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

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Born Again
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 7, 1999 (1999-12-07)
GenreHip hop
Length75:19
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: December 11, 1999

Born Again is the third studio album and first posthumous 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 remixed beats and newly recorded guest vocals.

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

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Pitchfork6.0/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
The Source[8]
The Village Voice(dud)[9]

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."[10] 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."[11] 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."[12]

Track listing

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Born Again" (Intro)Christopher Wallace
  • J-Dub
  • Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre
1:28
2."Notorious B.I.G." (featuring Lil' Kim and Puff Daddy)3:11
3."Dead Wrong" (featuring Eminem)4:57
4."Hope You Niggas Sleep" (featuring Hot Boys and Big Tymers)
  • Harvey Jr.
  • Wallace
4:10
5."Dangerous MC's" (featuring Mark Curry, Snoop Dogg, and Busta Rhymes)5:15
6."Biggie" (featuring Junior M.A.F.I.A.)
  • Nashiem Myrick
  • Pierre[c]
5:22
7."Niggas"
  • Wallace
  • Tony Dofat
  • P. Diddy
  • Ramahn "Jer-Z" Herbert
  • Clemont "Cash Us Clay" Mack
  • Winans[a]
  • Tony Dofat[d]
3:48
8."Big Booty Hoes" (featuring Too Short)
  • Vanderpool
  • Pierre[c]
3:27
9."Would You Die for Me" (featuring Lil’ Kim and Puff Daddy)
3:38
10."Come On" (with Sadat X)4:35
11."Rap Phenomenon" (featuring Method Man & Redman)4:02
12."Let Me Get Down" (featuring G-Dep, Craig Mack, and Missy Elliott)4:33
13."Tonight" (featuring Mobb Deep, Joe Hooker, and Puff Daddy)
  • P. Diddy
  • Chris "Cornbread" Cresco
  • Pierre[c]
  • RZA[d]
6:08
14."If I Should Die Before I Wake" (featuring Black Rob, Ice Cube, and Beanie Sigel)
  • Angelettie
  • Eric "Coptic" Matlock
  • Henri Charlemagne
  • Garrette "Blake" Smith[b]
  • Pierre[c]
4:51
15."Who Shot Ya?" (Radio Edit)Myrick3:48
16."Can I Get Witcha" (with Lil' Cease)Thompson3:36
17."I Really Want to Show You" (featuring Nas and K-Ci & JoJo)
  • Wallace
  • Ed Fox
  • Alan Scott
5:09
18."Ms. Wallace" (Outro)Voletta Wallace
  • Pierre
  • Voletta Wallace
3:21

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies a vocal producer
  • ^[d] signifies the original producer

Sample credits[13]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "American certifications – Mack, Craig – Funk Da World". Recording Industry Association of America.
  2. ^ Farley, Keith. "Born Again- The Notorious B.I.G." AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  3. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (January 14, 2000). "Ghetto Blasters". Entertainment Weekly. No. 521. New York. pp. 73–74. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Baker, Soren (December 10, 1999). "Record Rack: The Notorious B.I.G., 'Born Again'". Los Angeles Times. p. F36. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Greene, Jayson (March 9, 2017). "The Notorious B.I.G.: Born Again". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  6. ^ Touré (January 20, 2000). "Recordings: The Notorious B.I.G. – Born Again". Rolling Stone. No. 832. p. 55. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  7. ^ 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. 591. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ^ Parker, Erik "Mr. Parker" (March 2000). "Record Report: The Notorious B.I.G. – Born Again". The Source. No. 126. p. 256.
  9. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 1, 2000). "Consumer Guide: Happy You Near". The Village Voice. Vol. 45, no. 4. p. 111. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Bracket, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City: Fireside. p. 592. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Nas: Consumer Guide Reviews: The Lost Tapes". The Consumer Guide. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  13. ^ a b Born Again (booklet). Bad Boy, Arista. 1999.
  14. ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – BORN AGAIN (ALBUM)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – BORN AGAIN (ALBUM)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  18. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  19. ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  20. ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  21. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Born Again". Recording Industry Association of America.