Jan
12

A Story to Tell: Biggie Smalls and Narrative – “Somebody’s Gotta Die”

Image via Up North Trips You can guess what Abe Beame’s Spotify looks like. A natural progression for great young writers often includes an apprenticeship based on autobiographical material and intense emotion. As the writer matures and spends his personal capital, the focus centers on craft: ironing out dialogue, developing character and story. It’s hard… Continue reading »

Jan
11

A Story to Tell: Biggie Smalls and Narrative – “N***** Bleed”

Abe Beame knows Captain Ron too. Consider everything you know about Arizona Ron. We know what part of Arizona he’s from, what kind of car he drives, the crew he used to run with, that he has a predilection for the Isley Brothers, he’s bilingual, the motto he has tattooed around his gun wounds, how… Continue reading »

Nov
23

The Feminine Mystique: Lil Kim- Hardcore

Abe Beame interrupts his series of obsessive nerding out to bring you a think piece on “Hardcore.” It’s difficult to gauge how responsible Biggie was for its composition. He executive produced the album, shows up with small, perfectly placed touches, lends Kim his delivery and cadence, but gets no explicit writing credits. But to ignore… Continue reading »

Nov
01

A Story to Tell: Biggie Smalls & Narrative – “Get Money”

Abe Beame beat Cease-A-Leo at Tecmo Bowl Biggie followed Ready to Die with Junior Mafia’s Conspiracy—a spotty album with two great singles, but one notable for being one of the first times a crew got a deal exclusively due to their friendship with a talented, successful rapper. Ultimately, Junior Mafia birthed one decent personality in… Continue reading »

Oct
26

A Story To Tell: Biggie Smalls & Narrative — “Suicidal Thoughts”

Abe Beame likes black Tim’s and black hoodies. Ready to Die ends with a bang. After an album of unbridled aggression and desperation, the climax is delivered through a quiet, inverted moment of reflection. Throughout his masterpiece, there are demons chasing the protagonists of Biggie’s songs. Though we never hear their deaths explicitly, we can… Continue reading »

Oct
19

A Story To Tell: Biggie Smalls and Narrative
 — “Friend of Mine”

Abe Beame does the blunts and brews thing, knocking that Wu-Tang. My favorite moment on Ready to Die comes at the end of the “Fuck Me” interlude. Biggie and Lil Kim simulate sex on a chair in the studio. As the skit reaches its climax, Kim intentionally or unintentionally falls off. Biggie immediately apologizes, and… Continue reading »

Oct
13

A Story to Tell: Biggie Smalls & Narrative — “Respect
”

Abe Beame hollers respect to all the con men. There’s a hypnotic quality to the bounce that anchors Poke and Puffy’s brilliant flip of George Mccrae’s “I Get Lifted.” Understandably, the beat and Biggie’s effortless wordplay have always mesmerized me on more casual listens. As a fan, it can drain the fun from a song… Continue reading »

Oct
11

A Story To Tell: Biggie Smalls and Narrative — “Me & My Bitch”

You don’t want to hear Abe Beame’s demos. Biggie was unpredictable. A demo called “Love No Ho” could have tenderness, compassion, romantic tragedy and darkness. While we remember “Me & My Bitch” for its rawness, intensity, and palpable loss in every bar. But it also gives us perspective on an ugly, destructive element of young… Continue reading »

Aug
03

A Story to Tell, Part III: The Notorious B.I.G.’s “The Warning”

Abe Beame feeds his Rottweilers gunpowder. And so for the second time in the first five songs on his first album, Biggie raps with himself. Only the magic moment that was rap in 1994 could a rookie release a two minute and 45 second phone conversation detailing his desire to defend himself from attackers plotting… Continue reading »