MUSIC

RIP Biggie: The Best Songs by Notorious B.I.G.

While the late Brooklynite was only able to put out two albums before his untimely death, both works are regarded as some of hip-hop's greatest contributions.

Mark Lennihan/AP/Shutterstock

One of Hip-Hop's most prominent icons The Notorious B.I.G. was senselessly gunned down at a red light in Los Angeles on this day in 1997.

He was heading home from a Vibe Magazine party when a gunman rolled down his window and opened fire. The death has remained unsolved and has unearthed a vast number of conspiracy theories in its 23-year wake. Highlights include theories that P. Diddy was responsible for the murder and that the late rapper isn't dead at all, and rather he was recently spotted alive on an island in Greece.

While the late Brooklynite was only able to put out two albums before his untimely death, both works are regarded as some of hip-hop's greatest contributions. To rank any of his songs is impossible; there are simply too many great entries to count. Still, there were a few lyrical gems that monumentally redefined East Coast rap and proved Biggie to be one of the greatest storytellers of all time.

Here are a few of his crowning musical achievements to honor the immense talent of The Notorious B.I.G.:

Gimme the Loot

Biggie's mastery of the pen is undisputed, but on "Gimme the Loot," off 1994's Ready To Die, all his strengths seem to click right into place. His flow is so tight that fans thought for years that the track's quippy call-and-response was done by Biggie and another uncredited rapper. His stream of consciousness lyricism makes listeners feel that they're hitting a lick right alongside him, and his tales of late night violence are haunting and captivating.

"Man, I throw him in the fiend you grab the f*cking cream
And if he start to scream, bom bom, have a nice dream
Hold up, he got a f*cking b*tch in the car
Fur coats and diamonds, she think she a superstar. Ooh Biggie let me jack her, I'll kick her in the back
Hit her with the gat. Yo chill shorty, let me do that
Just get the f*cking car keys and cruise up the block

The b*tch act shocked getting shot on the spot. Oh sh*t the cops!"

Everyday Struggle

"Everyday Struggle" isn't as play-by-play as "Gimme The Loot," but it once again demonstrates the raw poetry of Biggie's rhymes. He is undoubtedly a victim of his circumstances and is drawn to street life not by his own doing but by circumstances completely out of his control – he even calls out Mayor Giuliani by name. Suicide often lingers in the back of his mind, but he unfortunately knows that the only way out is through. "That's just how the shit go in the struggle motherf*cker," he says with a shrug.

"But they don't know about the stress-filled day
Baby on the way mad bills to pay
That's why you drink Tanqueray
So you can reminisce and wish
You wasn't living so devilish, sh*t."

Ni**as Bleed

An eerie slow-burning tale of an impending drug deal, Biggie's haunting thoughts and anxieties are put on full display all the way up through the track's explosive conclusion. Biggie's eye for unsettling detail is uncanny, and the story is soaked in unrelenting tension that doesn't let up. It builds in an almost theatrical way, before exploding in the final verse with the ferocity of a Quinten Tarantino film. Through it all, Biggie remains unmoved by such grotesque violence, instead, he finds a dark humor in knowing that his enemies car just got towed for double parking. His emotional distance from violence is the track's most haunting quality.

"That's when Ron vanished, came back speaking Spanish

Lavish habits, two rings, twenty carats
Here's a criminal, n*gga made America's Most
Killed his baby mother brother, slit his throat
The n*gga got bagged with the toast
Weeded, took it to trial, beat it
Now, he feel he undefeated, he mean it
"Nothing to lose" tattooed around his gun wounds
"Everything to gain" embedded in his brain
And me? I feel the same..."

10 Crack Commandments

"10 Crack Commandments" is undeniably witty and offers the catchiest how-to guide for novice crack dealers. It has been cited as one of Biggie's greatest hits, solely because of its unique balance of cold authenticity and dark humor.

"Number 3, never trust no-bo-dy
Your moms'll set that ass up, properly gassed up
Hoodied and masked up, shit, for that fast buck
She be laying in the bushes to light that ass up"

You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Kills You

The final song off of Biggie's final album is one of the rapper's most haunting tracks, to say the least. Released after his death, the song is drenched in fear, self-doubt, and betrayal, with the seemingly unshakable B.I.G. mumbling in defeat, pleading, "I don't wanna die, God tell me why." It was as if he knew that people were coming for him, the song his attempt at salvation and coming to terms with what he thought was imminent. It all makes his death even more devastating.

