If there was anything worthwhile about the fabricated east coast/west coast wars, Biggie and TuPac delivered two of the greatest albums in "Life After Death" and "All Eyez on Me".
I am hardly a hip hop head. Those two albums were great in any genre.
The day I heard both of these albums, their brilliance brought me to tears. The fact at two young black talented men were killed senselessly broke my heart.
I took Kirk Burrowes, former General Mgr. of Bad Boy to see Diana Ross at Radio City. He was so blown away, the next thing he tells me that he turned Puffy on Diana's classics.
Puffy began sampling Diana emphatically. Puffy sampled, of all things, one of her more classical adult contemporary #1s, "Theme from "Mahogany" ("Do You Know Where You're Going To?") on his first album. Then on "Life After Death", Biggie replicates her smash 4 week #1, "Missing You" on "Miss U". And then, of course, Diana's "I'm Coming Out" as the soundbed of the iconic "Mo Money, Mo Problems". Initially, Diana refused to accept credit on the single due to the "west coast/east coast wars". It effectively became her 21st #1 Hot 100 smash despite Mariah Carey incorrectly took credit because of 18/#1s. Diana's "Upside Down" was sampled on "Cold Rock the Party" co-produced by Puffy. Her trying
ñ"Telephone" hit was also transformed into another hip hop hit.
"Life After Death" is impressive in many ways due to widespread sampling like Rene and Angela for the descriptive "I Love the Dough". Another highlight is his impressive collaboration with Bones, Thugs & Harmony. And, of course, you cannot forget his anti-diss anthem "Goin' Back to Cali".
Not as cinematic as "Ready to Die", but, "Life After Death" is a classic as saddens settles in to know that we will never get to experience all that his future promised.