The Top Ten Songs by Notorious B.I.G

Perhaps one of the top five emcees of all time, B.I.G. did in two albums what most rappers haven't: craft an enduring legacy that serves as an inspiration to generations of future emcees. Here are his top ten songs.

Big Poppa, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, 1994

One of the smoothest player-anthems hip-hop has ever produced, B.I.G. exudes charisma and confidence that few today can match, over an ice cold Isley Brothers sampled instrumental.

Notorious Thugs, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death, 1997

Over his relatively brief career, B.I.G. was only able to collaborate with a small fraction of hip-hop's stars. This collaboration with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is even more notable for the fact that B.I.G.'s superlative verse is in the Cleveland quintet's signature triple cadence flow, and surpasses their own verses.

What's Beef, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death, 1997

A curt and brutal retort to every rapper that had problems with him, What's Beef, on the surface, explains that beef occurs in the streets, not over the airwaves. Beneath the surface is a menacing and effective threat to any rapper who might want to push his buttons.

The What, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, 1994

Another of B.I.G.'s relatively rare collaborations with then-ultra-popular emcee Method Man, this song features a number of exuberant and witty lyrics illustrating that these two emcees were among the top-tier of lyricists in hip-hop.

Juicy, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, 1994

Juicy displayed not only B.I.G.'s charisma and charm, but his humility. The song is so down-to-earth that you can't help but feel some vicarious pride upon hearing it.

Warning, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, 1994

B.I.G.'s ominous tale of betrayal and robbery recalled the best lyrical tales of slick Rick and Nas, and catapulted him into the top-tier of hip-hop storytellers.

I Got a Story to Tell, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death, 1997

It's a tossup as to who was hip-hop's premier storyteller in 1997. This song-a witty tale of a robbery gone wrong, along with Life After Death's Somebody's Got to Die, You're Nobody Til Somebody Kills You, and others could go head to head with the best tracks on Nas' It Was Written, Jeru's Wrath of the Math, Jay-Z's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, even Ghostface's Ironman. The serene instrumental and clever lyrics are ample evidence that B.I.G.'s skills were first class.

You're Nobody Till Somebody Kills You, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death, 1997

As eerie as the track was, released two weeks before his death, but recorded sometime before, it resonates as much because of its essential truth: impoverished inner city youth are rarely celebrated or even recognized. This might intuitively seem untrue concerning B.I.G. after his success, but glimpse how his legend has grown since his passing.

One More Chance remix, 1994

Superior to the album version in every aspect, this lewd anthem was a hit featuring both B.I.G. and his soon-to-be wife Faith Evans on the track. He's got to many quotable rhymes here, including the heavily reused:

"Isn't this great? Your flight leaves at eight
Her flight lands at nine, my game just rewinds
Lyrically I'm supposed to represent
I'm not only the client, I'm the player president"

Victory, Puff Daddy's No Way Out, 1997

It may have been a posthumous release but it was a potent reminder of why B.I.G. was-and is-considered one of the sharpest lyricists ever to pick up a microphone.

Other Top Ten Rap Artists Lists