Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter

[Lord S]

Does anybody have this CD? Is it a good buy?

I know there's a lot of collaboration on it...since Biggie really didn't have very much in the way of unreleased material, but is there anything new or is it all just remakes/remixes. I went to ohhla.com and checked out the lyrics for a few songs and noticed some remakes, and to be honest, was not too enthusiastic.

I went to HMV a couple of days ago and it was selling it for $25.99, and thought screw that! I'll just buy it off eBay.

What would you rate it out of 10? I didn't really mind all the guest appearances on 'Born Again', since it featured quite a bit of unreleased songs and verses...and they were pretty good, but I don't think I could put up with an even more watered down album.

Let me know what you guys think.

[The Mirrorball Man]

When a recording artist releases several albums after his death, the first posthumous album can be good (especially if it was almost finished before the artist's death), but the second one is guaranteed to suck. It's a rock'n'roll rule.

"Duets" is Biggie Smalls THIRD posthumous album. I don't have to listen to it to tell you that it's hydrochloric acid for the ears.

[Slade.]

They need to leave dead rappers dead. Nobody wants anymore crappy after death remixes and collabs with old throw-away verses.

And I'm a big Biggie fan.

[Lord S]

For those interested I did end up buying this CD...and to my surprise, it was very good.

Yeah there are a good number of remakes, (probably 6 or 7 of the 22 or so tracks), but they're remade exceptionally well. One strong point is that the mixing is much smoother on the collaborations as opposed to the somewhat choppy nature of those on 'Born Again'. A lot of "uh's" and 'yeah's" and other ad-libbing from Biggie in the background when others are rapping, making it seem like he's actually there. This is how 'Born Again' should have been done...as he seemed pretty disconnected from a lot of the songs in that CD.

Clearly the best track (for me at least) is 'Ultimate Rush' with Missy Elliot. A great collaboration as the flow between the two artists is exceptional, with tight editing, as they flirt back and forth.

Most touching is 'Hold Ya Head' with Bob Marley, which is essentially a remake of 'Suicidal Thoughts', but far more powerful with Marley's chorus. I'm not a guy that gets emotional when a celebrity dies...and the most I ever did when Biggie died was get a little choked up...but when you hear Marley's words, you can't but help shed a tear or two when you first listen to it. You really feel for his mom. :(

Overall a great album, and a fitting tribute for the King.

B.I.G. forever!

R.I.P.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

the best track is spit your game,mostly for krayzie bone's insane verse.