Ready To Die [Edited] [Remaster]

Performer: The Notorious B.I.G.
Artist: Method Man; Total; Diana King
Engineer: Bob Brockman; Greg Pinto; Rick Travali
Producer: Sean Combs; Darnell Scott; Easy Mo Bee; Norman & Digga Bluez Brothers; Chucky Thompson
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: This release includes a bonus DVD. Personnel: The Notorious B.I.G. (rap vocals); Diana King (vocals); Method Man, Total (rap vocals); Sybil Pennix (spoken vocals); Chucky Thompson (various instruments). 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 READY TO 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 itself from the array of hip-hop albums that don't live up to the initial hit. Blowin' up the charts using his knowledge of the streets and hard bangin' snares provided by producer Easy Mo Bee, the Bedford-Stuyvesant native Notorious B.I.G. is far 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. DVD Features: DVD Includes: 1. Juicy 2. Big Poppa 3. Warning 4. One More Chance 5. Unbelievable (Live Performance In Atlanta)

Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.73) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.128) - Ranked #133 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "Almost single-handedly, Biggie shifted the focus back to East Coast rap." Rolling Stone (11/3/94, p.96) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...With his prodigious, often booming voice overwhelming the track, he sweeps his verbal camera high and low, painting a sonic picture so vibrant that you're transported right to the scene..." Spin (9/99, p.132) - Ranked #27 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s." Q (12/94, p.153) - 3 Stars - Good - "...the natural rapping, clever use of sound effects and acted dialogue, and concept element (from a baby being born at the start to the fading heartbeat at the end) set this well apart from the average gangsta bragging..." Uncut (p.128) - 4 stars out of 5 - "A funky, hard-nosed chronicle of a death foretold." Vibe (12/99, p.162) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century Vibe (6/02, p.109) - Ranked #5 in Vibe's "Top 10 rap albums" - "...Fans knew that from this debut that Biggie was indeed a born winner..." The Source (10/94, p.79) - 4.5 Mics - Slammin' - "...READY TO DIE, the debut from Brooklyn's own Biggie Smalls (a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G.), echoes the attitude in full Ghettovision color, showing us that the true `American way' is to hustle for yours..." Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #38 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.

Of the many skilled lyricists among his early-1990s East Coast contemporaries (Nas, Jeru, Black Moon), Biggie Smalls, AKA the Notorious B.I.G., was the only one who lived up to the predictions of a comeback for the East Coast hardcore sound. With the help of Bad Boy producer Sean "Puffy" Combs and R&B collaborators like Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and Total, Biggie snatched public attention away from the G-funk sound of the West Coast. By the time his single "One More Chance" debuted at #5 on the Billboard pop charts, his popularity and industry politics contributed to a public feud between Biggie and West Coast counterpart 2Pac. The untimely deaths of both artists sealed their status as legends.

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