It took 17 years for another posthumous single to reach #1 after John Lennon in 1980, and then it happened twice to the same artist.
Rapper The Notorious B.I.G. was shot to death in his car in March of 1997 following a Soul Train Awards after-party. Two weeks later, his sophomore studio album — eerily titled Life After Death — was released and became an instant smash.
First single ‘Hypnotize‘ dropped a few days before the murder and debuted at #2, making it the most likely song on this list to have topped the chart absent the death of its creator. At any rate, it reached #1 in the immediate aftermath of Biggie’s shooting
Second single ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ was released in July that year and spent two weeks at #1. It replaced ‘I’ll Be Missing You,’ Puff Daddy’s tribute to Biggie, which had spent 11 straight weeks atop the chart.
Puff Daddy also featured on this song, making 1997 quite the year for him. Wonder how things have gone since.
I’m coming out
I’m coming
I’m coming out
I’m coming
[Verse 1: Ma$e]
Now, who’s hot, who not?
Tell me who rock, who sell out in the stores?
You tell me who flopped, who copped the blue drop?
Whose jewels got rocks?
Who’s mostly Dolce down to the tube sock?
The same old pimp, Mase
You know ain’t nothing change but my limp
Can’t stop till I see my name on a blimp
Guarantee a million sales, call it love or luck
You don’t believe in Harlem World, nigga, double up
We don’t play around, it’s a bet, lay it down
Niggas didn’t know me ’91, bet they know me now
I’m the young Harlem nigga with the Goldie sound
Can’t no Ph.D. niggas hold me down
Cudda schooled me to the game, now I know my duty
Stay humble, stay low, blow like Hootie
True pimp niggas spend no dough on the booty
And then you yell, “There go Mase!”, there go your cutie
[Chorus: Kelly Price]
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
[Verse 2: Diddy]
I’m the D to the A to the D-D-Y
Know you’d rather see me die than to see me fly
I call all the shots, rip all the spots
Rock all the rocks, cop all the drops
I know you thinking now, “When all the ballin’ stops?”
Nigga never home, gotta call me on the yacht
Ten years from now we’ll still be on top
Yo, I thought I told you that we won’t stop
Now what you gon’ do with a crew
That got money much longer than yours
And a team much stronger than yours?
Violate me, this’ll be your day, we don’t play
Mess around, be D.O.A., be on your way
‘Cause it ain’t enough time here
Ain’t enough lime here for you to shine here
Deal with many women but treat dimes fair
And I’m bigger than the city lights down in Times Square
Yea, yea, yea
[Chorus: Kelly Price]
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
[Verse 3: Notorious B.I.G.]
B-I-G P-O-P-P-A
No info for the DEA
Federal agents mad ‘cause I’m flagrant
Tap my cell and the phone in the basement
My team supreme, stay clean
Triple beam lyrical dream, I be that
Cat you see at all events bent
Gats in holsters, girls on shoulders
Playboy, I told ya, mere mics to me
Bruise too much, I lose too much
Step on stage, the girls boo too much
I guess it’s ‘cause you run with lame dudes too much
Me lose my touch? Never that!
If I did, ain’t no problem to get the gat
Where the true players at? Throw your Rolies in the sky
Wave ’em side to side and keep your hands high
While I give your girl the eye, player, please
Lyrically, niggas see B.I.G be flossin’
Jig on the cover of Fortune, 5-double-O
Here’s my phone number, your man ain’t got to know
I got the dough, got the flow down pizat
Platinum plus like thizat
Dangerous on trizacks, leave your ass flizat
[Chorus: Kelly Price]
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
[Break: Kelly Price]
What’s going on? (What’s going on?)
Somebody tell me (What’s going on?)
[Chorus: Kelly Price]
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
I don’t know what they want from me
It’s like the more money we come across
The more problems we see
I just looked back at your post on “Hypnotize” where you suggested you might dive deeper into B.I.G.’s music. Curious if you ever did that and if so what did you think?
Alas, I have not. But he is still on the long and growing list of artists I hope to explore further.