From the Record Crate: Mary J. Blige – “What’s the 411?” (1992)

Not many artists would start their debut project by incorporating phone messages from other producers and artists praising their first album.  Well, that’s just what hip hop/soul legend Mary J. Blige did on her 1992 record What’s the 411?  By…

From the Record Crate: Notorious B.I.G.- “Life After Death” (1997)

The genre of hip hop in the 1990s was all about storytelling.  No one was better at that then Notorious B.I.G.  With only two studio albums under his belt, Biggie Smalls is still considered to be one of the most…

“When I die, f**k it I wanna go to hell,” I’m Ready to Die (A Retrospective)

B.S. I apologize for any glamorization of any part of this album retrospective. For some odd reason I’ve considered the Notorious B.I.G. the epitome of NY Hip-Hop. Biggie blew up, within his area of Brooklyn, due to his slick flow…