Notorious [Soundtrack] [PA]

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Artist: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony; Lil' Kim; Puff Daddy; Santogold; Faith Evans; Too Short; C. Wallace
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Despite a massive roster of engineers, mixers, and producers, the NOTORIOUS soundtrack is a remarkable capsule synopsis of the legendary the Notorious B.I.G.'s career. Every big hit is here, be it "Juicy," "Hypnotize," or "Warning," and they're all left mercifully unfettered by unnecessary remixes or new vocal contributions. Also included are a few new, tasteful posthumous collaborations, like the Santogold-spiced "Brooklyn Go Hard." But it's the totally raw, utterly early-'90s New York street demos of "Microphone Murder" and "Gangster Raw" that blow this collection's value out of the water, and make it an essential part of B.I.G.'s bulletproof canon. The soundtrack to the Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious is a welcome surprise. Selections from the past (a bunch of old hits plus some wonderfully raw demos) and the present (Jay-Z's infectious collabo with Santogold) along with a hint of the legacy's future (an appearance from Biggie's son, Christopher "CJ" Wallace, Jr.) are sequenced in a way that avoids any of the bombast or misguided majesty of Born Again or Duets, the other posthumous releases from the Bad Boy label. Best example, the album's strength can be found in the Biggie Jr. and Faith Evans track where departed father, widow, and son collaborate thanks to studio trickery. This "Legacy Remix" plays it casual, effortlessly mixing melancholy, nostalgia, and pride for something pleasingly smaller than Diddy's "I'll Be Missing You," which is notably absent. The Jadakiss track is heartfelt while Danny Elfman's short theme music winds up a wonderful noir dream, transporting listeners back in time and to a golden age Brooklyn. It's an ideal set up for the raw demos that follow, all of which sound better than any previous bootleg. Closing with a track called "Love No Ho" may see counterintuitive for an album honoring a late, great cultural icon, but for a man who truly lived the thug life and told its stories like few others could, it's a perfectly Biggie move. Don't think of it as the ultimate set or the best possible introduction, but the Notorious soundtrack is the closest the Bad Boy label has come to capturing the man's true spirit. ~ David Jeffries

Entertainment Weekly (p.67) - "[Fans] will relish a handful of rarities, including demo versions of 'Microphone Murderer' and 'Guaranteed Raw'..." -- Grade: B

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