NEW YORK - In the eight years
since the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. (aka Christopher Wallace), the
hip-hop community's love for the rapper has never
wavered. On December 20, Sean "Diddy" Combs will offer
fans new tracks featuring the slain artist when
"Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter" hits stores.
The Bad Boy Entertainment/Atlantic Records album pairs
the
voice
of Biggie with some of today's most popular artists and
producers, among them Eminem, Jay-Z, R. Kelly and Mary
J. Blige. Biggie also is joined on several duets by
other such departed legends as reggae artist Bob Marley,
rapper Big Pun and his most notable rival, Tupac Shakur,
who was shot to death in 1996 and whose unsolved murder
has been linked to that of Wallace the following year.
To create the material, producers took Biggie's existing
vocals and created new tracks around them with the
living performers adding their parts. For the deceased
artists, vocals from both parties were wrapped around
new tracks.
Combs told Billboard that the album came about because
of the overwhelming demand from artists seeking to
sample Biggie's vocals.
"Different people wanted to utilize his vocals and do
duets with him on mix tapes," he said. "It showed us
that (a), there was still a huge demand for people to
hear Biggie's vocals, and (b), that other artists still
had love for Biggie even though he had such a short
career."
According to Bad Boy marketing director Jason Wiley,
picking the list of guest artists proved overwhelming.
"When (Diddy) made the announcement about the album, so
many people were enthusiastic about being on it. For
every artist that made the album, there's about 20 or 30
more that didn't," he said.
Such artists as Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam singer
Bobby Valentino, who shows up on "Living the Life," are
not taking their inclusion lightly.
"He contributed so much in changing the mind state of
hip-hop. It was a privilege to be asked to be a part of
this project," Valentino said.
Big Gee, one-fourth of Bad Boy South's Boyz N Da Hood,
who appears on "Hustler's Story," seconded Valentino's
sentiments, saying, "B.I.G. is the best MC to ever spit
on the mic. Being on this song is the opportunity of a
lifetime."
While Combs said crossover success is not his primary
goal, he does believe the guests featured on the album,
such as rock group Korn and Nelly, can help make the
project a mainstream hit.
"Honestly, we've never gone for that, but we think we
have that with the first single ("Nasty Girl"), which
has myself, Nelly and Jagged Edge on there. All of us on
the record have a track record at crossover."
The song, which also features newcomer Avery Storm, is
No. 43 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Another track, "Whatchu Want," featuring Jay-Z, is also
garnering spins.
Bad Boy is launching an extensive marketing campaign
that has an interesting theatrical component.
"We're partnering with the Loews movie theatres, so
you're going to hear his music there," Wiley said.
"You're also going to see posters and standees (in the
theatres) like there's a movie coming."
Bad Boy also has joined with Wal-Mart and BET to sell a
CD/DVD combo that offers consumers a chance to win a
limited-edition double-face Notorious B.I.G. watch. Bad
Boy has teamed with Biggie's mother, Violetta Wallace,
for a promotional tour that will push the album and her
memoir, "Biggie."
In addition, a never-before-seen Pepsi commercial that
the rapper shot shortly before his death will be
resurrected.
- REUTERS/Billboard
