Born Again (The Notorious B.I.G. album)

Born Again is the first posthumous compilation album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records on December 7, 1999. It is composed primarily of early recorded verses with newer beats and guest rappers.

Born Again
Compilation album by
ReleasedDecember 7, 1999 (1999-12-07)
Genre
Length75:16
Label
Producer
The Notorious B.I.G. chronology
Life After Death
(1997)
Born Again
(1999)
Duets: The Final Chapter
(2005)
Singles from Born Again
  1. "Dead Wrong"
    Released: October 26, 1999
  2. "Notorious B.I.G."
    Released: January 3, 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert Christgau link
The A.V. Club(favorable) link
Entertainment WeeklyB+ link
Pitchfork6.0/10[2]
Rolling Stone link
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]
Los Angeles Times link

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 485,000 albums sold in the first week, and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA on January 14, 2000 and has sold over 2,350,000 copies in the United States.[4] Born Again received generally mixed reviews from music critics.

Critical reception

The album generally received mixed reviews from critics. In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Touré wrote that the "album won't damage his legacy. But Born Again won't improve that legacy much, either."[5] Rob Sheffield later wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide, "the posthumous Born Again proved Biggie was still dead, but his place in the MCs Hall of Fame remains untouchable."[6] Robert Christgau, who gave the release a "dud" rating, later wrote, "Remember that posthumous outtakes CD Bad Boy attributed to Biggie? No? Good then—it was foul, not just ill shit but stupid ill shit."[7]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Born Again" (Intro)
  • Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre
  • J Dub
1:28
2."Notorious B.I.G." (featuring Lil' Kim and Puff Daddy)Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool3:11
3."Dead Wrong" (featuring Eminem)4:57
4."Hope You Niggas Sleep" (featuring Cash Money Millionaires)Mannie Fresh4:10
5."Dangerous MC's" (featuring Mark Curry, Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes)Nottz5:15
6."Biggie" (performed by Junior M.A.F.I.A.)Nashiem Myrick5:22
7."Niggas"
3:48
8."Big Booty Hoes" (featuring Too $hort)Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool3:27
9."Would You Die for Me" (featuring Lil’ Kim and Puff Daddy)Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool3:36
10."Come On" (featuring Sadat X)DJ Clark Kent4:37
11."Rap Phenomenon" (featuring Method Man & Redman)DJ Premier4:02
12."Let Me Get Down" (featuring G-Dep, Craig Mack and Missy Elliott)Timbaland4:33
13."Tonight" (featuring Mobb Deep and Joe Hooker)Cornbread6:08
14."If I Should Die Before I Wake" (featuring Black Rob, Ice Cube and Beanie Sigel)
  • Henri Charlemagne
  • Coptic
  • D-Dot
4:51
15."Who Shot Ya?" (Radio Edit)Nashiem Myrick3:48
16."Can I Get Witcha" (featuring Lil' Cease)Chucky Thompson3:36
17."I Really Want to Show You" (featuring Nas and K-Ci & JoJo)Andreao "Fanatic" Heard5:09
18."Ms. Wallace" (Outro)
3:18


Notes/Vocal sample sources
  • Biggie's vocals from "Notorious" come from "Real Niggaz (Freestyle)"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Dead Wrong" come from "Dead Wrong» (Original Version) (1994)"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Hope You Niggas Sleep" come from "Dead Wrong» (Original Version) (1994)"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Niggas" come from "Niggas (Original Version)"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Big Booty Hoes" come from "Bust A Nuke" by Luke ft. Notorious BIG (1996)
  • Biggie's vocals from "Would You Die for Me?" come from "Friend of Mine"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Come On" come from "Come On» (Original Version) (1994)"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Rap Phenomenon»" come from "Kick In The Door?" and "The What"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Let Me Get Down" come from "Let Me Get Down" (Original Version) with Craig Mack
  • Biggie's vocals from "Tonight" come from "Long Kiss Goodnight"
  • Biggie's vocals from "If I Should Die Before I Wake" come from "Stop The Breaks" by Ron G ft. Killa Sin, KRS-1, Notorious BIG & Raekwon
  • Biggie's vocals from "I Really Want to Show You" come from "Everyday Struggle"

Sample credits

  • "Notorious B.I.G." contains a sample of "Notorious", performed by Duran Duran.
  • "Dead Wrong" contains a sample of "I'm Glad You're Mine", performed by Al Green.
  • "Biggie" contains a sample of "Hang Your Head in Shame", performed by New York City.
  • "Big Booty Hoes" contains a sample of "Crab Apple", performed by Idris Muhammad from the album Turn This Mutha Out.
  • "Would You Die for Me" contains a sample of "Kiss", performed by Prince.
  • "Come On" contains a sample of "For Mama", performed by Doc Severinsen and excerpts from the film Harlem Nights.
  • "Rap Phenomenon" contains a sample from "Risin' to the Top" performed by Keni Burke.
  • "Let Me Get Down" contains a sample of "Love Serenade (Part II)", performed by Barry White from the album Just Another Way to Say I Love You.
  • "Tonight" contains a sample of "Just Say Just Say", performed by Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross from the album Diana & Marvin.
  • "If I Should Die Before I Wake" contains a sample of "This Is for the Lover in You", performed by Shalamar.
  • "Who Shot Ya?" contains a sample of "I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is Over", performed by David Porter.
  • "Can I Get Witcha" contains a sample of "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)" performed by Bell & James, "Humpin'" performed by The Gap Band and "Life Will Pass You By" performed by Faith Evans.
  • "I Really Want to Show You" "Charisma" by Tom Browne and contains interpolations of "Come and Talk to Me", performed by Jodeci.
  • "Niggas" contains a sample of "(Don't Worry) if There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" by Curtis Mayfield.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[8] 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 47
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 82
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 70
US Billboard 200[12] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 1

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14] 2x Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

  • List of number-one albums of 1999 (U.S.)
  • List of number-one R&B albums of 1999 (U.S.)

References

  1. Farley, Keith. "Born Again- The Notorious B.I.G." AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  2. Trammell, Matthew (March 9, 2017). "The Notorious B.I.G.: Born Again". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  3. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Notorious B.I.G.". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 592. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. "American certifications – Mack, Craig – Funk Da World". Recording Industry Association of America.
  5. "Notorious B.I.G.: Born Again : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 20 January 2000. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  6. Bracket, Nathan with Christian Hoard, ed. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Fireside. p. 592. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. Christgau, Robert. "Nas: Consumer Guide Reviews: The Lost Tapes". The Consumer Guide. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  8. http://www.billboard.com/artist/418733/notorious-big/chart?f=335
  9. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – BORN AGAIN (ALBUM)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  11. "Notorious B.I.G. | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  12. "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  13. "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  14. "American album certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Born Again". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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