Product Description

Once he stepped out onto the scene as the rapper on the remix of Mary J. Blige's hit single "Real Love", many hip-hop fanatics anxiously awaited the debut of The Notorious B.I.G. a.k.a. Biggie Smalls. Their prayers were answered with READYTO DIE, fifteen tracks of uncut, hard-core, lyrically sophisticated rap all complemented by hypnotic beats supplied by the underground's most prominent producers. READY TO DIE resumes where his "Juicy" single left off, but separates itselffrom the array of hip-hop albums that don't live up to the initial hit.
Blowin' up the charts using his knowledge ofthe streets and hard bangin' snares provided by producer Easy Mo Bee, the Bedford-Stuyvesant native Notorious B.I.G. isfar from "Ready To Die". Not since the likes of Slick Rick has there been an artist so successful in the storytelling genre of rap music, creating a mental picture of life in the heads of his listeners. The up-tempo "Gimme The Loot" illustrates the hustlin' ways of a trigger-happy robbery expert stressed from the "Everyday Struggle" of life. The recurrence of the Isley Brothers tune "Between The Sheets" adds to the charm of "Big Poppa", where Biggie portrays his "player" image. No need to skip any songs, READY TO DIE is packed with hits all the way through.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56745 in Music
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
During the Reagan era of "all-for-me" economics, MCs like Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap painted pictures of silky rap gangsterism inspired by movies like The Mack and Superfly. Out of the post-Reagan rubble came Notorious B.I.G.'s debut, the hustler reality trip Ready to Die (also the LP debut of beat-thief producer Sean "Puffy" Combs). Biggie still rhymes about the gold, the Moet, and the ladies, but he also reveals the casualties on the road from struggler to hustler to player. "Juicy" sets up Biggie's rags-to-riches story, but then the curtain gets pulled back with unapologetic, hardcore tracks like "Gimme the Loot" and "Machine Gun Funk". It's a funky album (just try not throwing your hands in the air when you hear "Big Poppa"), and it's a powerful album--possibly even the Mayflower of 1990s East Coast hustler rap. --Todd Levin

Customer Reviews

GIMME THE LOOT GIMME THE LOT IM BAD BAD MAN
BIGGIE BIGGIE YOUR WORDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CAPTAVATING AND LYRICALLY YOUR ALWAYS GONNA BE AT THE TOP THIS ALBUM REVOLUTIONISED HIP HOP AND PUT BROOKLYN ON THE MAP I FOUND ALL THE SONGS TO BE EXCELLENT ESPECIALLY GIMME THE LOT BIG POPPA AND MY FAVOURITE JUICY ITS SHAME YOUR GONE AND A SHAME THAT TUPACS GONE COS THESE 2 TO ME ARE THE 1,S WHO REVOLUTIONIZED HIP HOP AND WERE TRUE AND FELT PASSIONATE ABOUT THE GAME UNLIKE 50 CENT WHO ALWAYS RAPS ABOUT GUNZ AND BEING THE GREATEST HELL NO THESE 2 ARE THE GREATEST NOT FIDDY AND FOR ME PERSONALLY THIS WAS BIGGIES BEST ALBUM VERY HARDOCRE AND HES STORY TELLING AND FREESTYLING ABILITIES ARE AMAZING LISTEN TO THIS AND YOUR SEE HOW GREAT THIS MAN WAS R.I.P BIGGIE R.I.P TUPAC THE 2 G.O.A.T.S

One of the greatest Hip Hop albums
I bought this album after buying "Life after Death". This album is more hardcore, so it took a while for me to adjust. Most of the album is superb, especially the first six tracks, which are flawless. The beats and the lyrical flow of Biggie are what makes this such a great album. Probably the greatest gangsta/hardcore Hip Hop album ever. I'm actually more into underground and old school stuff. Blackalicious, De La Soul, Gang Starr, Mos Def, J-Live, Rakim, KRS-One, etc. But I can listen to some gangsta, and both Notorious B.I.G albums are worth buying.

N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S.
The best EVER debut!There have been some amazing debut albums through the years (Doggystyle,36 Chambers,Illmatic,Get Rich or Die Tryin',The Chronic,Reasonable Doubt,College Dropout...)but closely rivaled by the outstanding 'Illmatic',B.I.G's 'Ready To Die' has to go down as the best. The way he revolutionised hip-hop with his flawless rhymes can never be rivaled.I love the way he talked about the issues in his life and what was going through his mind without coming over obessed with guns (unlike 50).The one standout track has to be 'Juicy' {which i never fail to listen to every day)closely followed by the likes of 'Big Poppa' 'Me and My Bitch' and 'Warning'. The track which I get most out of listening to though is 'Suicidal Thoughts',where Biggie perfectly delievers a death speech over the phone stressing he regrets the way hes lived his life. The songs quick punctual last words leave you in ore and then the disturbing ending caps off a legendary album.
In this album,allthough Puffy's production is great, B.I.G. seems to completely steal the show with his fluent clever raps,which he spits straight from his head without writing. When listening to 'Ready To Die' you feel you are listening to a piece of hip-hop that, allthough closely rivaled,could never be toppled as the greatest debut (if not album) of all time.
So, in short, get this! Buy it, download it, copy it, steal it,just make sure that this album is in your collection!
R.I.P. The Notorious B.I.G.