Throwback Thursday: "Runnin' (Dying to Live)" -- Tupac ft. Notorious B.I.G.

When this track was released in 2002, with a remastered production by Eminem, it was already eight years-old. The sampled interviews with Big and Pac are haunting, as their words hang in the air like condemnations of the tragedies they preceded.

Throwback Thursday: "Mo Money Mo Problems" -- Notorious B.I.G. ft. Puff Daddy & Mase

There was a good five year period where I couldn't hang out at a frat party without hearing this song playing. Still a great track, simply for accomplishing the rare feat of being both strong lyrically (...for like 2/3 of it, at least) and a huge mainstream hit.

(And yes, I called him "Puff Daddy." This is a throwback post, after all.)

Throwback Thursday: "Sky's the Limit" -- Notorious B.I.G. ft. 112

It must have been fun as hell for these kids to make this video. Lucky brats. < /hating >

Throwback Thursday: "Ain't No N***a" -- Jay-Z ft. Foxy Brown

"Ain't no question, had more Black chicks between my sheets than Essence..."

Back in '96, only New York cats really knew who Jay was. And no one knew who Foxy was. Then this track started making the rounds, and was included in the soundtrack for The Nutty Professor. Not long after that Reasonable Doubt dropped, and the game was never the same again.



My girl Steph with another assist.

Throwback Thursday: "Juicy" -- The Notorious B.I.G.

Everyone knows this one. I remember being shocked at walking into dorms and frat parties at my damn-near-all-white college as a freshman and hearing this track bumping over the stereos. Crazy. R.I.P. Biggie.

Throwback Thursday: "Player's Anthem" -- Junior M.A.F.I.A.

Those of you too young to remember Junior M.A.F.I.A. might still recognize a few of the faces in this video.

F.O.H.: Kardashian Hypnotize

I already strongly-disliked this song (I have since the day it was first released). Now I'm going to be violently ill every time I hear it. I don't think I want to live on this planet anymore.

2Pac & Biggie Freestyle

Just sit back and take it in. Better days...

Throwback Thursday: "One More Chance (Remix)" -- Notorious B.I.G.

I've been to a few parties like this...

Okay, I'm lying. But, god help me, I'm going to find a party like this one somewhere this weekend.

R.I.P. Big

Man Confesses to Shooting Tupac in 1994

AllHipHop.com has obtained the written confession of Dexter Isaac, who claims to have been paid $2500 by James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond to rob and shoot Pac at the Quad City Studios in '94. It was this shooting, which took place while Biggie and Diddy (nee Puff Daddy) were upstairs, that forever fractured the friendship between Pac and Big, and eventually led to East Coast/West Coast beef that dominated the hip-hop landscape until Biggie's death in 1997.

Isaac came forward Wednesday (June 15th) with the information on the eve of what would be Tupac's 40th birthday.

He confessed to his involvement in the November 30th, 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur to AllHipHop.com, after Jimmy Henchman identified him in a statement, relating to Henchman's indictment for dealing numerous kilos of cocaine.

"I want to apologize to his family [Tupac Shakur] and for the mistake I did for that sucker [Jimmy Henchman]," Dexter Isaac told AllHipHop.com from prison. "I am trying to clean it up to give [Tupac and Biggie's] mothers some closure."

AllHipHop.com also posted a scanned copy of the confession letter, seen below. However, there is an interesting piece of this letter that doesn't seem to have been given much notice in the coverage of this news so far: Isaac indicates that Diddy may have had a hand in the incident as well.

Jimmy, you and Puffy like to come off all innocent-like, but as the saying goes: You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

Mr. Rosemond, I ask you: Are you going to flip on Puffy when the feds get you? To save yourself like you have done in the past? Because that's what a rat does. So in closing, we shall see who the rat is, in the near future.

Dexter Isaac's letter (click to enlarge)

If Isaac is telling the truth—and it's certainly hard to imagine why he wouldn't be at this point—then this news could only grow bigger in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

"The greatest emcee of all-time died on March 9th..."

March 9, 1997 was a gutshot to the world of hip-hop. Less than six months removed from the slaying of our patron saint, Tupac Shakur, and still trying to extract some kind of lesson from that tragedy, we were leveled by the senseless murder of our Big Poppa. Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace was gunned down by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles, amid rumors and reckless speculation that he had been behind Tupac’s homicide. The realization that Big—a good guy who “went from negative to positive,” and from “ashy to classy”—had been killed paralyzed us with shock and grief.

