B.I.G. Legacy

“If you don’t know, now you know…”

Well, it’s due out this Friday, so I would imagine that during the sneak previews and such that media folks get on Thursday night there should be a bootleg version of Notorious uploaded somewhere within a few hours. Here’s hoping.

As if the myth that’s risen around Biggie since his death wasn’t enough to keep his name in the mouth and on the lips of every other rapper on the planet, the lead up to the release of the film has deepened that admiration. And thanks to DJ Parler (Par-lay), listeners, fans and fanatics can have an audio taste of what awaits them in theaters this weekend.

Parler runs a blog – in addition to having an addiction to records – where a great deal of timely video can be found. It’s nothing ground breaking and his mixes are exponentially more entertaining. But if you missed the Dilla tape, you can still stream it even though the download link is dead and gone. Who knows what rapper/producer Parler has his eyes set on, but whoever it is, it’ll sho’ be funky.

Within the first minute of this newly released mix from Parler, there are countless Biggie samples and even a bit of Black Starr. That should hook you immediately. If it doesn’t, during the first five minutes Screamin’ Jay Hawkins gets a minute to shine before the mix moves back to Ready to Die.

THE FILE isn’t too hefty – it’s less than 50 megs – which means that it’s a pretty abysmal bit rate. But despite that, it sounds pretty crisp. Well, it does outta my giant speakers at least.

I won’t actually pretend to know every detail to Big’s life, but dusting off his old recordings, apart from being impressed all over again, it’s pretty funny to hear Diddy in the background of some skits. His acting on “Suicidal Thoughts” might be my favorite, but that also might be attributed to the fact that the final track from Ready to Die is as strong lyrically as anything that’s been released since the 1997 death of the emcee.