New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) The iconic Bad Boy Records is commemorating its twentieth anniversary with a yearlong celebration and announced today a series of digital reissues, highlighted by newly digitally remastered editions of two legendary hip hop classics: The Notorious B.I.G.'s "LIFE AFTER DEATH" and
Puff Daddy & The Family's "NO WAY OUT" -- both of which were remastered by Tony Dawsey at Phantom Mastering, NY. The albums are available on the iTunes Store now.
Released in March 1997, mere weeks after the groundbreaking rapper's tragic killing, The Notorious B.I.G.'s "LIFE AFTER DEATH" was immediately received as both a hip-hop milestone and one of the major creative works of the decade. The double album rocketed to #1 on the Billboard 200, then topped the overall Billboard Year End chart for 1997 before being awarded RIAA Diamond certification for sales in excess of 10 million. Along with its unprecedented commercial success, "LIFE AFTER DEATH" was also hailed as an artistic landmark, a revolutionary fusion of rap and pop showcased on such #1 hits as "
Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems (Feat.
Puff Daddy & Mase)." As a result, the album earned three GRAMMY® Award nominations and has since only increased in power and reputation, topping VIBE's 2013 "Greatest 50 Albums Since '93" ranking and earning inclusion on Rolling Stone's definitive "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."
Puff Daddy & The Family's "NO WAY OUT" marked the debut album from Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs and featured some of label's greatest artists, including The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112, and The L.O.X., as well as appearances from Combs collaborators like
Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes. The album made a spectacular chart debut upon its July 1997 arrival, entering the Billboard 200 at #1 with sales approaching 600,000. "NO WAY OUT" went on to earn 7x platinum certification from the RIAA for sales in excess of 7 million, fueled by a seemingly endless run of hit singles like "It's All About The Benjamins," "Been Around The World," and the worldwide #1 blockbusters, "
Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "I'll Be Missing You." The latter track made history as the first rap song by a male artist to debut at #1 on Billboard's "Hot 100," a spot it held for a record-setting 11 weeks, one of the longest reigning #1 hip-hop singles of all time. As if that weren't enough, "
I'll Be Missing You" received a GRAMMY® for "Best Performance By a Duo or Group," while "NO WAY OUT" itself was honored with a GRAMMY® as "Best Rap Album."
Founded in 1994 by producer/artist/entrepreneur Sean "
Diddy" Combs, Bad Boy Records instantly made a massive impact with its premier release, The Notorious B.I.G.'s 4x platinum certified debut masterpiece, "READY TO DIE." The next decade saw Bad Boy dominate contemporary pop, hip-hop, and R&B by unleashing a remarkable string of Billboard 200 chart-toppers, including such #1 albums as The Notorious B.I.G.'s "LIFE AFTER DEATH" and the 2x platinum certified "BORN AGAIN,"
Puff Daddy & The Family's "NO WAY OUT," Mase's 4x platinum certified "HARLEM WORLD," P.
Diddy with The Bad Boy Family's 2x platinum "WE INVENTED THE REMIX" album, Danity Kane's platinum "DANITY KANE," the platinum certified "BAD BOYS II" soundtrack and more. Twenty years on, Bad Boy remains as innovative and influential as ever, with recent years seeing vital releases from
Diddy - Dirty Money, French Montana, Cassie, Machine Gun Kelly, and Janelle Monáe.
For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/badboyrecords, www.twitter.com/BadBoyRecords and www.top40-charts.com
