Ready To Die [PA] - Notorious B.I.G. (The)

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6 - Ready To Die

Again, an Easy Mo Bee produced track in which Biggie looks back at his life and how much he struggled as he was growing up.

7 - One More Chance

This song was produced by Puff Daddy and was fairly successful. There was a remixed version of the song which made quite a big impact on the US charts. The track features smooth female vocals at the chorus which is a nice contrast to Biggie's ...
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Does what it says on the tin really.

9 - The What

This Method Man featuring, Easy Mo Bee produced track has a nice laid back feel to it. Method Man is the only rapper to have a feature on this album, a testament to his quality.

10 - Juicy

This is one of my favourite tracks of all time. I'm not ashamed to say I know pretty much all of the words (ok, I am a bit ashamed but so what?!?). This ... more

'Ready To Die' is the debut album from New York rapper Notorious B.I.G.. It was released in 1994 on Bad Boy Records.

Seeing as I was ten when this was released, I wasn't really into my hip hop then as I was now but discovered this after buying, and loving his second album, Life After Death in 1997/98. Although I had heard most of these songs by the time I bought the album, there was still lots for me to take in and enjoy. I'll try and do a track by track run down of this album, I think it deserves it as it is truly a masterpiece.

1 - Intro

Not much to see here. The intro gives us a quick run through of what Biggie's life was like before he hit the big time. In the background you can hear songs which were hits at the time of the events beinf portrayed, most notably Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang.

2 - Things Done Changed

On this track Biggie is talking about how things have changed since he grew up and what life is like in the ghetto. To be honest, this is quite a depressing track, highlighting the increase in murder, violence and drug dealing in society.

3 - Gimme The Loot

This track was recorded as if it was a conversation between two people discussing robberies and their impact. Its quite an upbeat track suprisingly, certainly having a fairly fast tempo. This was produced by Easy Mo Bee.

4 - Machine Gun Funk

Another Easy Mo Bee produced track with a nice instrumentation to it. Biggie's flow on this nice and it's one of the first times you actually hear him sing.

5 - Warning

Yet another track produced by Easy Mo Bee, this is another song which is supposed to be a conversation between two characters. One warns the other of an impending robbery and threat of violence from outsiders. The two robbers (voiced by Puff Daddy) manage to get to the house, the result of which is a sort of interlude at the end of the track.

6 - Ready To Die

Again, an Easy Mo Bee produced track in which Biggie looks back at his life and how much he struggled as he was growing up.

7 - One More Chance

This song was produced by Puff Daddy and was fairly successful. There was a remixed version of the song which made quite a big impact on the US charts. The track features smooth female vocals at the chorus which is a nice contrast to Biggie's gruff voice.

8 - F*$k Me Interlude

Does what it says on the tin really.

9 - The What

This Method Man featuring, Easy Mo Bee produced track has a nice laid back feel to it. Method Man is the only rapper to have a feature on this album, a testament to his quality.

10 - Juicy

This is one of my favourite tracks of all time. I'm not ashamed to say I know pretty much all of the words (ok, I am a bit ashamed but so what?!?). This track was produced by Puff Daddy and heavily samples Juicy Fruit my Mtume. It features the vocal talent of r&b girl-group Total on the chorus. This is deservedly thought of as one of the best hip hop songs of all time.

11 - Everyday Struggle

Biggie discussed the struggles that people go through and how he identifies with that. This was produced by the Bluez Brothers

12 - Me & My B*tch

As unlikely as it sounds, this is a song about Biggie's love for a girl and how he feels once his enemies take out their frustrations on her.

13 - Big Poppa

Massive club track here. It has a really distinctive backing which was heavily sampled from Between The Sheets by The Isley Brothers. This track has sold more than a million copies and was nominated for a grammy award, amongst many others.

14 - Respect

This track has a harsher beat than many of the others on the album. It also features reggae and dancehall singer Diana King on vocals. She later carved out a very successful solo career.

15 - Friend Of Mine

This is a really uptempo song where Biggie talks about sexual encounters. Its got a really catchy hook which you'll be humming for days after listening to it.

16 - Unbelievable

The hip hop legend that is DJ Premier produced this track. It has quite a simple beat pattern which allows Biggie to tell his story without much distraction.

17 - Suicidal Thoughts

This is a really depressing track in which Biggie discusses how things would be different if he were dead. He thinks he would be relieved from all the stress and struggles of his life and he would no longer be a source of trouble to his mother. The conclusion of the track occurs when Biggie commits suicide whilst on the phone to Puff Daddy.

Since its release and B.I.G.'s death, this album has been certified quadruple platinum, indicating four million sales.

This is one of the truly great albums that I own and I would recommend anyone with a love of hip hop to go and buy this as a matter of urgency. 

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