"As I leave my competition, respirator style
Climb the ladder to success escalator style
Hold y'all breath, I told y'all, death
Controls y'all, Big don't fold y'all, uhh
I spit phrases that'll thrill you
You're nobody til somebody kills you"

MUSIC

Immature Talk Reunion Tour, New Songs, and Relentless Passion

Popdust caught up with the legendary trio right before they hit the road.

After the monumental success of B2K's "Millenium Tour" earlier this year, Marques Houston was approached by his cousin and B2K member, J Boog, with a big idea.

"At first it was a little back and forth cause we're kinda older now," said Immature's Marques Houston. "We didn't know if we wanted to do it, but [J Boog] is very convincing." J Boog proposed that Marques "Batman" Houston, Jerome "Romeo" Jones and Kelton "LDB" Kessee reunite and bring back Immature. With Ray J in tow, the group signed on for a mega reunion tour, with DAY 26, J Holiday, and B5 performing as openers. The trio will release a greatest hits album on November 1st.

"It felt really good to be back in the studio, and be back around the guys," said Houston. "It was all very natural." The guys will kick off the "TBTour" at Madison Square Garden's Hulu Theater this November. "We're just excited to get back on stage and make some memories with the fans," said Kessee. As for new music, four new songs were recorded for the greatest hits album, but the trio was mum on further details. "When we all got back together we decided we were gonna put all our focus on the tour," said Jones. "The four new songs are just where we're at musically right now." It's true that a lot has changed in the last 18 years. The trio has become involved in many business endeavors, Marques and Jerome even own a film company together, but they're determined to make Immature a priority once more. "Nothing can go on hold," Houston said. "When you're passionate you gotta be passionate about everything."

Buy tickets to the "TBTour" here.

Follow Immature on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

MUSIC

Christina Aguilera's 10 Best Songs

She's the Voice of a Generation, Offering Up One of the Most Iconic Songbooks of all Time.

Xtina can basically sing anything.

Christina Aguilera is the voice of our generation. Since arriving in the late '90s with the sultry "Genie in a Bottle," a cut from her self-titled debut record, she went on to shake up contemporary pop music in a big way. Her voice is both angelic and a force to be reckoned with ⎯⎯ she'll make you cry on her ballads and fist-pump ferociously on her anthems. Through six non-holiday studio albums, ahead of her long-awaited comeback disc, Liberation, the pop star helped mold an entire generation of music, steeped in her soaring vocals, sass and class, and her willingness to push the envelope.

Below, we've compiled our picks for 10 Best Christina Aguilera Songs. Take a look:


"Fighter" (2002's Stripped)

Armed with fire in her eyes, strictly arena-rock guitars and unwavering swagger, Aguilera unleashes all hell. "Fighter" is a modern classic, employing signature power notes while also pushing the stylistic envelope. She rises like a phoenix out of the ashes, shakes off the remnants and barrels ahead with a thicker skin and a resolve to never settle for less. "Thanks for making me a fighter," she spits. The grisly tune plays as a kiss-off to an ex and a reminder that tough times only serve to strengthen her will.

"Candyman" (2006's Back to Basics)

Evidence of her genre-blurring sensibility, on "Candyman," Aguilera mingles scatting, jazz, doo-wop, and jaunty bubblegum-pop. Even with such a classically-structured composition, double entendres are still buried deep within the lyrics. "I met him out for dinner on a Friday night / He really had me working up an appetite," she sings, utilizing candy's allure for lust. "He had tattoos up and down his arm / There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm." The kicker comes on the hook, of course, "He's a one stop shop, makes the panties drop / He's a sweet-talkin', sugar coated Candyman..."

"Blank Page" (2012's Lotus)

2012's Lotus is an underrated gem, way ahead of its time. It garnered lukewarm reviews, but it contains some of her most masterful performances. "Blank Page" is a stark, searing piano ballad which witnesses some of her most accomplished vocal nuances of her career. At times, she tears mountains apart, and in other moments, she weaves a brittled and silky web. What more can we say?

