Today (March 9) marks the 16th anniversary of New York's most legendary rapper, the Notorious B.I.G. To honor the passing of the late, great Christopher Wallace and to commemorate the incredible discography he left behind, we asked everyone in the XXL office to tell us their favorite Big song and explain why it's their favorite. Needless to say, hip-hop fans love different Biggie songs for different reasons - the humor, the aggressiveness, the versatility - his catalogue was really as diverse as the fans who loved him. Click through to find out which songs the people behind XXL loved most.


“Hypnotize”

“Shit just gets me going!”— Emily Cappiello, Managing Editor

"Respect"

"The hardest beat he ever rapped over, and did it when his voice still had the raw, hungry lisp of his pre-fame youth."—Dave Bry, Features Editor

"Victory"

"This epic Biggie track is the audio version of a summer blockbuster action flick. Plus, I still get a kick every time I hear Biggie say 'Two auto-matoes, used to call me Fatso/Now you call me Castro...'"—Vit Debellis, Account Manager

“Who Shot Ya?”

“How can you not love this track? The mid-90's anthem takes you back to the golden age of hip-hop.”—Socrates Gomez, Art Director

“Juicy”

“I can remember rolling out to this song to high school and the clubs... wow, I just dated myself.”—Josh Clutter, Photo Director

"Kick in the Door"

"Lyrically ahead of its time (subliminals and all) over a Premo beat that is still memorable to this day."—Eric Diep, Editorial Assistant

"Gimme The Loot"

“I didn't really look at Big as a "gangsta rapper" but this is one of the gulliest tracks ever.”—C. Vernon Coleman II, Contributing Writer 

"Warning" 

“Delivery? Flawless. "I don't give a fuck about you or your weak crew/What you gon' do when Big Poppa comes for you?" became a manifesto that's remembered as if it's a hook. In fact, the masterful storytelling, which ends with the death of his would-be assailants is even portrayed with a twist. The eerie yet thumping mood created by Easy Mo Bee captures the song's paranoia but still knocks so aggressively, it brings out anyone's inner thug. Most of all, Biggies teaches: "Jealousy from others can lead to fear, unless you strike first."—Jaeki Cho, Senior Online Editor 

“Mo Money, Mo Problems"

“This is definitely one of my favorite Biggie records of all time, the passion, honesty and truth that lies between each verse is incredible. Everyone thinks that just because you have wealth your life is golden and that’s not the case for everyone, which I felt was a great message.”—Joshua Johnson, Style Coordinator

"The What”

“Biggie had incredible chemistry with anyone featured on his tracks, especially when it was just him and another rapper going heads up. Him and Meth sound like lyrical brothers, and this beat just feels like mid-90’s New York.”—Dan Buyanovsky, Assistant News Editor

"Gimme The Loot"

“Two songs into Ready To Die, I felt a new era of hip-hop had arrived. And a king would soon be crowned.”—Freddy Reinoso, Account Manager 

“Long Kiss Goodnight”

"Before I speak on this record, I have to get a little TMI by saying that “Juicy” is my favorite song of all time. Now back to the topic at hand, “Long Kiss Goodnight.” It’s raw, gully and B.I.G. in merciless form. For those that had a problem with B.I.G. over those glossy, mainstream records like, say, “I Love the Dough” or the aforementioned “Juicy”—he stepped right back into those unlaced worn-out Timberland boots for this one. “I'm flamin' gats, aimin' at, these fucking maniacs, put my name in raps/What part the Game is that? Like they hustle backwards…” I like to call this the sequel to “Who Shot Ya.” Guard ya shit, ’fore I stick you."—Ralph Bristout, Assistant Lifestyle Editor

"Notorious Thugs"

"Way before Cam'ron was gettin' it in Ohio, Biggie connected with the Cleveland natives for this hip-hop classic."Kai Acevedo, Contributing Writer

"Gimme the Loot"

"I can't pick just one favorite song off Ready to Die. It's impossible. But I know I always play "Gimme the Loot" over and over so I've gotta go with that for now. I think that record really shows off Big's lyrical dexterity. He's clever, aggressive, menacing, melodic and switches his flow and voice up over and over. His delivery on each verse is amazing. Plus that Easy Mo Bee beat is hard as fuck."—Vanessa Satten, Editor-in-Chief

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