Duets: The Final Chapter

by The Notorious B.I.G.

Overview

The weight of Notorious B.I.G.'s legacy is so profound that most major rap MCs and R&B singers alive -- and some who are dead -- are willing to be attached to it in whatever form possible. It could also be argued that anyone with the means is more than willing to profit from it in a monetary way. Here's Duets: The Final Chapter, released just before Christmas Day 2005, following 1999's Born Again, which was released just before Christmas Day 1999. Like Born Again, Duets takes bits of unused material from the late legend, and that can entail full-blown verses, looped declarations, or punctuative interjections. On some tracks, Biggie's presence is no more prominent than a handclap or a snare hit. Check the lead track "It Has Been Said," where he's limited to "what," "ungh," "yeah," "ha-ha," "uh-huh." If you can get past the fact that a lot of tracks barely feature the headliner, or listen without imagining the original contexts of the patched-together scraps, Duets can be sporadically riveting. The list of guests is overwhelming, with Jay-Z, Nas, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, R. Kelly, T.I., Slim Thug, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliott, the Clipse, Snoop Dogg, and Freeway representing roughly half of the involved. Only a few tracks contain significant Biggie contributions, and it's not as if they provide any further insight or add to his long-established legend. Many of his vocals are not pulled from professional studio-quality recordings, which only makes them sound more displaced. Perhaps Korn's Jonathan Davis put it best when he told Billboard about the project: "It's f*ckin' weird to be doing a song with someone who is deceased!" His description applies to what it's like to listen to the disc. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	01/09/2006
Label:	Bad Boy Entertainment / Warner Bros.
UPC:	0075678388521
Rank:	58539

