When writing about such an iconic album and artist it's hard to remember that there was a time that Notorious B.I.G. was at one time an up-and-coming rapper, unsure of how successful he'd become.
Biggie was only a kid, 21 years old when he started recording his debut album. He had been signed to Uptown Records by Sean "Puffy" Combs and started to make a name for himself, making numerous appearances on some of the labels' other artist's albums. But with anything great, some sort of uncertainly usually comes with it, so when Puffy was fired from Uptown, everything was stuck in limbo.
Biggie began to hustle, selling drugs again before he returned to recording with Puffy on the brand new Bad Boy Records label. By the time "Ready to Die" was released Biggie already had a large word-of-mouth following from his first full-length LP, but West Coast rap was still dominating the industry. "Ready to Die" was exactly what the East Coast was waiting for, and exactly what Bad Boy Records needed.
Released in September of 1994, "Ready to Die" thrusted Bad Boy and Biggie into the spotlight. While it was clear the album would be a hit, no one realized quite how significant the release was. Using his unique voice and sound, Biggie showed off his ample skills as a storyteller, which is what truly drives this album.
Every track on the album has something to offer, but in my eyes "Who Shot Ya?", "Ready to Die", "Gimme the Loot", "Juicy", and "Everyday Struggle" stand above the rest. Ironically, through most of the album there's a sense of dread hanging in most of his stories, with the fierce bandits on "Gimme the Loot", the hustler's girlfriend on "Me & My Bitch", and robbers out for his new money on "Warning" all falling in parades of gunfire.
"Juicy" is one of the most memorable tracks on the album, but also one of the best. Biggie spits with ferocity on this track, waving his hat ant anyone who ever doubted him along the way. He tells a story through this track while also bringing the bravado that made him the legend that he was.
The opening verse of the track is one of the greatest of all time: "It was all a dream; I used to read Word Up magazine/Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine/Hangin' pictures on my wall/Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl/I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped/Smokin' weed and bamboo, sippin' on private stock/Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack/With the hat to match/Remember Rappin' Duke, duh-ha, duh-ha/You never thought that hip hop would take it this far/Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight /Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade"
The title track "Ready to Die" could be considered an anthem of sorts for Biggie, as he illustrates what things were like on the way up through the ranks. The track also comments on the material nature of culture and what drives some to do what they do.
Biggie paints a perfect picture as he raps: " Biggie Smalls the savage, doin your brain cells much damage/Teflon is the material for the imperial/mic ripper girl stripper the Henny sipper/I drop lyrics off and on like a lightswitch/Quick to grab the right bitch and make her drive/the Q-45, glocks and tecs are expected when I wreck shit/Respect is collected, so check it".
"Who Shot Ya?" is probably the most controversial track on the album, due to the fact that many thought it was a diss track aimed at Tupac. All feuding aside, I still the track is noteworthy and contains some of Biggie's most cleverly worked lyrics and one of the most solid beats on the album.
Biggie name drops Wu-Tang's C.R.E.A.M. and asserts that the East coast is where the best rap is at: "Fuckin with B.I.G. it ain't safe/I make your skin chafe, rashes on the masses/Bumps and bruises, blunts and Landcruisers/Big Poppa smash fools, bash fools / Niggaz mad because I know that Cash Rules/Everything Around Me, two glock nines/Any motherfucker whispering about mines/And I'm, Crooklyn's finest/You rewind this, Bad Boy's behind this."
Unquestionably Biggie is a legend now, but even before death and everything that occurred, this album was one of the best. Displaying an immense skill and flair for storytelling and a completely memorable vocal tone Biggie Smalls created one of the most enduring gangsta rap albums of any era.
Its significance is still felt in the industry today and is definitively one of the best hip-hop albums of the genres' entire history.
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