Top 10 Notorious B.I.G. Songs

This is purely my list.  Purely my preference.  There were bigger hits.  There were better crafted songs.  Many people can look at this list and think, "what is he thinking?  Where is ___________?"  All that is true.  This, to me, is the list I'd make just because I enjoy listening to the songs.

10-HYPNOTIZE

I reluctantly place that on the list.  I know it is a crossover hit.  But when I make my Biggie compilation CDs it makes the cut just because it is catchy.  Not so much the hook as the actual jumpy lyrics and beat.  Sad that it pushed the "Ten Crack Commandments" off this list, but I'm just being real.

9-YOU'RE NOBODY (TIL SOMEBODY KILLS YOU)

His last song on his last album.  I just love the mood of the song and the wordplay.

8-BIG POPPA

Another one of his hits and one of the few "hits" that I like.  I never go to this right off the bat, but after listening to all my other favorite Biggie tracks this one has that chill feel to it.

7-LONG KISS GOODNIGHT

Probably on no one's list of his greatest songs, but I love RZA's beat and the fact that the song is seemingly aimed at Tupac.  While I had no real side in the Great Rap War, it was nice to see Biggie actually stretch out in a track like that.  Note that this was released after Tupac was murdered.

6-THINGS DONE CHANGED

To the uninitiated, this was the perfect song to jump off his debut album.

5-GIMME THE LOOT

When the only rapper that can hang with you on a track is you ... that's pretty good.

4-NOTORIOUS THUGS

This would rank higher but for two things.  One, the three songs ahead of it are just so good.  Two, the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony verses.  They don't suck, but I tend to find myself listening to the intro, Biggie's verse and then either skipping to the next song or going back to the beginning and listening again.  Maybe I get through Bizzy Bone's verse but rarely do I get all the way to Layzie's.  The fact that this song is like that and yet it sits at #4 tells you the strength of the intro and Biggie's verse.

3-WARNING

I said this the other day:  This is one of those tracks you can listen to in the car, sing those lyrics word-for-word like you own it and not care if people stare at you from other cars.  Plus, I'm one of those crazies who enjoys thinking back to songs that could only be made in the Golden Era of Hip Hop when we had pagers.

2-JUICY

This may be his greatest achievement.  Like I said, this is my preference and this is better than most songs anyone has ever made, it still sits at #2.  The track is everything.  Great storytelling of how his life blew up due to hip-hop.  Not just flashing all the cool stuff he has, but admitting that this is some wild shit!  Anyone who has had to struggle understands how it feels to finally achieve success and get some money in their pocket.

1-PARTY AND BULLSHIT

I'm honest when I say this: I was all over this track when it came out on the Who's The Man soundtrack.  Beside's House Of Pain's title track, "Party" was always getting played when I popped in that disc.  He was called "BIG" on the track listing and I had no clue who he was.  All I knew was I was excited for whenever his album was coming out.