Born Again is the third and final 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.
| Born Again | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 7, 1999 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 75:19 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| The Notorious B.I.G. chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Born Again | ||||
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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
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2014) |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [4] |
| Pitchfork | 6.0/10[5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| The Source | [8] |
| The Village Voice |  [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
editCredits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Born Again" (Intro) | Christopher Wallace |
| 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) |
|
| 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.) |
|
| 5:22 |
| 7. | "Niggas" |
| 3:48 | |
| 8. | "Big Booty Hoes" (featuring Too Short) |
|
| 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) |
| 6:08 | |
| 14. | "If I Should Die Before I Wake" (featuring Black Rob, Ice Cube, and Beanie Sigel) |
| 4:51 | |
| 15. | "Who Shot Ya?" (Radio Edit) |
| Myrick | 3:48 |
| 16. | "Can I Get Witcha" (with Lil' Cease) |
| Thompson | 3:36 |
| 17. | "I Really Want to Show You" (featuring Nas and K-Ci & JoJo) |
|
| 5:09 |
| 18. | "Ms. Wallace" (Outro) | 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]
- "Notorious B.I.G." contains samples of "Notorious", written by John Taylor, Nicholas Bates, and Simon Le Bon; performed by Duran Duran.
- "Biggie" contains samples of "Hang Your Head in Shame", written by Wes Farrell and John Bahler, performed by New York City.
- "Dead Wrong" contains a sample of "I'm Glad You're Mine", written and performed by Al Green.
- "Big Booty Hoes" contains samples of "Crab Apple" written by David Mathews, performed by Idris Muhammad. It also contains samples of "Bust a Nut", written by Luther Campbell, Christopher Wallace, |Frankie Cutlass and Allen Toussaint; performed by Luke.
- "Come On" contains samples of "For Mama", written by Charles Aznavour, Don Black, and Robert Gall; performed by Doc Severinsen. It also contains re-sung elements of "Theme from Mahogany", written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser.
- "Rap Phenomenon" contains samples of "Keep Your Hands High", written by Thom Bell, Roland Chambers, Kenneth Gamble, Ike Lee, Tracey Lee, and Christopher Wallace; performed by Tracey Lee.
- "Let Me Get Down" contains samples of "Love Serenade", written and performed by Barry White.
- "Tonight" contains samples of "Just Say Just Say", written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, performed by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye.
- "Who Shot Ya" contains samples of "I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over", written by Allie Wrubel and Herbert Magidson, performed by David Porter.
- "Can I Get Witcha" contains samples of "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)", written and performed by Bell and James.
- "I Really Want to Show You" contains samples of "Charisma", written by Ed Fox and Alan Scott, performed by Tom Browne.
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[23] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "American certifications – Mack, Craig – Funk Da World". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Farley, Keith. "Born Again- The Notorious B.I.G." AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (January 14, 2000). "Ghetto Blasters". Entertainment Weekly. No. 521. New York. pp. 73–74. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Soren (December 10, 1999). "Record Rack: The Notorious B.I.G., 'Born Again'". Los Angeles Times. p. F36. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ Greene, Jayson (March 9, 2017). "The Notorious B.I.G.: Born Again". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Parker, Erik "Mr. Parker" (March 2000). "Record Report: The Notorious B.I.G. – Born Again". The Source. No. 126. p. 256.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (February 1, 2000). "Consumer Guide: Happy You Near". The Village Voice. Vol. 45, no. 4. p. 111. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Bracket, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City: Fireside. p. 592. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Nas: Consumer Guide Reviews: The Lost Tapes". The Consumer Guide. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ a b Born Again (booklet). Bad Boy, Arista. 1999.
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – BORN AGAIN (ALBUM)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – BORN AGAIN (ALBUM)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "American album certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Born Again". Recording Industry Association of America.