A newly surfaced tracklist from The Notorious B.I.G.’s Life After Death has shed light on what could have been. The legendary rapper’s double album, released just weeks after his tragic passing in 1997, was originally set to include several unreleased songs and a different sequencing of its now-classic tracks.
The tracklist, which was uncovered by the Instagram account 92 Bricks, reportedly comes from a January 1997 listening party for Life After Death, which at the time carried the full title Life After Death… Til Death Do Us Part.
Unreleased Songs and Alternate Titles
The unearthed tracklist features 28 songs—four more than the final album. However, one track appears to have been listed twice, suggesting a possible printing error, meaning the album may have originally been 27 songs long.
Among the most exciting discoveries are five songs that have never been released to the public, including:
- Once Upon a Time featuring Fat Joe
- Stayin’ Alive
- Three untitled tracks produced by RZA, Easy Mo Bee, and DJ Clark Kent
Additionally, there’s a song titled Spanish Fly, which did not make the final album but could have been an early version of the track later released on Black Rob’s 2000 album Life Story.
Many songs that did appear on Life After Death were listed under different names. For instance:
- Comin’ Out featuring Ma$e became Mo Money Mo Problems, which famously sampled Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out
- Bones Track became Notorious Thugs, Biggie’s iconic collaboration with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
- Mo Bounce became Going Back to Cali
While this tracklist has not been officially verified by Biggie’s estate or Bad Boy Records, it provides a rare glimpse into the creative process behind one of hip-hop’s most celebrated albums.
Fat Joe and Biggie’s Unreleased Joint Album
One of the more intriguing details from the leaked tracklist is Biggie’s collaboration with Fat Joe on Once Upon a Time. This aligns with past comments from Fat Joe, who previously revealed that he and Biggie had recorded several songs together and even planned to release a full album.
In a 2021 Instagram Live session with Timbaland, Fat Joe confirmed that he and Biggie had worked on about five songs together. Their chemistry was undeniable, with Biggie referring to them as the “Black don” and “Latino don.”
However, Joe also admitted that much of their material contained direct shots at 2Pac, who was Biggie’s rival at the time. Given the tragic passing of both rappers, he believes that the music was rightfully shelved out of respect.
With the original Life After Death tracklist now coming to light, it raises the question of whether any of these unreleased songs will ever see the light of day. For now, it remains a fascinating piece of hip-hop history, adding even more depth to Biggie’s already legendary legacy.
