Notorious B.I.G Ready to Die

Posted on 05.18.1996

Notorious B.I.G.
Album: Ready to Die
Release Date: September 13, 1994
Label: Bad Boy

Review:
Notorious B.I.G’s first full length is filled with the style that made him listed among the greats. He’s fierce, brutal, unapologetic and humourous all at the same time. Ready to Die displays some of the best production and lyrical combinations ever seen in hip-hop. "Things Done Changed", where Biggie complains of how bad the state of society has gotten, still stuns me with its insight. Its as if Big starts of in an almost stunned reality of how the world surrounding him has changed. His solution? The second full length song "Gimme the Loot", where he goes on a stick-up spree with his boys. This track remains in my mind as one of the most politically incorrect tracks of all time but also one of the most brilliant in it’s delivery and lyricism. As much as lines like "I couldn’t give a (expletive deleted for those easily offended) if you’re pregnant/Gimme the baby rings and the "Number One Mom" pendant" obviously offended , (even his record label edited out the word "pregnant"), its brutal hilarity can not be overlooked. Nor can the dual role Big plays, (ala Slick Rick), of both himself and his stickup partner be ignored. The man was good at what he did.

Unfortunately that does not mean the album is perfect. Some of the production is unoriginal, (see "Respect" and "One More Chance"). Some of the delivery from Big seems a little lackluster (see "Everyday Struggle"). As has been mentioned, "Friend of Mine", while not a bad song, seems out of place on this record. Sometimes the misogyny begins to wear on an old school head like me. And finally, I personally can’t stand pop tracks like "Big Poppa" with it’s HIGHLY overused Isley Brothers sample and "Juicy" again with it’s HIGHLY overused Mtume sample. To me, tracks like this are just blatant garbage designed by Puffy to sell style over substance. It’s too bad that they BECAME the substance of Big’s follow up Life After Death...

Track Listing :
1. Intro Listen
2. Things Done Changed Listen
3. Gimme The Loot Listen
4. Machine Gun Funk Listen
5. Warning Listen
6. Ready To Die
7. One More Chance
8. #!*@ Me
9. The What
10. Juicy
11. Everyday Stuggle
12. Me & My Bitch
13. Big Poppa
14. Respect
15. Friend Of Mine
16. Unbelievable
17. Suicidal Thoughts