Biggie lit the way for a generation of emcees on the East Coast, while bringing a charismatic and authentic charm to hip-hop music nationwide; Pac infused raw emotion—be it anger, pain, joy, remorse, or even love—into songs that captivated the minds and hearts of fans. There was a sad poetry to the idea of two artists, who lived and breathed the frustration and danger of street life into every bar of their music, coming to such tragic ends. With their lyrics, Pac and Biggie each painted graphic murals of a world fraught with hardships, shortsighted reactions, and death. And in the end, they fell victim to the very same suffocating reality that they had tried to both illuminate and ultimately escape through hip-hop.

The clouds of anger and resentment that had lingered in the air after Pac’s death, and that had hindered our ability to see the foolishness of resolving petty beefs with violent acts, quickly lifted following Biggie’s shooting. Fourteen years later, we continue to mourn both men and search for answers. Police have made no arrests in connection with either case, and hardly seem interested in changing that. The media has moved onto other individuals in the entertainment world to overexpose and under-appreciate. Hip-hop’s fans have grown fractured and disillusioned; for the younger members of the community, too far removed from the East Coast vs. West Coast “feud” that erased our sense of invincibility, Pac and Biggie are more historical figures than lost idols. They know each artist’s music and story, but they simply can’t grasp the magnitude of the impact that their deaths had on older fans like me, who remember exactly where we were when the news broke the morning of March 9th.

R.I.P. Biggie. And R.I.P. Tupac. We miss you now, and will continue to until the day we join you.

Thursday Throwback: "Flava in Your Ear [Remix]" -- Craig Mack

One of the all-time sickest tracks—not to mention one of the sickest lineups for a remix.

Thursday Throwback: "Only You [Remix]" -- 112 ft. Notorious B.I.G. and Mase

This track still bangs, and it marked the debut of a young Mr. Betha in the then-burgeoning world of mainstream hip-hop.

Download: DJ Drama x Cookin' Soul "The Notorious B.I.G. Tribute" (Mixtape)

Cookin’ Soul flips the original samples used in Biggie’s classic albums into beats and features original appearances from the likes of Skyzoo, CL Smooth, La the Darkman, Willie the Kid, Grafh, Tek, Chaundon, Jean Grae and more.

Zip File Download

Via 2dopeboyz

Diddy discusses the relationship between Pac and Biggie

"It was like two children in grade school that just hit it off..."

Diddy also says that the west/east beef broke Biggie's heart.

Lil Kim Upset with "Notorious" Portrayal

I can’t say that I’m all that surprised by this; when you tell the story of a man involved in his fair share of controversy, your version is sure to conflict with that of at least one person among his surviving friends and family. I take no sides in this dispute—I haven’t seen the movie, and more importantly I wasn’t on hand to witness the events firsthand to know whether the film’s depiction is accurate—but I find Voletta Wallace and Wayne Barrow’s responses laughable. The fact that B.I.G. is the topic of the movie doesn’t absolve the people behind it from telling the truth regarding all people and events included in the telling of his story.

In a statement, she said: "The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a 'character' to create a more interesting story line instead of a person with talent, self-respect and who was able to achieve her own career success through hard work."

She added: "Even though my relationship with Big was at times very difficult and complicated (as with most relationships we have all experienced at one time or another), it was also genuine and built on great admiration and love for each other. Regardless of the many lies in the movie and false portrayal of me to help carry a story line through, I will still continue to carry his legacy through my hard work and music."

The AP article can be found here.

Download: Biggie Smalls demo tracks (2)

What's better than a Notorious B.I.G. track? A Notorious B.I.G. demo track.

But what's better than a Notorious B.I.G. demo track? Two Notorious B.I.G. demo tracks.

For those such as myself that can't get enough of Biggie's raw lyrics, here are two joints that are low quality but straight up uncut pure Colombian... rap music.

Zshare download Biggie "Love No Hoe"

Zshare download Biggie "Guaranteed Raw"

via 2dopeboyz

Biggie going hard live

Here's some old footage that is new to me of Biggie performing Unbelievable over a Mad Lion instrumental. Try to ignore the whistles in the background because they're annoying as fck. Still gives me chills to see B.I.G. doing his thing. So raw. Plus you got Puff in a soccer goalie shirt gettin hype.



via 2dopeboyz

Download: Jadakiss ft. Faith Evans "Letter to Big"

Here's an instant classic from The Notorious soundtrack. Kiss getting deep with the sentimental tribute to Biggie.

Zshare Download

KK with the dish via Nahright

17-year-old Biggie

Here's a clip of Biggie rappin on the street at the age of 17. I've never seen this footage and his mic presence as an amateur is mind blowing and this is why half of the world considers him the best ever.



via celebully