Duets: The Final Chapter (Bad Boy, 2005) by The Notorious B.I.G.

On paper, this isn't a terrible idea.  However, in reality, it is.  Remixing a lot Biggie of verses from his two classics over "current" beats with "current" rappers contributing new verses just doesn't work.  It sounds fake and forced.  The only saving graces to the album are the songs with unreleased material.  "Whatchu Want" with Jay-Z and "Living in Pain" (produced by Just Blaze) with 2Pac, Mary J. Blige, and Nas are both descent records.  But they still come nowhere near making up for the rest of the project.

You Can't Stop the Reign (Interscope, 1996) by Shaquille O'Neal

"A lime to a lemon, my D.C. women, bringin in to G-minumums to condos with elevators in them/vehicles with telivision's in them/watch they entoruage turn your's to just mirages, disaperin acts, strictly nines and macs/killers be sureal, Copperfeild material, my dreams is vivid, work hard to live it/any place I visit I got land there/how can players stand there and say I sound like them/hello, push wigs and back and push six coup's that's yellow/bust clips to expand some hand to elbow/spray up your days in, any teller you win/crack ?? to ?? is how I may be drivin/??? of street sweepers beside the beamer wagon/I rely on Bigs status, surely down if I die/put that on my diamond bezil/you're messin with the Devil/why"

- Notorious B.I.G., "You Can't Stop the Reign"

God's Plan (n/a, 2002) by G-Unit

The second set of tracks that 50 flooded the streets with continued his streak of album quality cuts on mix tapes.  50 and the G Unit not only jump on others artist's tracks and outshine the originals, they also bring their own personalities to them which made them rap stars, in addition to credible emcees.  "Catch Me in the Hood" and "You're Not Ready" finds them ripping through Eminem and Beanie Sigel cuts respectively.  Biggie is also featured on the tape.  Some of his vocals are used for "N****s" (Puff also does a drop at the beginning) and "The World is Filled…" track is rhymed over on "The World."  This is a good tape that proved 50 and his crew were ready for superstardom.  

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (Roc-A-Fella, 2002) by Jay-Z

This album does have too much filler, and could easily be cut down from a double album to a single one.  And there's "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" where Jay-Z and Beyonce take a Tupac classic [where his girlfriend is a metaphor for a gun] and make it a pop/rap record that, because of such a stretch, comes off as cheesy.  However, I can't fault the album for its approach.  Where the first Blueprint, sonically, focused on the past (i.e. where hip hop came from), this one wants to show where the genre can go.  The remix to "U Don't Know" featuring M.O.P. and "Show You How" are prime examples of refreshing and outstanding sounds, both courtesy of Just Blaze.  Jay-Z also demonstrates how hip hop can gel with other genres of music (i.e. rock- "Guns and Roses" featuring Lenny Kravitz and oldies pop which samples "My Way" by Paul Anka for the chorus).  Lyrically, the album also has some very strong points too.  Most notably, "Meet the Parents" where Jay-Z tells one of his most detailed stories ever and "A Dream" where he converses with the late, great Biggie Smalls.  Considering that this album is widely considered one of Jay-Z's weaker efforts, it is also worth noting that it is superior to most emcees greatest material.  Therefore, in addition to his best albums, Jay-Z is so good that even his "bad" ones can be used as evidence that he is one of the best emcees of all-time.  

Life After Death (Bad Boy, 1997) by The Notorious B.I.G.

"Uhh, I dreams filthy/My moms and pops mixed me with Jamaican Rum and Whiskey/Huh, what a set up/Shoulda pushed em dead off, wipe the sweat off/Uhh, cause in this world I'm dead off, squeeze lead off/Benz sped off, ain't no shook hands in Brook-land/Army fatigue break up teams, the enemies/Look man, you wanna see me locked up, shot up/Moms crotched up over the casket, screamin BASTARD/Cryin, know my friends is lyin/Y'all know who killed 'em filled 'em with the lugars from they Rugers/or they Desert, dyin ain't the shit but it's pleasant/Kinda quiet, watch my niggaz bring the riot/Giving cats the opposite of diets/You gain thirty pounds when you die no lie, lazy eye/I was high when they hit me, took a few cats with me/Shit, I need the company (uh-huh)/Apologies in order, to T'Yanna my daughter/If it was up to me you would be with me, sorta like/Daddy Dearest, my vision be the clearest/Silencers so you can't hear it/Competition still fear it, shit don't ask me/I went from ashy to nasty to classy, and still"                    -The Notorious B.I.G., "My Downfall" 

Reasonable Doubt (Roc-A-Fella, 1996) by Jay-Z

This is my favorite Jay-Z album.  It is also his wordiest album, but that is not a bad thing.  Because he was not catering to the mainstream at the time, it gave him more creative freedom.  "D'Evils" and "Can I Live" might not get played on the radio, but they hold up way better than anything that is.  And "Brooklyn's Finest", Jay's collaboration with The Notorious B.I.G., is the best duet in the history of hip-hop.  Even though everyone was making hustler-themed albums in the mid-90s, Reasonable Doubt is one of the only ones that has remained relevant over the years.  Jay-Z even performed the album in its entirety at Radio City Music Hall on its 10th anniversary.

Ready to Die (Bad Boy, 1994) by The Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie Smalls is still the illest.  The introduction on this album is the best intro ever, and the first time I listened to "Gimme the Loot" I thought it was two different emcees.  His flow on Ready to Die is absolutely ridiculous and the beats perfectly accentuate his grim lyrics.  Culturally, this album, along with Illmatic and Enter the Wu-Tang, helps shift attention back to New York hip-hop after years of West Coast dominance.  And even though Biggie is not the first emcee to die at the end of their album (see Scarface's debut), "Suicidal Thoughts" is the first time that I hear someone take his or her own life.