The most fun part of the post-mortem album by Christopher Wallace is playing "guess when he recorded it." The changes in tone and style mark different periods in the life of the Notorious B.I.G., and this album is a fascinating look at many of them.

However, it's not a great album. As a matter of fact, it's not even a good Biggie album -- he's virtually a guest star on what's been made a compilation by either lack of material or desperation for commercial recouping. The only song that's distinctively his is the upbeat yet mediocre "N*ggas," holding a Curtis Mayfield vocal sample as its centerpiece. Every other song is a group effort, featuring most of the high profile names in commercial rap today. Eminem, the Hot Boys, Missy, Nas, Redman, Meth, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg ... if you look closely you can play "Where's Biggie" like it was a Waldo book. This is clearly an album for commercial gain, not to showcase the growth of a man who could arguably be called an artist.

The album has a few high points. The lead single "Dead Wrong" is strikingly brilliant, an orchestral masterpiece of production with sizzling drums and sweeping chords. Biggie was at the top of his game -- the higher pitched tone shows this is from Biggie's earlier periods, and the phoned in Eminem performance is likewise highly enjoyable. It should be noted that both are completely reprehensible from the standpoint of anyone of any conscience. Once you get past that, it's a great song.

The Junior MA.F.I.A. tribute "Biggie" is also enjoyable from a strictly musical perspective, a look at Biggie through the rainy window of those he elevated with only his echo on the chorus. It's refreshing to look back at the origins of Bad Boy with Biggie joining yesterday's star Craig Mack on the enjoyable "Let Me Get Down." "Come On" with Sadat X has a solid feel to it from the start of both of those solo careers, and "Notorious B.I.G." is worth a laugh just for its Duran Duran sample, done at the end obviously due to his tone and its commercialism.

However, all this is overshadowed by irritating tripe like "Dangerous MCs" with Busta Rhymes hollering incoherently over a kindergarten minded track. Too Short's appearance in "Big Booty Hoes" could only be enjoyed in the depths of Oakland or imbecelic hedonism. "I Really Want To Show You" is a smack in the face of Jodeci's "Come and Talk To Me." Mobb Deep barely make themselves known on "Tonight," and you've heard the song "Who Shot Ya?" so many times in mixes it's annoying to hear it again here. The rest is merely annoying background noise.

Even his exhibitionist love Lil' Kim originally eschewed participation in this graverobbing expedition. Finally they must have offered her a number high enough to have her scraping at the coffin with the rest of the vultures.

Saddest of all is Voletta Wallace's testimonial at the end, trying to make this drug dealing, violent, fat, moronic peasant into some kind of shy wonder child, suggesting that could she have convinced him to stay out of music, he'd be alive today. Considering the truth -- she'd already kicked him out for drug dealing -- he'd probably have died sooner, and if this album could have been stopped, perhaps that'd have been better.