The Notorious BIG — Hypnotize (1997)
Mo Money, Mo Problems (1997)
Biggie’s debut album Ready to Die was stacked with classic hits like “Juicy” and “Big Poppa,” and he even reached No. 2 with “One More Chance,” after it was remixed by Trackmasters. But it wasn’t until his sophomore effort, Life After Death, that he reached the Hot 100’s peak position, with both “Hypnotize” (May 3, 1997) and “Mo Money, Mo Problems” (Aug. 30, 1997). While every Biggie Smalls fan knows about the greatest rapper of all-time’s Jamaican heritage, few are aware of Life After Death’s other Caribbean connection: much of the production for the album was done in Trinidad, at Caribbean Sound Basin studio in Port of Spain. —Jesse Serwer