FLASHBACK: Shaq ft. Notorious B.I.G. - Can't Stop The Reign

BIG CHOON!!!

Wait, wait, wait, I'm not done . . .
Shaq ft. Big Pun & Fat Joe - The Bigger They R

Biggie Smalls - Party & Bullshit

Alright, here it is. Blogger self-defense!

I had to make this post, because I hear you all thinking to yourselves, "How was 'Party & Bullshit' not the first Biggie song he heard?! Yo, you whack, B!"

Let's remember a few things. "P&B" was recorded back in '93. Well over a year before Ready To Die, and even before he changed his name from Biggie Smalls to Notorious B.I.G.. Biggie was a NOBODY when this came out. Look at the (official) video for efph sake. Shit, this is even before the mixtape era really got moving. There was no buzz around Biggie until "Juicy" anywhere outside of Brooklyn. Universally, nobody was really rockin' "Party & Bullshit" until after BIG died.

That said, this is probably my 2nd favorite Biggie song (behind "Unbelievable" and maybe "The What") Don't try to front on me and tell me you had a tape with this on it back in '93!

Jay-Z - Pass The Roc

Someone somewhere has unearthed some pre-Reasonable Doubt Jay-Z tracks. Supposedly, more are to be released in the upcoming days. Including a few featuring Biggie.

Hmmm . . .
On the off chance this is true, I want to be the first to say this (and I will make/wear my own t-shirt that says "Ask me about my hip-hop journalism skills" if I'm right): My guess is that this song was intended for the NBA Jam Session compilation that came out in '94. That tape was the first time I remember hearing Notorious B.I.G. (on this song with Heavy D). It was released about 7 months before Ready To Die. Given the theme, style, and relative cleanliness of Jay-Z's song, I'll take a shot in the dark and guess that this is where it was supposed to end up.

10.Deep & DJ Benzi: The New Deal Mixtape

You see the list of artist on the cover, so you know what it is.
Go get some.

While we're here . . .
You know...I'm STILL not feeling Charles Hamilton. I know, I know, I'm breaking "Hipster rap" protocol, but I'm being honest. It's not like I haven't tried. I check his stuff when it comes out...it just doesn't click with me. Dude is DEFINITELY a talented writer, and would do wonders ghostin' someone else's shit...but something about him on a beat just doesn't work for me. It might be his personality. He always sounds desperate for approval. Anyone who spends that much time telling people how much they don't care what we think...REALLY cares what we think. It's annoying.

Ah, well . . .