"Duets: The Final Chapter" by The Notorious B.I.G.; Bad Boy

It's like he never left.

Using a mixture of unreleased verses, older popular hooks and new material from some of today's top rappers and singers, The Notorious B.I.G. has been resurrected by his old pal Sean "Diddy" Combs. The result proves that Biggie's power in the mid-'90s was the real deal — and that it still resonates today.

The Brooklyn rapper, born Christopher Wallace, was killed in 1997 in a slaying that remains unsolved. But he lives again on this duets disc, with several other big-name artists recording new vocal tracks, similar to the way folks like Nat King Cole, 2Pac and Ray Charles were revived after their passings.

Had Biggie lived, certainly he'd be leading commercial hip-hop, challenging all newcomers to deal with his remarkable, off-the-top-of-his-head talent for creating visual lyrics. He's rightly touted as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His short time in the music business was littered with hits that defined '90s college dorm parties and helped change the direction of radio.

Diddy brings B.I.G.'s timeless sound back to the fore with the aid of some of our favorite rappers, including a haunting, long overdue collaboration with 2Pac, Biggie's friend and sometime rival.

Detroit rapper Obie Trice rounds out "It Has Been Said," a single that layers Eminem's recognizable vocals with B.I.G.'s thick-tongued drawl. It's only the second track on the album, and it sets up one heck of a tribute to a rapper who influenced so many. Later, Jay-Z and Biggie are brought together to re-create a years-ago pairing on the underground circuit, when they called themselves the Commission. Jay-Z, the rapper-turned-music-executive-turned-rapper, only gets better with time, picking up B.I.G.'s club-banging rap about not backing down to a duel.

Much in the same vein is the first of two collaborations with soul singer R. Kelly, but the title of it isn't allowed in a family newspaper. Diddy again pairs them on "Mi Casa," a tune that celebrates the unattached life and also features Charlie Wilson of the Gap Band.

It's an inspiring album, one that brings back the delicious guilty pleasures of mid-'90s hip-hop. It's a strong reminder of that time's critical imprint on the culture. In an era when hip-hop seems so cavalier and newbies come and go quicker than you can yell "where Brooklyn at," Biggie's old verses give hip-hop a freshness that's been missing.

This album won't give you what Kanye West or Common or Mos Def will — there is no backpack political empowerment.

But it will make you dance and remind you that the Notorious B.I.G. left a mark on commercial hip-hop that won't be going anywhere anytime soon.