Words by Nick Slay
In modern hip hop, it may feel like mumble rappers (as Samuel L. Jackson calls them) are king. However, many of Biggie’s verses still hold up today as when he originally penned them.
If you turn on any Hip-Hop radio station (terrestrial or satellite), you’d be hard pressed to go one day without one song from the late King of NY, Biggie Smalls. The reason? His bars and punchlines remain as relevant today as when he originally owned New York City airwaves during the golden age of Bad Boy Records. Many a rapper has recited or recycled a Biggie verse, but they rock. From Lil’ Wayne to Jay-Z to students of the game, rehashing or reusing a biggie verse just makes sense if you want to add an extra emphasis to your phrase or bring nostalgia to your verse. Today in remembrance of the once and enduring king of hip hop, we take a look at some of his slickest verses that have stood the test of time.
“All it’s taking, is some marijuana and I’m making MCs break fast, like flap-jacks and bacon” – Wickedest Freestyle
“Niggaz is mad I get more butt than ashtrays.”– Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)
“Honeys play me close like butter played toast” – Juicy
“Number 3: Never trust no-bo-dy / Your moms’ll set that ass up, properly gassed up / Hoodie to masked up, sh*t, for that fast buck / she be layin in the bushes to light that ass up” – Ten Crack Commandments
“Will I f*ck em? Will I diss em? That’s what these hoes yellin’ / I’m a pimp by blood, not relation / Yall still chase em, I’ll replace em” – The World Is Filled
“Kick in the door, wavin’ the four-four / All you heard was Poppa don’t hit me no more” – Kick In The Door
“I leave my competition, respirator style / Climb the ladder to success escalator style” – Nobody
“I got nines in the bedroom, Glocks in the kitchen / A shotty by the shower if you wanna shoot me while I’m sh*ttin” – If I Should Die Before I Wake
“I got seven Mac-11’s, about eight .38’s / Nine 9’s, ten Mac-10’s, the shits never end / You can’t touch my riches / Even if you had MC Hammer and them 357 b*tches” – Come On
We close out this recognition of one of the best lyricists in history, with tributes by two of the people that knew Biggie best, Faith Evans and Diddy:
— Diddy (@Diddy) March 9, 2018
We leave with Biggie’s biggest Billboard record of all time: “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy, Ma$e and Kelly Price
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 1 for two weeks (1997):
