Duets: The Final Chapter

Duets: The Final Chapter (sometimes referred as The Biggie Duets) is the second posthumous album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., and is a collection of songs featuring appearances of other prominent rappers. The album was released by Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records in the UK on December 19, 2005, and in the US on December 20[1] and charted at #3 selling 438,000 copies, beaten by the extremely high sales of Jamie Foxx's Unpredictable and Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough.[2] In the UK it climbed as high as #13 after the release of the album's first single "Nasty Girl". It is his second posthumous album that was certified platinum.

Duets: The Final Chapter
Remix album by
The Notorious B.I.G.
ReleasedDecember 20, 2005
Recorded1992–1997
(The Notorious B.I.G.'s vocals & 2Pac's guest vocals)
2004–2005
(Production, guest vocals, and mixing)
GenreHip hop
Length73:19
Label
Producer
The Notorious B.I.G. chronology
Born Again
(1999)		 Duets: The Final Chapter
(2005)		 Greatest Hits
(2007)
Singles from Duets: The Final Chapter
  1. "Nasty Girl"
    Released: October 11, 2005
  2. "Spit Your Game"
    Released: February 24, 2006

The album featured orchestrated duets between Biggie and a number of popular rappers and singers, much like the previous LP Born Again (1999). Biggie's lyrics come from studio pieces of some of the songs he created during his life (his verse from "Notorious Thugs" in "Spit Your Game"), along with some less common lyrics (a freestyle from a promotional tape on "Hustler's Story"), & unreleased material (Biggie's verse in "Living in Pain" comes from an unreleased song from Ready to Die called "House of Pain") all remixed into duets. The package also included a DVD featuring previously unreleased performance footage and several of Biggie's music videos.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllHipHop[3]
AllMusic[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
IGN(7/10)[6]
Jam![7]
PopMatters[1]
Rolling Stone[8]
Slant Magazine[9]
Stylus MagazineB−[10]
Virgin Media[11]

The album received mixed reviews by critics; Peter Relic of Rolling Stone gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, commenting that the title was inaccurate because the major presence of other artists overshadowed The Notorious B.I.G.'s presence. Relic believed that the guest appearances don't add much substance.[8] Andy Kellman of AllMusic rated the album 2.5 out of 5.[4] Soren Baker of Los Angeles Times gave it two stars out of four.[12] However, Steve Jones of USA Today gave it all four stars.[13] Method Man, in particular, was a huge critic of the album, stating that "they got niggas on that album Big would have never rocked with, for real.[14] " He also brought up the fact that he was the only other rapper that Biggie chose to have on his debut album Ready to Die.

Singles

The album's first single was "Nasty Girl", featuring P Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge, Avery Storm, Jazze Pha, and Fat Joe. It took Biggie's vocal samples from his song "Nasty Boy". The single climbed to #1 in the UK in its second week of release, where it stayed for 2 weeks and became his first and only #1 single there. The single also helped the album climb to #13 and therefore, Duets: The Final Chapter became his highest-charting album to date there, out peaking the #23 position of Life After Death. In the US, "Nasty Girl" made #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the single also made the top 20 in Australia.

The second single from the album is "Spit Your Game", featuring Twista and Krayzie Bone, a double A-side single with "Hold Ya Head", a duet with Bob Marley, which was originally the b-side to "Nasty Girl" in the UK and Australia. "Spit Your Game" is a remake of the Biggie song "Notorious Thugs". "Hold Ya Head" was produced by Clinton Sparks, and features a sample of reggae band The Wailers' song "Johnny Was" from their Rastaman Vibration album. It features Biggie's vocal samples from "Suicidal Thoughts".

