The Notorious B.I.G.'s second album, 1997's Life After Death, was meant to be a sprawling celebration of his talents. It became a larger-than-life memorial to his lyrical talent and ambition, arriving in record stores 16 days after a hail of gunfire silenced his voice. This year, a deluxe box set will pay tribute to Life After Death - part of a year-long celebration planned in honor of what would have been his 50th birthday in 2022.
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The super deluxe 8LP set, available June 10, will include the original album spread across three vinyl discs, plus five additional 12" discs featuring the original singles that came from the album (all featuring unique remixes, edits and instrumentals): "Hypnotized," "Mo Money, Mo Problems," "Sky's the Limit" and "Nasty Boy." An accompanying booklet will include rare outtakes from the album cover shoot and new liner notes featuring an essay by Sheldon Pearce and reflections from key collaborators on the album. A 3LP edition of the original album, pressed on silver vinyl, will be available exclusively at Target.
While sales of the album were undoubtedly fueled by the tragic circumstances that preceded the release, Life After Death remains a cornerstone of late '90s hip-hop. The album topped the U.S. album charts for four weeks, while "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money, Mo Problems" spent a total of five weeks at No. 1 as well - two of four tracks from the Bad Boy label that spent a combined 22 weeks on top in 1997. The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards and was named as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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The late rapper's estate will kick off a yearlong celebration of Biggie's life and legacy on March 25, 2022, his date of birth. Themed as "Sky's the Limit," the celebration is set to include online events, HD upgrades of all his music videos and more surprises to be announced.