This Notorious B.I.G. & Lord Finesse Cypher Will BLOW YOUR MIND (Video)

The Notorious B.I.G. (a/k/a Biggie Smalls) is revered as one of Hip-Hop’s greatest MCs. The Brooklyn, New Yorker beautifully inserted wit, wordplay, and lots of self-confidence into his most memorable rhymes. Somebody who started out just a couple years before Biggie was Bronx, New Yorker Lord Finesse. The MC/DJ/producer who would mentor Big L also put catchy lines, deadpan jokes, and spot-on similes as the focal points in his verses. His albums like 1992’s sophomore Return Of The Funky Man are held in high regard because of it.

By ’94, Biggie would do the same on his debut Ready To Die. While Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man was the lone rapping guest on the Bad Boy Records released version, B.I.G. called upon Finesse who was coming into strong form as a producer to create the track for LP closer “Suicidal Thoughts.” The Funky Man did just that, in bringing tremendous, platinum-plus attention to a production career that has intersected with Dr. Dre, Fat Joe, and Capone-N-Noreaga, among others.

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However, Finesse and B.I.G. also rhymed together. Spotted this month at the D.I.T.C. website is a real gem. In 1994, presumably sometime before Ready To Die, the pair freestyled at a club event. With Redman, Jeru The Damaja, and Keith Murray reportedly in the crowd, B.I.G. rocks much of “Biggie Smalls Is The Wickedest” which later appeared on the The Best Of Notorious B.I.G. Mister Cee mixtape. Meanwhile, Finesse kicks his first verse from “No Gimmicks” (which released one year later on his third album, The Awakening) and rarity “Check The Method” (which would appear on his From The Crates To The Files compilation in ’03). The transition in these verses is seamless.

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These two lyrical giants sound great together—and the crowd reaction seals the deal. As a note, earlier this year Finesse’s Diggin’ In The Crates crew released the D.I.T.C. Studios album, which features work from another Ready To Die producer, DJ Premier. D.I.T.C.’s Buckwild, who worked on Life After Death is also deeply involved in the LP.