"The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death album ended with "You're Nobody (Till Somebody Kills You)," an unintended but profound prophecy that is evident in the success of that posthumous release and the works of his rival Tupac Shakur. Both artists' impact hardly seems to have faded since their deaths. Perversely, their murders may have only helped sell their records and increase their legendary status. Following the success of Pac's Makaveli project and soundtrack appearances, R U Still Down? (remember me), a double-album set which consists of rare and previously unreleased tracks, was released last November ... these discs contain songs recorded in his pre-Death Row period from 1991-1994... While not possessing such a wealth of secret material, Biggie recordings like his verse on "It's All About The Benjamins," and his vocal assists on Puffy's No Way Out have all achieved acclaim in his passing. This will lead up to the release sometime next spring of a collection of hard-to-find material, including unreleased demo recordings." Check out "Changes," cont'd below...
"Although these "new" projects undoubtedly don't feature the best work from either Pac or Biggie, and include songs that probably wouldn't have been released had they lived, the message of these fallen soldiers is deeper than hype lyrics over a tight beat. Lance "Un" Riversa says "The duo truly represented the community. You're always going to have to come back to those two names." Even in death, the influence of these two rappers still shines and lives on through their music." - The Source, 1998. Below is an interview with Jay-Z, who discusses why he wasn't featured on Biggie's posthumous Born Again album, admittedly being sentimental and wanting to hold onto the cherished memories of them recording in the same studio together, not writing things down, and just working off that vibe. Honestly, I wish the Born Again and Duets albums never existed.