Born Again (The Notorious B.I.G. album)
| Born Again | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | December 7, 1999 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 75:19 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| The Notorious B.I.G. chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Born Again | ||||
| ||||
Born Again is the first posthumous
on December 7, 1999. It is composed primarily of early recorded verses with newer beats and guest rappers.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
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2014) |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  link |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ Born Again |
| Pitchfork | 6.0/10[3] |
| Rolling Stone | link |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
| Los Angeles Times |  link |
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
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Born Again" (Intro) | Andreao "Fanatic" Heard | 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[8]
- "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 .
- "Come On" contains samples of "For Mama", written by 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 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
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ 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
- ^ "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.
- ^ Greene, Jayson (March 9, 2017). "The Notorious B.I.G.: Born Again". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "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.
- 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.
- Phononet GmbH. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – BORN AGAIN (ALBUM)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ "Notorious B.I.G. | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ "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.
