Remember B.I.G.: The 21 Samples Used In Life After Death

This Masquerade | George Benson

This track picks up where Ready To Die left off with “Suicidal Thoughts” opening up listener’s ears. But if you put your head close to the speaker, you can hear the silky guitar licks of George Benson welcoming you to the King of New York’s landmark offering.

In The Rain | The Dramatics

While The Dramatics are no stranger to Hip-Hop (see: Snoop Dogg’s “Doggy Dogg World”), this sample had a cinematic quality as Big turned into the Black Alfred Hitchcock and rapped as if he was channeling Martin Scorsese for “Somebody’s Gotta Die”.

Rise | Herb Alpert

In addition to flipping Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh‘s seminal rap classic, “La Di Da Di,” the D-Dot and Amen-Ra managed to cut up this Herb Alpert song that added a summertime vibe to the chart-topping smash hit, “Hypnotize”.

I Put A Spell On You | Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

The Nina Simone version is a strong companion to have for audiophile’s who loves music, but there’s something guttural about the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins version. A classic cut produced by the legendary DJ Premier, the song “Kick In The Door” was made equally famous for Biggie’s vicious venom laced for Nas, Jeru the Damaja, and Premo himself.

I Love You More | Rene & Angela

Even though this pairing of Jay Z and Big wasn’t as fruitful as say, “Brooklyn’s Finest,” the sampling of Angela Winbush’s “I Love You More” was pure ecstasy on wax. Easy Mo Bee adds some synths from Rod Stewart‘s “Do You Think I’m Sexy” which adds just the right amount of bounce to the cut.

I’m Glad You’re Mine | Al Green

The Reverend Al Green is sampled heavily on Life After Death, and on “What’s Beef,” you can hear the melody of dread dripping from the speakers. The “bizarre, rapper-style” used for this Hitmen-produced track cleverly uses the drums crisply, which has influenced rappers for the last 15 years.

PSK, What Does It Mean? | Schoolly D

Basically, this song was a reinterpretation of the Philly gangster rapper’s highly influential song. When this first broke out, it was one of the more popular songs on the album due to the classic drum break. Add Biggie’s cocky bravado over it and you have straight butter that makes the ladies and gangsters proud.

I’m Coming Out | Diana Ross

Another chart-topping hit for Bad Boy, Frank White and the crew found Stevie J killing it and earning his rep as a top-tier producer in Hip-Hop. Berry Gordy probably wanted a mint from the Brooklyn titan, but it was surely worth it as it has stood the test of time as a classic moment in Hip-Hop.

Hey, Who Really Cares? | The Whispers

Already a moody song performed by that R&B/Soul group with the twins, Biggie rhymes as if he’s the only rap mafia don. The Hitmen didn’t do much to flip the sample, but the added reverb and EQ work keeps “Ni***s Bleed” from sounding like a rehashed tale.

I’m Glad You’re Mine | Al Green

Remember those drums? Al Green’s “I’m Glad You’re Mine” reappears on one of the most hilarious stories ever told in rap. Big dishes on an episode where he takes a certain New York Knicks‘ girl and what happens when he gets caught. If you haven’t heard this, then you’re not studying your Hip-Hop properly.

More Than Love | The Ohio Players

Not much was done to this track featuring the legendary Dayton, Ohio funk band, but Stevie J and Diddy did it enough justice to find Bed-Stuy’s numero uno lyricist switching his style to keep up with the tongue-twisting talents of Cleveland’s own Bone Thugs ‘n Harmony for “Notorious Thugs”.

Missing You | Diana Ross

Did you know that Naughty By Nature‘s Kay Gee is a pretty dope producer? On “Miss U,” which features the vocal stylings of 112, Biggie laments a friend over the Diana Ross-sampled track. This marked the second time the Queen of Disco & Soul was used for the album.

Another Man | Barbara Mason

The rap world might’ve changed if we would’ve gotten a Lil’ Kim / Big collabo album. Sadly, we’ll never get that, but this Stevie J and Diddy produced track didn’t really deviate from the Barbara Mason original.

More Bounce To The Ounce | Zapp & Roger

Bee Mo Easy Productions, Inc. is probably still eating off of this standout cut from Life After Death, as Easy Mo Bee took Biggie out West for “Goin’ Back to Cali”. Everyone during the Golden Era of Hip-Hop has used Roger Troutman’s “More Bounce To The Ounce” to add some funkiness to their cuts, but Big was able to make it seem so effortless.

Valantra | Les McCann

Another Premo track, “Ten Crack Commandments” contained a sample of the classic Les McCann tune. It has since been reinterpreted in various ways by rappers all over the industry, but nothing will surpass hearing Public Enemy‘s rift over Frank White’s rules for trafficking.

Hey Love! | The Delfonics

This song was another one that wasn’t tampered with too much, but it allowed Christopher Wallace to show off his “B.I.G. style”. “Playa Hater” served as a cautionary, yet funny ode to those who need to be all about the dough.

Cavern | Liquid Liquid

Another classic break that has been sampled all throughout Hip-Hop, Stevie J put his foot in this one, which has ultimately become his signature style in the form of “Nasty Boy“. If you were old enough to rock out to this in the clubs, you would have witnessed that this was one of the standout tracks that the girls loved. All that thanks to the great sampling of Liquid Liquid’s “Cavern”.

My Flame | Bobby Caldwell

Produced by one of New York’s greatest, DJ Clark Kent, the ambitious cut titled “Sky’s The Limit” still serves as an anthem to this day. While Bobby Caldwell serves as the backdrop to the “dreams may come true” track, we mustn’t forget that D. Train’s “Keep On” helped to be the extra footing for this awesome joint.

Space Talk | Asha Puthli

D-Dot must’ve been searching in Pete Rock collection when he stumbled across this gem. The “Space Talk” tune would eventually become “The World Is Filled…” which featured Too $hort, Diddy and Big kicking pimp tales over the otherworldly beat.

For The Good Times | Al Green

Produced by “6 July” and Nashiem Myrick, they managed to flip the “You’re All I Need To Get By” song by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, but that haunting string chord that loops throughout the beat is all Al Green. The end result was “My Downfall,” which introduced the world to another level of Diddy trash-talking.

The Letter | Al Green

Despite the beef between Big, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, The Abbott appears on the second-to-last cut on Life After Death. Using Al Green yet again, RZA samples “The Letter” to give B.I.G. the ink to breathe life into “Long Kiss Goodnight”.

What is your favorite sample from Biggie’s Life After Death? Speak on it below in the comments.