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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Remember when having a Jamaican chick talking trash in thick patois was a thing in hip-hop? Dr. Dre kind of set it off on the intro to his classic “Let Me Ride” from The Chronic. Two years later, Biggie (and producer Poke of Trackmasters) had a young Diana King adlibbing something fierce at the beginning of “Respect,” from Ready to Die.
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Words by Jesse Serwer—
Exactly a year ago, we published one of our most ambitious and most popular Toppa Top 10 lists, highlighting the influence of Jamaican culture on the lyrics of the Notorious B.I.G, from lamb’s bread weed references to collaborations with JA singer Diana King and Super Cat. As we celebrate what would have been the iconic Brooklyn rapper’s 40th birthday today, on the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, we’re back in that state of mind. Check out some of our favorite yard-ified Biggie tunes below, or read the whole Toppa Top 10 here.
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Words by Jesse Serwer
This Saturday, May 21, would be the 39th birthday birthday of one Christopher Wallace. Every Biggie fan knows he was Jamaican, but lesser known is the degree to which patois dialect and dancehall music informed his lyrics. While some instances are dead obvious—stop your bloodclot crying—others require some more explanation. In the spirit of the late Frank White, we figured we’d hit you with a little Biggie 101, so those that don’t know… now you know.
