Greatest Hits [Clean] [PA] (CD - 2007)

Personnel: The Notorious B.I.G. (rap vocals); Krayzie Bone (vocals); Junior M.A.F.I.A. (rap vocals); J-Dub (strings); Tim McKasty (keyboards); Mario "Yellow Man" Winans, Poke (programming); Jack Knight (background vocals); Faith Evans, Total (vocals); Carlos "6 July" Broady (harpsichord); Pam Long (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Jagged Edge, R. Kelly, Ralph Tresvant, Avery Storm (vocals); Eminem, Fabolous, Ja Rule, Lil' Kim, Nate Dogg, Nelly, Diddy, Puff Daddy, Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Busta Rhymes (rap vocals).

Audio Mixers: Sean "Puffy" Combs; Diddy; Clark Kent; Ed Raso; Dave Aron; Eddie Sancho ; Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander ; Kenny Ortíz; Lane Craven; Mario Alberto Rodriguez; Michael Patterson ; Richard Travali; Axel Niehaus; Tony Maserati; Leslie Brathwaite.

Recording information: Caribbean Sound Basin, Trinidad; Chung King Recording Studios, New York, NY; Crack House Studios, New York, NY; D&D Recording Studio, NY; Daddy's House Recording Studios, New York, NY; Dopple Studios, Atlanta, GA; Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, GA; Quad Recording Studios, New York, NY; Sound On Sound Recordings, Inc., NY; Tha Country, Diamond Bar, CA; the Hit Factory, NY; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA.

Editor: Richard "Younglord" Frierson.

Photographers: Butch BelAir; Jonathan Mannion.

Considered by some to be the greatest MC of all time, the late Christopher Wallace had recorded just two solo LPs at the time of his death. Still, his mark on the genre has been indelible and his influence unending. Released to coincide with the 10th anniversary of his still-unsolved murder, GREATEST HITS mostly makes good on what its title promises.

Included in the 17-song tracklist are all the boom-box bangers that dominated the airwaves, MTV, and BET, and moved serious industry weight. From the infectious bounce of "Juicy" and the smoothed-out funk of "Big Poppa" to the fearsome gunplay of "Warning" and powerful lyrical precision of "Ten Crack Commandments," Big's talents and legacy are well-represented. Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, Ja Rule, Nate Dogg, and Ralph Tresvant are among the artists who take part in the posthumous studio collaborations rounding out GREATEST HITS.

Released to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G.'s death, Greatest Hits places the two "collaborate with a dead legend" albums -- 1999's Born Again and 2005's Duets: The Final Chapter -- on equal ground with Ready to Die and Life After Death, the two landmark albums Biggie released while he was on the planet. Anthologizing one of the most compelling figures in hip-hop history seems like a right thing to do. Basing such a release around four albums that are greatly divided between essential and inessential, however, amounts to something of a mess. Two obscurities are used where it would've made much more sense to select "Mo Money, Mo Problems" and "Going Back to Cali," two of the biggest hits not included on this disc, and it's really off-balance to include three tracks from Born Again when only one more is pulled directly from Ready to Die. Longtime fans need not go near this; the same goes for beginners, who should reach for Ready to Die. ~ Andy Kellman minimize