Ready To Die Review

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

1994

Bad Boy Records

Prod. by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, et. al

Tupac Shakur, Nas, Dr. Dre, and the Wu-Tang Clan currently lord over the popular perception of rap at the top of the 90’s. Well, and Sir Mix-A-Lot, too, but my point was meant to be that I perceive only legitimate fans of hip-hop music really leaning hard into The Notorious B.I.G., despite his critical acclaim and renown. Quickly, I shall explain why you probably ought to check out his debut.

At the heart of this album is the production. Puffy and Easy Mo Bee have created a ridiculous number of slick beats, and, somehow, they manage to instill a nice sense of variety in a huge number of low-key stoner jams. They fit with the darker tone of most of Biggie’s lyrics, but it’s the restraint they’re willing to show that’s to be rewarded. A shocking amount of time on the album is dedicated to a drum line and Biggie, and strings and piano lines come in nicely. There’s a few notable soul samples, funk guitars, and hooks, but they rarely take full focus. Still, these beats ride nicely and are a treat to hear.

But what makes this album special is Biggie's delivery and lyricism. His lyrics simply feel natural, a reasonable train of thought that never feels forced. Biggie famously composed verses in his head instead of on the page, and the result is a simplicity that never feels overwritten. His lyrics are simple, easy to hear and listen to, and come across smoothly. The delivery is just enticing, and something most rappers ought to envy.

Between the beats and the delivery, this album largely just rolls. It never gets seriously better or worse than its standard, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. If there are highlights to pick out, they’re the more party-focused tracks “Big Poppa” and “Ready to Die,” and if there are lows, they’re the skits, which don’t reprise as nicely as the rest of the album.

As an intellectual album, it’s one of many representatives of the black hip-hop culture of the early 90’s. As a cultural touchstone, it serves just as well as the work of most of the other East and West Coast rappers of the time period. The album is a lot more sexual than the violent work of Wu-Tang Clan or N.W.A. They’re also largely more depressed as well, as Biggie feels largely worn down by everything about his blackness other than the women he gets to have sex with all the time.

Ready To Die is not going to change your mind about hip-hop or rap. If you think it’s all about drugs and sex, the beats, lyrics, and skits will certainly not change your mind. Two of the four skits are roughly pornographic, with the short skit closing “Respect” really sealing the idea that I wouldn’t want to have this album playing in my car. But for those who see more to rap as music, or you simply don’t mind rap about drugs and sex, Ready to Die is an absolute treat from top to bottom.

5/5

HIGHLIGHTS: “Things Done Changed”, “Ready to Die”, “Juicy”, “Big Poppa”

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: “Intro”, “Fuck Me (Interlude)”

NEXT STOP: Wu-Tang Clan, “Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers)”

AFTER THAT: NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”