Similar Albums:
- Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
- Rating:
- Release Date: December 20, 2005
- Type: Contains explicit content
- Genre: Rap
Review
The weight of Notorious B.I.G.'s legacy is so profound that most major rap MCs and R&B singers alive -- and some who are dead -- are willing to be attached to it in whatever form possible. It could also be argued that anyone with the means is more than willing to profit from it in a monetary way. Here's Duets: The Final Chapter, released just before Christmas Day 2005, following 1999's Born Again, which was released just before Christmas Day 1999. Like Born Again, Duets takes bits of unused material from the late legend, and that can entail full-blown verses, looped declarations, or punctuative interjections. On some tracks, Biggie's presence is no more prominent than a handclap or a snare hit. Check the lead track "It Has Been Said," where he's limited to "what," "ungh," "yeah," "ha-ha," "uh-huh." If you can get past the fact that a lot of tracks barely feature the headliner, or listen without imagining the original contexts of the patched-together scraps, Duets can be sporadically riveting. The list of guests is overwhelming, with Jay-Z, Nas, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, R. Kelly, T.I., Slim Thug, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, the Clipse, Snoop Dogg, and Freeway representing roughly half of the involved. Only a few tracks contain significant Biggie contributions, and it's not as if they provide any further insight or add to his long-established legend. Many of his vocals are not pulled from professional studio-quality recordings, which only makes them sound more displaced. Perhaps Korn's Jonathan Davis put it best when he told Billboard about the project: "It's f*ckin' weird to be doing a song with someone who is deceased!" His description applies to what it's like to listen to the disc. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| B.I.G. Live in Jamaica (Intro) [Live] | Nelly | (1:22) | |
| It Has Been Said (Lyrics) | The Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, Obie Trice | (3:18) | |
| Spit Your Game | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Notorious B.I.G., Twista | (4:09) | |
| Whatchu Want (Lyrics) | The Notorious B.I.G., Jagged Edge | (3:54) | |
| Get Your Grind On (Lyrics) | The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Big Punisher | (5:24) | |
| Living the Life | Jerry Butler, Barry White, Craig Mack, |
Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Ludacris, Bobby Valentino, Cheri Dennis | (4:28) |
| The Greatest Rapper (Interlude) | The Notorious B.I.G. | (0:08) | |
| 1970 Somethin' (Lyrics) | Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey, Diana King, |
The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, The Game | (3:25) |
| Nasty Girl (Lyrics) | The Notorious B.I.G., Jagged Edge, |
(4:46) | |
| Living in Pain | Mary J. Blige, Mario Winans, |
Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Mary J. Blige | (4:01) |
| I'm with Whateva (Lyrics) | Barbara Mason, |
The Notorious B.I.G., Korn, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones | (2:33) |
| Beef | Burt Bacharach, Bunny Sigler, |
Mobb Deep, The Notorious B.I.G. | (4:57) |
| My Dad (Interlude) | The Notorious B.I.G. | (0:10) | |
| Hustler's Story | Scarface, The Notorious B.I.G., Akon | (5:47) | |
| Breakin' Old Habits | Scarface, The Notorious B.I.G., T.I. | (4:36) | |
| Ultimate Rush (Lyrics) | Isaac Hayes, |
The Notorious B.I.G., Missy Elliott | (3:48) |
| Mi Casa (Lyrics) | The Notorious B.I.G., Charlie Wilson, Jim Jones | (4:12) | |
| Little Homie (Interlude) | The Notorious B.I.G. | (0:34) | |
| Hold Ya Head | Rita Marley, Lord Finesse, |
Bob Marley, The Notorious B.I.G. | (2:45) |
| Just a Memory (Lyrics) | Billy Preston, |
The Notorious B.I.G., Clipse | (4:30) |
| Wake Up (Lyrics) | The Notorious B.I.G., Korn | (3:35) | |
| Love Is Everlasting (Outro) | The Notorious B.I.G. | (0:57) |
