Faith Evans and the Notorious BIG - The King & I

The Guardian 80

(Atco)

Biggie’s active career lasted less than three years, yet his estate still wanders the graveyard with a spade and a spreadsheet. Ex-wife Faith Evans might deliver some impressive vocal performances, but her careful curation of his legacy utterly misses the point. Biggie was a monstrous, visceral mix of trash and class, sex and death, tragedy and comedy. He was never boring, unlike this compilation of tired productions and mawkish interludes. Duets should be meetings of equals. Instead, the greatest rapper of all time is propped up slack-jawed and open-eyed in the corner of each track – less The King & I, more Weekend at Biggie’s.