When Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B. I. G. died on March 7, 1997; he was widely regarded as the best in the rap game (not to include legends like KRS One, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim…etc). Although I can’t agree with that I’ll say that he with Bad Boy records shifted the focus back to the East Coast after the success of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube. Their use of street lyrics, chronic smoking and G-Funk beats had California life in everyone’s mind. Biggie’s combination of confidence, charisma, witty slang, and the once east-foreign big willy-ism had people on their toes better yet had people’s ears and eyes glues to the radio and television respectively.

Big made people have fun because he looked like he was having fun, he made people feel touched because he reached out and touched you. He had the voice and the visual presence to capture many admirers/rappers alike. You felt his story because you heard it in his voice, the stress, the emotion. From Warning and Gimme The Loot, to Nigga’s Bleed and I Got A Story To Tell you could see the different connotations of his voice. If you were on a track with Big you were often, in the background because he stole the light. This wasn’t just based on the name Notorious B. I. G. it was based on the fact he had the best verse and you had to notice the “Black, Fat, and Nasty” rapper from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Biggie died unfortunately too soon without hitting his peak and without garnering a definite collection of work for those to remember him by.

His Born Again CD was a nice gesture but you knew that it was dated material and Puffy has already started putting old Biggie verses with new songs and artists for an upcoming Biggie album but still there has to be more Biggie that you can hear. With that in mind I’ve put together a list of the Notorious B. I. G. best songs not on the album for those feigning for Brooklyn’s Finest and tired of playing his three albums.

• Biggie Smalls, Party and Bullshit, Who’s The Man Soundtrack: Big shines on this club classic
• 112 feat. The Notorious B. I. G. Only You, 112: ‘The Williest Ni—as be the Silliest the more I smoke the smaller the Philly gets’
• Total feat. The Notorious B. I. G. Can’t You See, New Jersey Drive Soundtrack: Volume 1: ‘ One step kaboom black soot fills the room’
• Shaquille O’Neal feat The Notorious B. I. G. Still Can’t Stop The Reign, You Can’t Stop The Reign: The Daddy gets the pass from “Brooklyn’s Finest”
• Various, Dolly My Baby (Remix), Don Dada: features among Fat Cat and Big, a young scratchy Sean Combs rapping.
• Various, The Points, The Corrupter Soundtrack: featured MC’s from all of NY (oh, and Redman, from the Bricks (Newark))
• Various, Flava In Your Ear (Remix), original on Project: Funk The World: stole the bubonic song from the first verse, ‘Ni—as get mad I get more butt than ashtrays’
• Biggie Smalls, Dreams, single: An another one… a club classic depicting all men’s R&B dreams
• Biggie Smalls and Tupac, Biggie and Tupac Freestyle, The Tunnel: Two of the finest before the violence and hype ups
• Jay Z feat. The Notorious B. I. G., Brooklyn Finest, Reasonable Doubt: Young Hova gets guidance from the veteran Big

If there is any more songs, suggestions, comments, questions feel free to drop me a line at clayton@geoclan.com. One!