The Notorious B.I.G. - The Second Disc

The Weekend Stream: December 20, 2025

December 20, 2025 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to 2025’s final edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’re wrapping up the month with a wicked good time: hip-hop instrumentals, unearthed ’70s rock and country, and a whole lot of zydeco! Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack (Sing-Along) / For Good EP (Republic/Verve) Sing-Along: Apple / Amazon For Good: Apple / Amazon With the second part of Universal’s big-budget adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical adapted from author Gregory Maguire’s alternative take on The Wizard of…

Categories:

The Weekend Stream

Formats:

Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Country, Jazz, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Ariana Grande, Clifton Chenier, Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Mac Davis, Neil Diamond, Redbone, The Alan Parsons Project, The National, The Notorious B.I.G.

Merry Something to You: Rhino Announces Record Store Day Black Friday Slate with Devo, Joni Mitchell, Alice Cooper, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Randy Newman, More

October 6, 2025 by Joe Marchese | 9 Comments

TSD is kicking off our look at this year’s Record Store Day Black Friday releases, due at participating independent record stores on November 28, with a typically packed slate coming from Rhino. With over 30 titles, the label has brought out the heavy hitters (many of which are RSD mainstays) including The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Todd Rundgren, Van Halen, and more. We’ve also included a handful of releases from Rhino sister labels such as Warner (with a Tom Petty live collection) and Elektra (an EP from…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Rhino’s Record Store Day Lineup Features Doors, Talking Heads, Faces, Todd Rundgren, Linda Ronstadt, Four Seasons, Dio, More

February 15, 2024 by The Second Disc | 10 Comments

It’s that time of year again! Record Store Day announcements are coming fast and furious in anticipation of the big day, Saturday, April 20. As usual, Rhino’s slate is a packed one, with a whopping 39 titles including releases from The Doors and Dwight Yoakam on CD as well as vinyl. Click here for a list of participating independent record stores. All descriptions below are provided by the label. (*) denotes worldwide units. AIR – Kelly Watch the Stars Limited Edition of 5,500* copies; 12″ picture disc Captain Beefheart & His Magic…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Country, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

The Weekend Stream: May 21, 2022

May 21, 2022 by Mike Duquette | 5 Comments

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! Some classic compilations, a Who-related soundtrack and a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. appearance are all part of the experience this week. Various Artists, The Sound of the R&B Hits (Motown) Original: iTunes / Amazon Deluxe: iTunes / Amazon As a new wave of British rockers from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and more took the world by storm with their groundbreaking spin on…

Categories:

Features, The Weekend Stream

Formats:

Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Everything Else, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Sky’s the Limit: The Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Life After Death’ Gets Hypnotizing Deluxe Vinyl Reissue

March 30, 2022 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

The Notorious B.I.G. – born Christopher Wallace on May 21, 1972 – would have celebrated his 50th birthday this year. Though the groundbreaking rapper was murdered at the age of 24 in March 1997, his estate is teaming with Bad Boy, Rhino, and Atlantic Records to remember him with a yearlong campaign known as Sky’s The Limit: A Year Celebrating the Legacy of the Notorious B.I.G. launching on March 25. While the campaign will encompass digital releases, 4K upgrades of his music videos on YouTube, online events, and more, the centerpiece may…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, Vinyl

Genres:

Rap/Hip-Hop

Tags:

Puff Daddy, The Notorious B.I.G.

The Second Disc’s Guide To Record Store Day Drop 2, September 26!

September 25, 2020 by Sam Stone | No Comments

2020 has been a bit of a rollercoaster and Record Store Day 2020 is no exception: once scheduled in April, it moved forward a few months, and is now spread out across three Saturdays in the summer and fall. The Record Store Day Drop in August proved a success and round two, set for tomorrow, September 26, is sure to please fans of all genres and eras. It’s a diverse list full of exciting releases that you can only find through your local brick-and-mortar record store (or through their online storefronts as…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Everything Else, Folk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Rhino To Release A Whopping 29 Titles(!) for Record Store Day 2020

March 6, 2020 by Sam Stone | 6 Comments

Rhino, the label that manages the catalogue of the Warner family of labels, has announced its upcoming Record Store Day releases. A mouth-watering 29 titles will hit shops on April 18, available exclusively at brick-and-mortar locations. These include the previously announced David Bowie titles; a rare live set from Alice Cooper; rarities from Jethro Tull; a box of John Prine’s early albums; a set of core Notorious BIG records; BBC sessions from The Pogues, New Order, and Hawkwind; a sought-after live album by The Pretenders; and so much more! Keep scrolling for…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Holiday Gift Guide Reviews: A Rhino Round-Up with Bad Company, Rush, Van Halen, Hootie, STP and The Notorious B.I.G.