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."B.I.G. Live in Jamaica (Intro)" J-Dub1:22
2."It Has Been Said" (featuring Diddy, Eminem, and Obie Trice)
3:18
3."Spit Your Game" (featuring Twista and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
Swizz Beatz4:09
4."Whatchu Want" (The Commission featuring Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G.)
Danja3:54
5."Get Your Grind On" (featuring Big Pun, Fat Joe, and Freeway)
5:24
6."Living the Life" (featuring Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Faith Evans, Cheri Dennis, and Bobby Valentino)
4:28
7."The Greatest Rapper (Interlude)" Faith Evans0:08
8."1970 Somethin'" (featuring The Game and Faith Evans)
Andre Harris & Vidal Davis3:25
9."Nasty Girl" (featuring Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge, and Avery Storm)
Jazze Pha4:46
10."Living in Pain" (featuring 2Pac, Mary J. Blige, and Nas)
Just Blaze4:01
11."I'm with Whateva" (featuring Lil Wayne, Juelz Santana, and Jim Jones)
2:33
12."Beef" (featuring Mobb Deep)
Havoc4:57
13."My Dad (Interlude)" Wayne Barrow0:10
14."Hustler's Story" (featuring Scarface, Akon, and Big Gee)
5:47
15."Breakin' Old Habits" (featuring T.I. and Slim Thug)
Chink Santana4:36
16."Ultimate Rush" (featuring Missy Elliott)
Scott Storch3:48
17."Mi Casa" (featuring R. Kelly and Charlie Wilson)
  • Wallace
  • Harvey, Jr.
  • Black Mambo
  • Ronald Bell
  • Robert Bell
  • Dean Taylor
  • Dennis Thomas
  • Meekaaeel Muhammed
  • Claydes Smith
  • Earl Toon
  • George Brown
  • Robert Kelly
  • Todd Muhammad
4:12
18."Little Homie (Interlude)" 
  • Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre
  • D-Dot
0:34
19."Hold Ya Head" (featuring Bob Marley)
2:45
20."Just a Memory" (featuring Clipse)
Scram Jones4:30
21."Wake Up" (featuring Korn)
3:35
22."Love Is Everlasting (Outro)" 
  • Wayne Barrow
  • Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre
0:57

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
Notes/Vocal sample sources
  • Biggie's vocals from "It Has Been Said" come from "Victory"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Spit Your Game" come from "Notorious Thugs"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Whatchu Want" come from an unreleased song called "Whatchu Want"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Get Your Grind On" come from "My Downfall"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Living the Life" come from "Let Me Get Down"
  • Biggie's vocals from "1970 Somethin'" come from "Respect"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Nasty Girl" come from "Nasty Boy"
  • Biggie's and 2Pac's vocals from "Living in Pain" come from an unreleased song called "House of Pain"
  • Biggie's vocals from "I'm With Whateva" come from "Ready to Die"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Beef" come from "What's Beef?"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Hustler's Story" come from an unreleased song called "You'll See"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Breakin' Old Habits" come from "Young G's"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Ultimate Rush" come from "Why You Tryin' to Play Me?" released by Xtra Large Entertainment(Derrick Hodge and LeTroy Davis) and "Drugs"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Mi Casa" come from "Friend of Mine"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Hold Ya Head" come from "Suicidal Thoughts"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Just a Memory" come from "You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You)" and "Come On"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Wake Up" come from "If I Should Die Before I Wake" and "Kick in the Door"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Want that Old Thing Back" come from "One More Chance"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Running Your Mouth" come from an unreleased song called "Whatchu Want"
  • Biggie's vocals from "Stop The Break" come from an unreleased song called "Stop The Break" by Ron G
Credited samples

"It Has Been Said"

  • "Victory" by Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G

"Spit Your Game"

"Living the Life"

"Living in Pain"

"I'm With Whateva"

"Ultimate Rush"

"Beef"

"Hold Ya Head"

Unused tracks

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Ireland (IRMA)[34] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[36] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. O'Neil, Tim (2006-01-20). "The Notorious B.I.G.: Duets: The Final Chapter". PopMatters. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  2. "Blige's 'Breakthrough' Bows At No. 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  3. Heinzelman, Bill "Low-Key" (2006-01-02). "Duets: The Final Chapter". AllHipHop. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  4. Kellman, Andy (2005-12-20). "Duets: The Final Chapter - The Notorious B.I.G." AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  5. Michael Endelman (2005-12-23). "Duets: The Final Chapter Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  6. Spence D. (2005-12-23). "The Notorious B.I.G. - Duets: The Final Chapter". IGN. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  7. Mike Bell (2006-01-06). "Album Review: DUETS: THE FINAL CHAPTER". Jam!. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  8. Relic, Peter (2006-01-12). "The Notorious B.I.G. - Duets: The Final Chapter". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  9. Henderson, Eric (2005-12-20). "The Notorious B.I.G.: Duets: The Final Chapter". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  10. Inskeep, Thomas (2006-02-08). "The Notorious B.I.G. - Duets: The Final Chapter - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  11. "The Notorious B.I.G. - DUETS The Final Chapter review". Virgin Media. 2005-12-19. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  12. Baker, Soren (2005-12-20). "Biggie's gone but not forgotten". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  13. Jones, Steve (2005-12-20). "The Notorious B.I.G., Duets: The Final Chapter". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  14. Method Man Artict Biography Archived May 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  15. Duets: The Final Chapter (booklet). Bad Boy, Atlantic. 2005.
  16. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 206.
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  29. "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
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  31. "2006 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
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