The Notorious B.I.G.

Considering it was released almost three years after his death, it'd be easy to dismiss the Notorious B.I.G.'s third album as a cash-in or merely a tribute album, similar to Puff Daddy's No Way Out. Fact is, Born Again includes a lot of previously unheard material from Biggie, and guest spots from Busta Rhymes, Redman and Method Man, Missy Elliott, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg work better than could be expected. It's difficult to say where all this material came from, but it's probable that the productions were simply arranged around old rhymes from Biggie himself. On most tracks, he takes a spotlight and then the guest rapper comes in. Thanks to executive producer Puff Daddy, it'd be easy to fool those not into hip-hop into thinking that the Notorious B.I.G. was still alive. The outro, a spoken-word reminiscence by Voletta Wallace (his mother), is a bit touching but also a bit ghoulish. For Notorious B.I.G. fans, this is another must-have, but for anyone that thinks the rap industry routinely goes too far in pursuit of the almighty dollar, Born Again is yet further proof. [The Japanese release features the same track listing as the standard release.] ~ Keith Farley, All Music Guide