December 23, 2019 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Many of this year’s finest box sets came courtesy of the Rhino label. Here, Joe and Randy take a look at a few more of our favorites! First up are Randy’s three picks… First up is Rhino’s 25th anniversary 3-CD/1-LP Super Deluxe Edition of Stone Temple Pilots’ Purple. Initially hitting shelves on June 7, 1994, the band’s sophomore album would debut atop the Billboard 200 and stay there for three weeks, eventually becoming the group’s second best-selling album after their debut effort, Core, from 1992. The STP line-up of Scott Weiland (lead…

Categories:

Holiday Gift Guide, News, Reviews

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

Tags:

Bad Company, Hootie and The Blowfish, Rush, Stone Temple Pilots, The Notorious B.I.G., Van Halen

What’s The 411? Mary J. Blige’s Early Years Anthologized On ‘HERstory’

October 15, 2019 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Long established as one of the premiere female hip-hop/R&B artists of her generation, Mary J. Blige is telling her story – the one that earned her the title of Queen of Hip-Hop Soul – through HERstory, Vol. 1, a new multi-format compilation coming this December. Born in The Bronx and raised in both Savannah, Georgia and the projects of Yonkers, New York, Mary J. Blige’s three-decade-plus career has been supported by music that balances street sounds with feminine soul and the pen of a gifted, honest storyteller. As an 18-year-old high school…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop

Tags:

Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige, P. Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G.

Hunting High And Low: Rhino Announces Record Store Day 2019 Lineup

March 4, 2019 by Sam Stone | 4 Comments

RSD19 ToddRundgren CompleteUSBearsvilleWBSingles

Today, Rhino announced its offerings for the 2019 Record Store Day celebration, taking place at your local brick-and-mortar shop Saturday, April 13. Rhino’s 33 releases highlight several genres of music – soul, rock, rap, comedy, disco, pop, jam bands, prog, and more – on an array of formats including LPs, CDs, picture discs, colored vinyl, and even cassette tapes. Here’s the run-down on all their RSD titles! a-ha, Hunting High and Low: The Early Alternate Mixes – 1 LP – 6,000 copies Hunting High and Low: The Early Alternate Mixes brings together…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Folk, Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Rhino “Starts Your Ear Off Right” with Aretha Franklin, Dio, Alice Cooper, More

January 8, 2018 by Joe Marchese | 6 Comments

Rhino’s “Start Your Ear Off Right” campaign is back for 2018, and this year’s crop of titles is a happily eclectic one ranging from classic R&B to rock, metal, hip-hop, and beyond. These limited edition vinyl reissues will be released every Tuesday beginning tomorrow, January 9, and continuing through the 23rd. We can’t think of a better way to start our year off right than visiting a local record store, and Rhino agrees – so all of these titles will be exclusively available at brick-and-mortar outlets including independent retailers and Barnes and…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Folk, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Alice Cooper, Aretha Franklin, Dio, Golden Smog, John Prine, Richard and Linda Thompson, The Notorious B.I.G., Vangelis, ZZ Top

Tori Amos, Richard Hell Lead Rhino’s Record Store Day Black Friday Slate

October 18, 2017 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Richard Hell Blank Generation 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition 2397526

Rhino Records is planning 11 titles for this year’s Record Store Day Black Friday–and two of them are fairly unexpected catalogue treats from two very different artists. First up, the label has announced an upcoming expanded edition on CD and LP of Richard Hell & The Voidoids’ Blank Generation. Hell, a founding member of Television and one of the key figures of early punk rock in New York and beyond (his personal style of spiked hair and safety pins is said to have influenced Malcolm McLaren’s Sex shop and the look of…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Folk, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

Tags:

Aretha Franklin, Neil Young, Otis Redding, Pantera, Son Volt, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Notorious B.I.G., Tori Amos, Twisted Sister

Warner Music Plans Record Store Day Bonanza

March 22, 2017 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

Record Store Day has been an institution for a decade now, so leave it to this year’s 10th anniversary event to be one of the biggest! We’ve already shone the spotlight on releases by David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Prince, Omnivore Recordings and Legacy Recordings; now, it’s time to take a look at Warner Music’s incredibly generous lineup. Over 30 titles will be featured from the label group at independent record stores on Saturday, April 22. There’s really something for everyone: vintage 12″ singles from the likes of Madonna, Jane’s Addiction and Deee-Lite;…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Folk, Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Faith Evans Plans Notorious B.I.G. Duet Album

February 15, 2017 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

Faith Evans and Notorious BIG The King and I

Two days before his 25th birthday, and just over 20 years since his heartbreaking and still unsolved murder, The Notorious B.I.G. will live on with his widow Faith Evans’ duets album, The King & I. The iconic rapper (born Christopher Wallace) met and married R&B singer and fellow Bad Boy Records label mate Evans in 1994–a turbulent but often loving relationship that ended when Biggie was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997, 16 days before his second album, Life After Death, hit stores. The King & I, which features a mix…

Categories:

News

Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Rap/Hip-Hop

Tags:

Faith Evans, The Notorious B.I.G.

Bad Boy for Life: New Five-Disc Box Celebrates East Coast Hip-Hop Label

July 18, 2016 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

In the late ’90s and early ’00s, East Coast rap was dominated by one label: Bad Boy Entertainment. Now, their first 20 years will be celebrated in a five-disc box set later this summer. First reported by Billboard, Bad Boy Presents The 20th Anniversary Box Set features 80 curated tracks spanning from the label’s first release, Craig Mack’s “Flava in Ya Ear,” up to 2014. Longtime Bad Boy associate and current president Harve Pierre produced the set, and journalist Michael A. Gonzalez provides notes within the 64-page booklet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXu9av3gofs The Bad Boy…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, CD

Genres:

Rap/Hip-Hop

Tags:

Janelle Monae, P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Various Artists