The Notorious B.I.G.
The 90 Greatest Albums of the ’90s
This article originally appeared in the September 1999 issue of SPIN. “You must be high.” We heard that a lot during the time we spent preparing this issue. Which is understandable. Pronouncing the 90 greatest albums of the ’90s is a somewhat presumptuous thing to do. When you’re measuring the music this decade is offering to history—the sounds we partied with, copulated to, fought about, and wept over—everyone has an opinion. That ours should be more valid than yours is debatable. But hey—it’s our magazine. What, then, you ask, constitutes “greatest”? Don’t even start. Suffice it to say that, after much heated discussion and countless veiled insults, it came down to the factors of both remarkable artistry and cultural shock value. Sometimes a record’s knock-you-off-your-Skechers impa...
The 35 Greatest Concerts of the Last 35 Years
We know, we know — the best concert of all-time is your friend’s obscure indie-punk band playing a sweaty neighborhood basement back in ‘94. We admit that one slipped through the cracks. Maybe it’s a fool’s errand, but this list is our attempt to narrow down three and a half decades of worthy live music events — legendary festivals, headlining tours from major artists, one-off stage collaborations, multimedia spectacles — into an eclectic and satisfying blend. – Ryan Reed 35. Heilung at Castlefest (8/5/2017) CREDIT: Gonzales Photo/PYMCA/Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Music-related viral clips tend to be silly and easily digestible, like the dude riding a skateboard to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” while sipping on Ocean Spray. So it’s heartening that Heilung’s debut l...
The Most Influential Artists: #17 The Notorious B.I.G.
As part of our 35th anniversary, we’re naming the most influential artists of the past 35 years. Today, we’re at #17. From Brooklyn, here is the Notorious B.I.G. Credit: New York Daily News Archive / Contributor For all the recording artists who died far too young in the “27 club,” it’s staggering that Christopher Wallace was even younger when he passed — and that he’d accomplished so much by age 24. Granted, his second solo album hadn’t yet landed in stores when he was shot on March 9, 1997. But that project, Life After Death, was the rare hip-hop double-LP where not a moment was wasted: spinning off multiple #1 singles, reaching Diamond certification, fleshing out one of the most impactful small discographies in rap history. The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 debut, Ready To Die, had a se...
The Notorious B.I.G Got Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Source: David Corio / Getty This past Saturday night (Nov. 7) the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted some of musics biggest names of the past few decades but aside from Whitney Houston, we feel that none was bigger than the OG King of New York, The Notorious B.I.G. Two decades after his untimely death, the musical genius of Brooklyn’s finest was finally recognized by the powers that be and becomes only the 7th Hip-Hop artist to receive the honor of having his legacy enshrined at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. After a moving segment showcasing Biggie’s meteoric rise to fame, the iconic rapper’s children, T’yanna Wallace and C.J. accepted the award on his behalf and described his legacy in a way we can all agree with. In her speech T’yanna said that though she didn’t have the chance to...
Notorious B.I.G.’s Son Shares Electrifying ‘Big Poppa’ House Remix
It was all a dream for The Notorious B.I.G., but this news is legit. Biggie’s son, Christopher “C.J.” Wallace, toasted his own big poppa on Tuesday by releasing a remix of his father’s career-altering smash “Big Poppa.“ It’s the first single from the upcoming Ready to Dance album, due out in September in conjunction with Frank White, a new lifestyle brand aiming to push Black creativity and self-expression with music. The name was also an alias for Biggie back in the day. Wallace produced the song and album with Jonathan Hay and Willie Mack. “This process has been an enlightening wake-up call and an adulting experience for me,” Wallace said in a release. “We always force ourselves to think bigger and more creatively about my Dad. When i...
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