Tracks

1. B.I.G. Live in Jamaica (Intro)
2. It Has Been Said
3. Spit Your Game
4. Whatchu Want
5. Get Your Grind On
6. Living the Life
7. The Greatest Rapper (Interlude)
8. 1970 Somethin'
9. Nasty Girl
10. Living in Pain
11. I'm with Whateva
12. Beef
13. My Dad (Interlude)
14. Hustler's Story
15. Breakin' Old Habits
16. Ultimate Rush
17. Mi Casa
18. Little Homie (Interlude)
19. Hold Ya Head
20. Just a Memory
21. Wake Up
22. Love Is Everlasting (Outro)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Notorious B.I.G.   Primary Artist
Avery Storm   Primary Artist
Nas   Primary Artist
Big Gee   Primary Artist
Jagged Edge   Primary Artist
Freeway   Primary Artist
Fat Joe   Primary Artist
Mary J. Blige   Primary Artist
Charlie Wilson   Primary Artist
Slim Thug   Primary Artist
Juelz Santana   Primary Artist
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony   Primary Artist
Obie Trice   Primary Artist
Nelly   Primary Artist
Faith Evans   Primary Artist
Akon   Primary Artist
Missy Elliott   Primary Artist
2Pac   Primary Artist
Bob Marley   Primary Artist
Big Pun   Primary Artist
Korn   Primary Artist
T.I.   Primary Artist
Clipse   Primary Artist
Eminem   Primary Artist
Jay-Z   Primary Artist
Twista   Primary Artist
Scarface   Primary Artist
R. Kelly   Primary Artist
The Game   Primary Artist
Mobb Deep   Primary Artist
Diddy   Primary Artist
Snoop Dogg   Primary Artist
Ludacris   Primary Artist
Cheri Dennis   Primary Artist
Bobby V   Primary Artist
Jim Jones   Primary Artist
Tyanna Dream Wallace   Vocals
Makeba Riddick   Vocals
Karen Anderson   Vocals
Steve King   Bass,Guitar
Voletta Wallace   Vocals
Ebony Black   Vocals
Rob Mathis   Conductor
Capricorn Clark   Vocals
Sandra Park   Conductor
Scram Jones   Scratching
Luis Resto   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Jonathan Davis   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Scram Jones   Audio Production,Producer
Clinton Sparks   Audio Production,Producer
Joe Hooker   Audio Production
Scott Storch   Audio Production,Producer
Chink Santana   Audio Production
Reefa   Audio Production
Havoc   Audio Production,Producer
Stevie J   Audio Production
Just Blaze   Audio Production,Producer
Jazze Pha   Audio Production,Producer
Vidal Davis   Audio Production,Producer
Andre Harris   Audio Production,Producer
Faith Evans   Audio Production,Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Coptic   Audio Production
Sean Cane   Audio Production,Producer
Nate Hills   Audio Production
Swizz Beatz   Audio Production,Producer
Eminem   Audio Production,Mixing,Producer
J-Dub   Audio Production
Juelz Venguer   Engineer
Candi Shand   Marketing
Wayne Barrow   Producer,Executive Producer
Mike Guidotti   Assistant Engineer
Jason Phillips   Composer
Andrew Slade   Assistant Engineer
Steve Fisher   Engineer
Gwendolyn Niles   Project Manager
King James II   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Bryan Ellis   Engineer
John Bedo   Engineer
Mr. Rogers   Engineer
Michael Carlos Jones   Composer
Lucas McClelland   Assistant
Victor Abijaudi   Engineer
George "Funky" Brown   Composer
Chris Martin   Composer,Composer
O'Shea Jackson   Composer
Jayceon Taylor   Composer
Elizabeth Rosen   Illustrations
Brandon Casey   Composer
Bunny Sigler   Composer
Calvin Broadus   Composer
Glen Marchese   Mixing
Corte Ellis   Engineer
Jaymz Hardy-Martin III   Engineer
Andrew Dawson   Engineer
Kori Anders   Assistant Engineer
Joseph Cartagena   Composer
Christopher Bridges   Composer
Eric "Erk" Vargas   Engineer
Chris Soper   Assistant Engineer
Jason Carson   Engineer
Tony Campana   Engineer
LaRon James   Composer
William Conti   Composer
Dwight Grant   Composer
Stayve Thomas   Composer
James "Munky" Shaffer   Composer
Nate Oberman   Engineer
Marshall Mathers   Composer
Jerry Butler   Composer
Ralph Cacciurri   Engineer
Mary J. Blige   Composer
Meekaaeel Muhammad   Composer
Mike T.   Engineer
Obie Trice   Composer
Marvin Yancy   Composer
Dave Hyman   Engineer
Missy Webb   Assistant Engineer
Missy Elliott   Composer
Mister Cee   Associate Executive Producer
Andy Geel   Editing,Digital Editing
Danja Mowf   Producer
Nasir Jones   Composer
Phillip Hurt   Composer
David Brown   Assistant Engineer
Jean Louhsdon   Composer
Claydes Smith   Composer
Steve King   Mixing
Marcella Araica   Mixing
Steven Howse   Composer
Carl Mitchell   Composer
Leslie Pridgen   Composer
Trevell Coleman   Composer
Osten Harvey   Composer
Trevor Smith   Composer
Burton Smith   Composer
Rahim Beyah   Composer
Kaz Tabata   Composer
Kejuan Mujita   Composer
Oliver Lain   Composer
Ephrem Lopez   Composer
Kimberly Jones   Composer
Bryon McCane   Composer
Albert Johnson   Composer
Nashiem Myrick   Composer
Stephen Garrett   Composer
The Notorious B.I.G.   Executive Producer
Lamont Dozier   Composer
Korn   Composer
Corey Woods   Composer
Craig Mack   Composer
Barbara Mason   Composer
Christopher Rios   Composer
Carlos Broady   Composer
Barry White   Composer
Earl Toon   Composer
Patrick Dillett   Engineer
Daniel Betancourt   Engineer
Brad Jordan   Composer
Chris Gilbert   Engineer
Cornell Brown   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Christopher Wallace   Composer
Shawn Carter   Composer
Tatsuya Sato   Engineer
Henri Charlemagne   Composer
Voletta Wallace   Liner Notes,Executive Producer
Daniel Mitchell   Engineer,Pro-Tools,Digital Editing
Lindsay Rodman   Project Coordinator
Geno Sims   A&R
Nico Solis   Engineer
Rob Mathis   String Arrangements
Josh Monroy   Engineer
Dwayne Carter   Composer,Composer
Reed "Mountain Man" Taylor   Assistant
Cornell Haynes   Composer
PR Breakz   Composer
Leroy Watson   Composer
Dean Taylor   Composer
Cliff Harris   Composer
Jalacy Hawkins   Composer
William E. Pettaway Jr.   Production Coordination
Mark Pitts   Executive Producer
Francesca Spero   Project Coordinator
Michael Berman   Engineer,Vocal Tracking
Todd Gaither   Composer
Ruben "Swift" Vidal   Engineer
Christopher Stern   Creative Director
Anthony Henderson   Composer
Christopher Walker   Composer
Reginald Arvizu   Composer
Clifford Harris   Composer
Billy Preston   Composer
Brian Casey   Composer
Leopold Ross   Production Assistant
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
George Johnson   Composer
David Frederic   Engineer
Ryan West   Engineer
Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey   Composer
DJ Green Lantern   Producer
Harve Pierre   A&R,Producer,Executive Producer
Eric Matlock   Composer
Isaiah Abolin   Assistant Engineer
Tony Dofat   Mixing
Steven Jordan   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Jack Knight   Composer
Gene Thornton   Composer
Charles Aznavour   Composer
Joey Brooks   Composer
Andy Gallas   Assistant
Dennis "D.T." Thomas   Composer
Lord Finesse   Composer
Rashad Smith   Composer
Leslie Brathwaite   Mixing
Aliaume Thiam   Composer
Rita Marley   Composer
Dennis Coles   Composer
Tupac Shakur   Composer
John Carpenter   Composer
Robert "Kool" Bell   Composer
Ian Mereness   Digital Editing
Sandra Park   String Arrangements
Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie   Composer
Diana King   Composer
Darryl McDaniels   Composer
Black Mambo   Composer
Joseph Jones   Composer
Mario Winans   Composer,Producer
Rich Keller   Mixing
Ronald Bell   Composer
Luis Resto   Producer
Sean Combs   Composer
Tony Maserati   Mixing
Terry Date   Mixing
Steve Sola   Mixing
Atticus Ross   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Kelly Price   Composer
Kevin Wilson   Mixing,Assistant Engineer
Chris Athens   Mastering
Isaac Hayes   Composer