What else really remains to be said about the legend that is The Notorious B.I.G.? He’s one of hip hop’s genuine icons, having dominated the East Coast during the nineties in a manner that the likes of Jay Z - with his supreme fame and massive net worth - and Nas, who’s widely considered to have turned out the finest hip hop album of all time in Illmatic, can only dream of. Despite the fact that he only produced two records in his lifetime - the second, the aptly-titled Life After Death, was released posthumously - his influence on the genre is practically unparalleled, with a lyrical style, flow and general swagger that have been imitated by many, but genuinely recaptured by none. Biggie was a stirring live performer, too, with raw footage included with the reissue of his seminal debut Ready to Die doing justice to the potency of his stage show; he was a superbly talented freestyler, and displayed a verbal versatility and slickness of delivery that his rivals simply couldn’t match. Whether he’ll ever be resurrected via hologram like his old adversary Tupac remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure; hip hop lost an awesome performer as well as a superb recording artist the day he passed.
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Charli XCX
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