Disc One: 1.1 Life After Death Intro N/A 1.2 Somebody's Gotta Die ★★★★☆ Brilliant storytelling and rapping from the great. "If I go, you got to go." 1.3 Hypnotize ★★★★★ Classic. 1.4 Kick in the Door ★★★★☆ I don't love the production on this, but Biggie holds it down with his rhymes. 1.5 Fuck You Tonight (feat. R. Kelly) ★★★ I love R. Kelly but this is a poor girl track from Big. 1.6 Last Day (feat. The LOX) ★★★★☆ Enjoyable rapping and gutter hardcore beat. 1.7 I Love the Dough (feat. Jay-Z & Angela Winbush) ★★★★☆ Back when pop-rap was good. 1.8 What's Beef? ★★★★ Like Last Day, great rapping but the beat could have a lil something extra. "Beef is when I see you (I see you) Guaranteed to be an ICU, and I'm through" 1.9 B.I.G. Interlude N/A 1.10 Mo Money Mo Problems (feat. Ma$e & Puff Daddy) ★★★★ A bit too 'Puffy'... 1.11 Niggas Bleed ★★★★☆ 1.12 I Got a Story to Tell ★★★★ Disc Two: 2.1 Notorious Thugs (feat. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) ★★★★ Some nice fast rapping. 2.2 Miss U ★★★★ 2.3 Another (feat. Lil' Kim) ★★★☆ 2.4 Going Back to Cali ★★★★★ That funky beat! 2.5 Ten Crack Commandments ★★★★☆ 2.6 Playa Hater ★★★ LOL. Big gets his Barry White crooning going. Not as bad as it should be. 2.7 Nasty Boy ★★☆ I don't like this much at all. The worst beat on the album. 2.8 Sky's the Limit (feat. 112) ★★★★★ Smooth as silk. A great inspirational hip hop tune. 2.9 The World Is Filled... (feat. Too $hort & Puff Daddy) ★★★☆ Comes and goes. Nothing too memorable. 2.10 My Downfall (feat. D.M.C.) ★★★★★ You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You) Beta 2.11 Long Kiss Goodnight ★★★★☆ There's a bit too much going on on the chorus, but the verses and transition are good. 2.12 You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You) ★★★★★ One of my favourite tracks of all time. Thoughtful lyrics, verses, hook, and great production. Like Big did with 'Suicidal Thoughts' he gets deeper with the final track of the album. Overall, like his debut, the beats could be greater on a number of tracks, but as you'd expect Biggie can hold down a beat that isn't brilliant. Apart from that, there are some tracks such as 'Nasty Boy', 'Playa Hater' and 'Fuck You Tonight' that are particular let downs. A lot of good songs though. Very close to a 4.5/5

For me this is slightly better than her debut as the weaker moments are stronger and the best are still songs that I never tire of hearing. The build up in 'See You When You're 40' is superb. Best Tracks: White Flag, Life For Rent, See You When You're 40, Don't Leave Home, See the Sun

A few years ago I decided to try a whole album from Dido after remembering her hits from back in the day along with the 'Stan' feature and then it felt like all I played for weeks was Dido. This has a couple of moments that are too slow like 'My Lover's Gone' and 'Isobel' but the best all have immense replay value. Best Tracks: Here With Me, Hunter, Thank You, Slide, Take My Hand, Worthless

This is another "classic" that I'm not enamoured with. After having it at a rating of around 3/5, I've tried to give the album a relisten to see if an older, wiser me appreciates it more, but it wasn't long before I was reaching for the skip button. The production is quite similar on a lot of the tracks with Chuck D yelling at you, and when Flavor Flav gets a bit of time on the mic, on songs like 'Cold Lampin' with Flavor', the results aren't good. I don't love much '80s hip hop though, so keep that in mind I guess. Songs like 'Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos' stand out from the rest with the Isaac Hayes' 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic' sample. There are too many songs in the middle of the album that don't hit me. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆ Hooks: ★★ Best Tracks: Bring the Noise, Don't Believe the Hype, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, Party for Your Right to Fight

This is my second taste of The Tea Party after I got a lot out of 'Splendor Solis'. Again, I love their sound and this will encourage me to continue diving into their discography. After heaps of spins though, it is somewhat of a challenge to tell one track from another. They are a little too alike, but at the same time all great. The second half of 'Babylon' sounds a helluva lot like The Weeknd's 'Tears in the Rain'. It's a difficult album to turn off. Best Tracks: Psychopomp, Alarum, Release, Babylon, Emerald