip-hop 14 years from the day he took his last breath on this Earth….

Christopher Wallace - AKA Biggie Smalls, Notorious B.I.G., Big Poppa, Frank White 

(May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997)

I will never forget sitting I my old Nissan Maxima rocking my first Biggie tape. 

Yeah, that’s the one…. but mine was on chrome...

I eventually bought the CD 3 times afterwards, since you can’t let anyone borrow a Biggie tape and expect to get it back. 

I even remember one Sunday my boy Chris Gaines, Mike, and I were riding to the park after church and this album was on full repeat. There were only a few albums I could do that too, Reasonable Doubt, Illmatic, and Nevermind (that’s the Nirvana album for those of you who aren’t diversified).  

  

Before long, this dude became a household name. His songs were on TV, Movies, and I even remember seeing him perform on New York Undercover.

But what really got me is when he was on Martin when Gina and Pam were trying to out-sing each other so he could discover them. 

I am not going to go into what happened when he died or his story because I am sure everyone has either seen the movie or heard a different version a thousand times. 

All I am going to do is pay a lil respect by laying out 10 songs he was on that kept making me press rewind, simply because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. 

So let's get started.....

10 - All About the Benjamins Remix – With Diddy, The Lox, and Lil Kim (No Way Out - 1997)

 “F’ the state penn, F’ hoes in Penn State…..”

Even though this video was shot after he had passed away, you already knew his flow wasn’t going to be forgotten.

9 - Brooklyn’s Finest – With Jay Z (Reasonable Doubt – 1996)

 “If Fey' had twins, she'd probably have two Pacs. Get it? Tu-pac's?”  

You could easily tell that these two were on one level while the others were merely trying to catch up. 

8 - Get Money – With Lil Kim/Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Conspiracy – 1995)

 “you sent feds to my spot, took me to court tried to take all I got, another intricate plot
the b’  said I raped her.. Damn, why she wanna stick me for my paper?”

Simply ridiculous. Should I really comment on this? He needs to know why she wanna stick him for his paper!!!

7 - Warning – (Ready to Die – 1994)

There’s gonna be a lot of slow singing, and flower bringing if my burglar alarm starts ringing….”

 

This is one of my favorites of all time. Listening to this in the locker room before a football game was all I needed…. 

6 - Da B Side – With Da Brat and JD (Bad Boys Soundtrack - 1995)

“..no human being, Korean or European be seeing what we be seeing, now they be peeing
in they draws, because Biggie Smalls will spark a weed, brat-tat-tat please speak”  

This was one of BIG’s classics, and is constantly overlooked by these new age hip-hop heads.

5 - Everyday Struggle – (Ready to Die – 1994)

“I had the master plan I’m in a caravan on my way to Maryland with my man Tutex to take over these projects. They call him Tutex he tote two techs, and when he starts to bust he likes to ask who’s next…”

 Like I knew what an everyday struggle was at 16 years old in Alabama. It didn’t matter, I’d just let BIG tell me all about it…. 

4 - Sky’s The Limit – With 112 (Life After Death – 1997)

“If the game shakes me or breaks me, I hope it makes me a better man. Take a better stand
Put money in my moms hand. Get my daughter this college plan, so she don't need no man”

Instant motivational classic with one of the best videos ever made. Yes I said EVER.

3 - Who Shot Ya – (Big Poppy Remix - B Side Release - 1994)

“I can hear sweat trickling down your cheek. Your heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet, thundering, shaking the concrete…” 

Controversial? 

A shot at 2Pac? 

A Fire Back at the West Coast? 

Does it even matter???? This was one of the craziest flows he put on tape.  

2- JUICY – 1994 (Ready To Die - 1994)

“Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, when I was dead broke man I couldn’t picture this….”

This can arguably be considered rap’s number 1 anthem. Anyone who calls themselves a rap connoisseur will know this song from beginning to end. If you are reading this, you are probably singing it in your head right now.  

Even thought a lot of the new rap fans probably don’t even know what a Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis is….

1 - Party and B.S. (Who’s The Man Soundtrack – 1993)

A party song that summed up everything you needed to know about Party and BS. The video was hot because it is a simple street video. No crazy budgets, no girls shaking in the background, no champagne popping all over the place….  Just a fun video 

That's it for me and mine.... I guess it’s time for me to jump into the hot tub time machine and get back to 2011. 

R.I.P. Christopher Wallace - Happy Biggie Day. 

-Slim