Forever

1	Forever (Intro) 1:51
2	What You Want 4:30
3	I'll Do This for You 5:00
4	Do You Like It...Do You Want It... 3:54
5	Satisfy You 4:48
6	Is This the End, Pt. 2 4:40
7	I Hear Voices 5:14
8	Fake Thugs Dedication 3:13
9	Diddy Speaks! (Interlude) 1:11
10	Angels with Dirty Faces 4:10
11	Gangsta Sh*t 4:42
12	P.S. 112 (Interlude) 0:59
13	Pain 3:56
14	Reverse 5:07
15	Real Niggas 4:01
16	Journey Through the Life 4:55
17	Best Friends 5:32
18	Mad Rapper (Interlude) 1:14
19	P.E. 2000 4:52

Barnes & Noble

As the follow-up to 1997's hip-pop blowout NO WAY OUT, the latest from Sean "Puffy" Combs at first plays like the sexy, star-studded revue you'd expect from a man who's gone from the top of the charts to the height of the Hamptons. Cuts like the compu-poppin' "What You Want" and "I'll Do This for You" capture the bubbly bounce Puffy patented on hits like "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down." But at its heart, FOREVER is a letter from the edge, a mercurial missive in which the paranoid P-Diddy hears terrifying voices and sees visions of death and doom. Throughout, Puffy leads us and an A-list cast of cameo stars (Lil' Kim, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Bizzy Bone, Cee-Lo, and, from the Great Beyond, the Notorious B.I.G.) into a dark drama where every move might be your last and every homey is a hater at heart. The subterranean soul of "I Hear Voices" sounds like something Tricky could wrap his coarse vocal cords around, while the rugged, hectic "P.E. 2000" turns Public Enemy's classic into Puffy's last stand against hordes of betrayers and wannabe gangstas. The film-noir vibe is interrupted only for "Best Friend," a love letter to the single playa hater Puffy dare not mess with, the Lord Himself, set to a sample of Christopher Cross's billowy, powder-puff classic "Sailing." It's a brilliant kiss-off to the purists who've mocked his pop crossovers, and it's as surprising, and surprisingly wondrous, as anything he's done. Jon Dolan

All Music Guide

It was never much of a contest, but with his second solo album, Puff Daddy retains his crown as the biggest ego in hip-hop, if not popular music. It's an arrogance that asserts itself in the over 20 pictures included in the album booklet (all with different poses and outfits) and in the opening track -- "Forever (Intro)" -- that updates listeners with all the sordid details of Puffy's personal life. With all this ego strutting around, Puffy's sizable production talents have consistently been underrated. The truth is, he's been one of the best hip-hop producers of the '90s, creator of countless solid party jams, heavy on the groove and quite creative for their crossover potential. Though most of the tracks on Forever are co-productions with young lieutenants from his Bad Boy organization, Puffy's productions shine through. And he's downplayed sampling obvious pop hits for the main groove of his songs, perhaps a response to the constant criticism of hip-hop fans. Puffy's also a better rapper than he used to be, almost up to the level of the MC superstars guesting here. There are no tracks as propulsive as the hits from No Way Out ("It's All About the Benjamins," "Been Around the World"), and the ballad track "Best Friend," which samples Christopher Cross' "Sailing," is a lame rehash of the Biggie tribute "I'll Be Missing You." The final track (and first single), the Public Enemy-sampling "P.E. 2000," is an apt metaphor for Puff Daddy's second album; it's a solid production, not quite as exciting as it should be, informed by a mindset that uses hip-hop as a ladder to pop success and wealth. ~ Keith Farley, All Music Guide