9th
One of the most amazing things about Biggie’s music was that it was incredibly versatile.
Take Juicy for example:
On Ready To Die, it was a feel good hit, a retrospective story from crime to hip hop, his big pop “get”. It was the least depressing song on the entire record (he ended his first record with the song Suicidal Thoughts, in which he ends up committing suicide on the record, after all). Back in 1996, it was pure magic.
Fast forward to 2002, five years after BIG’s death: Bad Boy fell off, Eminem had blown up, Nelly was relevant, and BIG’s Brooklyn alumni, Jay-Z had made “it”. Obviously, BIG was still missed, and he was remembered, especially by Jay-Z, but specifically on A Dream:
On A Dream, Jay-Z gave us an introspective look on the pain of missing his old friend. Biggie’s first verse from Juicy is sampled here and used in a way that greatly pays homage to the G.O.A.T., where Jay shows that he’s learned from BIG’s mistakes, and understands the pitfalls to a luxurious lifestyle. At this point, BIG went from sounding like a hit party record to a bone chilling prophecy, with the same verse.
In 2006, sampling hit the fan with Girl Talk. The thing about mash ups are that, sometimes they work very well, when both samples go together harmoniously, while most do not, and Girl Talk examples this on Smash Your Head:
In the beginning of the track, there are a lot of hard hitting, nearly dissonant sounds. Then, “it” happens. The great contrast that changes the meaning of the whole record. The Biggie sample (Juicy!) pops up, and then Tiny Dancer pops up, and it becomes a magical party record.
The same verse goes from being a feel good radio hit, to a chilling prophecy, to a party record. What other rapper has ever achieved that through remixes after death?
