Mog Blog #2: I Got A Story To Tell

Last evening while out & about on the town, I managed to score original copies of the two albums that comprise what I consider the "Official" Notorious B.I.G. discography. Ready to Die (pictured above) and Life After Death (pictured below) are both excellent examples of mid-late 90's hip-hop. All of the post-humous albums that have been released and make up the full Biggie catalog pale in comparison to these two classic (as far as I'm concerned anyway) records which were actually conceived and recorded while the man was still alive (Although Life After Death was released after Biggie's death). I was holding down a job at a record store at the time of Life After Death's release.... man that was an event. I don't know if it was the circumstances (Biggie's death), the um "demographic" that tended to shop in the mall I worked in, or if L.A.D. was really that huge of an album, but damn if that wasn't one of the busiest days we ever had in the store. I haven't worked in a record shop in a few years, but I imagine with the rise of Big Box stores, iTunes, and on-line retailers like Amazon, record releases aren't events anymore. What I do know, is that these two albums effectively showcase the greatness that was Mr. Christopher Wallace. From the hits to the slept-on's... these two albums are how hip-hop records should be done. I'm happy to (finally!) add them to my collection, and I'd recommend anyone to to do the same.