"Notorious Thugs" | |
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Song by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | |
from the album Life After Death | |
Released | March 25, 1997 |
Genre | |
Length | 6:07 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) |
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"Notorious Thugs" is a song by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. featuring American hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from the former's second studio album Life After Death (1997). It was produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Stevie J. The song contains a sample of "More Than Love" by Ohio Players.
The Notorious B.I.G. wanted to collaborate with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony on the song and tried to contact them, but they initially ignored him and did not want his offer because of Biggie's feud with fellow rapper 2Pac. Biggie then asked rapper Fat Joe to help connect him with the group. Joe convinced Bone Thugs-n-Harmony by suggesting the advantages of such collaboration and was eventually able to fulfill Biggie's request, [1] with the group's manager Steve Lobel setting up the collaboration. Biggie studied Bone Thugs' signature flow before recording his verse at home. [2] [3] According to Lobel, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony finished their contribution to the song in less than one and a half hour. [3]
The song features a keyboard sample in the production and rapid-fire rapping, with verses from The Notorious B.I.G., Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone and Layzie Bone. [4] B.I.G. refers to 2Pac with the line "so-called beef with you-know-who", calling their feud "bullshit", while Bone Thugs-N-Harmony also disses Three 6 Mafia. [5]
Cheo Hodari Coker of Los Angeles Times praised Biggie's performance, writing he "uses Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapid-fire rhyme patterns so effectively that he could have become the group's sixth member." [6] Michael A. Gonzales The Source commented that Biggie "holds his own" with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and "That ambitious track alone reveals Smalls' diversity as an MC and his desire to be viewed as the greatest in his field." [7]
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
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US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ( Billboard ) [8] | 36 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [9] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content.
Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, the Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits the Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
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Bone Thugs-n-Harmony is an American hip hop group composed of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Flesh-n-Bone. Formed in 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio, the group signed to fellow American rapper Eazy-E's Ruthless Records in late 1993, on which they debuted with their EP Creepin on ah Come Up the next year. The EP included their breakout hit single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone". In 1995, the group released its second album E. 1999 Eternal, which included hits "1st of tha Month" and "East 1999". Their hit song "Tha Crossroads", a tribute to then-recently deceased mentor Eazy-E, won a Grammy Award in 1997.
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