"Ain't No Other Man" (2006's Back to Basics)

Lauded as her best album to-date, Back to Basics up-ended pop music in a major way. "Ain't No Other Man" is the cream of the crop, and rightfully so. The bodacious anthem blends throwback doo-wop with a funky modern groove. "I told my mother, my brother, my sister and my friend / I told the others, my lovers, both past and present tense / Every time I see you everything starts making sense," she sings, framing the song in her post-marriage world. It's not necessarily a "love song" by specific terms, but it does contain plenty of schmaltzy emotions.

"The Voice Within" (2002's Stripped)

As a weathered anthem about rising above adversity, Aguilera advises young girls not to "hide," she sings. "You'll never change if you just run away / Young girl, just hold tight / And soon you're going to see your brighter day." The staunch, sweeping power-ballad serves as a reminder that the storms are only fleeting, and the sun will crest the horizon soon enough. On the hook, she urges to look inward for the strength, "When there's no one else, look inside yourself / Like your oldest friend / Just trust the voice within / Then you'll find the strength that will guide your way / If you learn to begin / To trust the voice within."

"Genie in a Bottle" (1999's Christina Aguilera)

The pop superstar set the precedent early on for her sex-positive image. From the scratchy percussion to warped piano and synths, "Genie in a Bottle" is as infectious as it was nearly 20 years ago. Using the image of the classic genie from Aladdin as a point of culture reference, she flips the meaning into sexual stimulation. "If you wanna be with me, baby there's a price to pay / I'm a genie in a bottle, you gotta rub me the right way," she coos. "If you wanna be with me, I can make your wish come true / You gotta make a big impression, I gotta like what you do."

"Beautiful" (2002's Stripped)

Perhaps her most well-known ballad, "Beautiful" is another highly-charged empowerment song about pulling out of the darkness. Through self-reflection, Aguilera spins a universal web of self-acceptance and inner beauty, carved in her own insecurities and journey to renewal. "I am beautiful no matter what they say / Words can't bring me down / I am beautiful in every single way," she affirms, over a smooth choral of strings. "Yes, words can't bring me down, oh no / So don't you bring me down today."

"Lady Marmalade," featuring P!nk, Lil' Kim, and Mya (2001's Moulin Rouge! soundtrack)

It'd be a tragedy not to include one of the great all-women collaborations of the modern era. A cover of the 1974 Patti LaBelle hit, the reimagined version fuses old school soul and funk into a sassy and spirited blend. "Touch of her skin feeling silky smooth / Color of cafe au lait, alright / Made the savage beast inside roar until he cried," Aguilera warbles in between production flourishes and background wails.

"You Lost Me" (2010's Bionic)

Piano ballads are Xtina's bread and butter, but this Bionic standout is downright haunting. In the aftermath of a breakup, which resulted from her beau cheating, the embers are hard to extinguish. "I feel like our world's been infected / And somehow you left me neglected / We've found our lives been changed / Babe, you lost me," she caterwauls over blustering strings and ivory.

"Hurt" (2006's Back to Basics)

The last thing Aguilera said to her father before he died was that she hated him. It's something she regrets to this day. And more importantly, she never had time to apologize. So, she wrote this searing, orchestral-enriched ballad about the could haves, would haves and should haves. "Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you / For everything I just couldn't do / And I've hurt myself by hurting you," rings out the chorus, undeniably blistered, tattooing the pain right on the listener's skin. It's a stunning, raw and evocative performance and remains Aguilera's most honest.


Jason Scott is a freelance music journalist with bylines in B-Sides & Badlands, Billboard, PopCrush, Ladygunn, Greatist, AXS, Uproxx, Paste and many others. Follow him on Twitter.


POP ⚡DUST | Read More…

INTERVIEW | Sheppard Shoot For The Stars With New Album, 'Watching the Sky'

READY TO POP | Allie X, Camille Trust & More Tear Through Torrential Balladry

INTERVIEW | Owl City Sheds Whimsy For Stunning Honesty On New Album, 'Cinematic'