How “B.I.G.” was his Life After Death?

In the Hip-Hop world the month of March will forever represent both a time of mourning and a time of celebration over one of the greatest emcees of all-time – The Notorious B.I.G. On March 9th 1997, six months after the death of Tupac Shakur, B.I.G. was murdered in Los Angeles, and fifteen days later his first posthumous album, Life After Death, was released to the masses. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard charts and in 2000 it was the first Hip-Hop album to be certified Diamond, just a mere three years after its initial release. Since its debut, Life After has been considered a classic effort in most Hip-Hop circles, but there has always been talk among Hip-Hop heads that the album is considerably overrated due to Biggie’s early demise. Additionally, there’s a continued debate on whether or not Life After actually surpasses his solo debut, Ready to Die, and for all these reasons and more, Life After is arguable one of the most controversial Hip-Hop albums to ever be released. In celebration of the life of one of Hip-Hop’s largest cultural icons, I’ll re-review Life After Death to see how the album holds up after twelve years. I’m assuming that the majority of the audience reading this article has atleast partially listened to this album, and if not, I suggest you finish reading this article then proceed to you’re local CD store and purchase this album, now.