Ready to Die

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"Juicy"
The album's lead single is a rags to riches narrative, with music that samples Mtume's 1983 song "Juicy Fruit". [19]
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Three singles were released from the album: "Juicy", "Big Poppa", "One More Chance" and a promotional track of Biggie: "Warning". According to XXL the more commercial sound of the singles compared to the rest of the album was a result of encouragement by Combs during the later recording sessions in which they were recorded. [7]

"Juicy" was released as the lead single on August 8, 1994. It peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 14 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and reached number 3 on the Hot Rap Singles. [3] It shipped 500,000 copies in the United States and the RIAA certified it Gold on November 16, 1994. [25] Produced by Combs, it features a prominent sample of "Juicy Fruit" as performed by James Mtume. AllMusic's Steve Huey stated that, along with the other singles, it was an "upbeat, commercial moment", calling it a "rags-to-riches chronicle". [19] Andrew Kameka, of HipHopDX , stated that the song was one of his "greatest and most-revealing songs" and went on to say it was a "Part-autobiography, part-declaration-of-success. It document[s] the star's transition from Brooklyn knucklehead to magazine cover story." [26] Producer Pete Rock, who was commissioned to remix the track, alleged that Puffy stole the idea for the original song's beat after hearing it from him during a visit. Rock explained this in an interview with Wax Poetics : [27]

I did the original version, didn't get credit for it. They came to my house, heard the beat going on the drum machine, it's the same story. You come downstairs at my crib, you hear music. He heard that shit and the next thing you know it comes out. They had me do a remix, but I tell people, and I will fight it to the end, that I did the original version of that. I'm not mad at anybody, I just want the correct credit.

"Big Poppa" was released as the second single on December 24, 1994, and like the previous single, it was a hit on multiple charts. It reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number one on Hot Rap Singles. [3] It sold over a million units and the RIAA certified it Platinum on May 23, 1995. [25] Featuring production by Combs and Chucky Thompson of The Hitmen, it samples "Between the Sheets" by The Isley Brothers. The song was nominated at the 1996 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance, but lost to Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise". Steve Huey named it an "overweight-lover anthem". [19]

"One More Chance" was released as the third single on June 9, 1995. The single was a remix of the album track. It was produced by Combs and featured a sample from DeBarge's "Stay With Me". It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and Hot Rap Singles. [3] It sold over a million copies and the RIAA certified it Platinum on July 31, 1995. [25] Steve Huey labeled it a "graphic sex rap". [19] Rolling Stone writer Cheo H. Coker had a similar view of the song, noting that it was "one of the bawdiest sex raps since Kool G Rap's classic, "Talk Like Sex" and continued, stating it "proves hilarious simply because of B.I.G.'s Dolemitelike vulgarity." [18]

Critical reception

Ready to Die
Ready To Die.jpg
Studio album by
The Notorious B.I.G.
ReleasedSeptember 13, 1994 (1994-09-13)
Recorded1993–1994
Studio The Hit Factory and D&D Studios, New York City
Genre
Length69:05
Label
Producer
The Notorious B.I.G. chronology
Ready to Die
(1994)		 Life After Death
(1997)
30th Anniversary re-release cover
Ready To Die 30th Anniversary.jpg
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [19]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [28]
Christgau's Consumer Guide A− [29]
HipHopDX 5/5 [26]
Pitchfork 10/10 [22]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [30]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [31]
The Source Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [32]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [33]

Ready to Die received widespread acclaim from music critics. In his review for Rolling Stone , Cheo H. Coker stated "Ready to Die is the strongest solo rap debut since Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted . From the breathtakingly visual moments of his birth to his Cobainesque end in 'Suicidal Thoughts,' B.I.G. proves a captivating listen. It's difficult to get him out of your head once you sample what he has to offer". [18] Robert Christgau from The Village Voice commented "His sex raps are erotic, his jokes are funny, and his music makes the thug life sound scary rather than luxuriously laid back. When he considers suicide, I not only take him at his word, I actively hope he finds another way". [29] The New York Times wrote "Though drug dealing carries tremendous heroic value with some young urban dwellers, he sacrifices the figure's romantic potential. His raps acknowledge both the excitement of drug dealing and the stress caused by the threat from other dealers, robbers, the police and parents, sometimes one's own. In presenting the downside of that life, Ready to Die offers perhaps the most balanced and honest portrait of the dealer's life of any in hip-hop". [1]

Q magazine gave Ready to Die three out of five stars, and stated "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". [30] In their original review for Ready to Die, The Source gave it four-and-a-half out of five 'mics', stating "Big weaves tales like a cinematographer, each song is like another scene in his lifestyle. Overall, this package is complete: ridiculous beats, harmonizing honeys, ill sound effects, criminal scenarios, and familiar hooks". [32]

Commercial performance

Ready to Die shipped 57,000 units in its first week of release. [34] However, it was then certified Gold by the RIAA only two months after its release on November 15, 1994. on October 16, 1995, only a year and one month after its release the album was certified double Platinum. [25] Ready to Die was then certified triple Platinum on August 26, 1998, and was later certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA on October 19, 1999. In April 2018, Ready to Die was certified 6 × Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Legacy

Ready to Die has been highly acclaimed. In 1998, The Source included it on their 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time list, [35] and in 2002, they re-rated it to the maximum five 'mics'. [36] Rolling Stone has also given acclaim to Ready to Die over the years. In 2003, they ranked it number 133 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, [37] 134 in a 2012 revised list, [38] and 22 in a 2020 revised list. [39] In 2004, they re-rated it to five stars. [31] In 2011, Rolling Stone also placed it at number eight on their 100 Best Albums of the Nineties list, and described it as "mapping out the sound of 'Nineties cool'". [40] Kilian Murphy from Stylus Magazine wrote favorably of the album in a retrospective review, and concluded "Sweet, hypocritical, sensitive, violent, depressed and jubilant; these words could all fittingly describe Big at various points on Ready to Die." [41]

Steve Huey from AllMusic gave it five stars, stating "The album that reinvented East Coast rap for the gangsta age, Ready to Die made the Notorious B.I.G. a star. Today it's recognized as one of the greatest hardcore rap albums ever recorded, and that's mostly due to Biggie's skill as a storyteller". [19] In 2006, Time magazine included it on their 100 Greatest Albums of All Time list, and stated "On Ready to Die, Wallace took his street corner experiences and filtered them through his considerable charm. The result was a record that mixed long stretches of menace with romance and lots of humor. No rapper ever made multi-syllabic rhymes sound as smooth". [42] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [43]

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
About.com United States 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums [44] 20082
Best Rap Albums of 1994 [45]
10 Essential Hip-Hop Albums [46] 3
Apple Music 100 Best Albums [47] 202432
Blender 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die [48] 2003*
Dance De Lux Spain The 25 Best Hip-Hop Records[ citation needed ]200121
Robert DimeryUnited States 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die [49] 2005*
ego trip Hip Hop's Greatest Albums by Year 1980–98 [50] 19992
Entertainment Weekly The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008 [51] 200840
The Guardian United Kingdom 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die [52] 2007*
Mojo Mojo 1000, the Ultimate CD Buyers Guide [53] 2001
The Mojo Collection [54] 2003
Tom Moon United States 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die [55] 2008
MTV The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time [56] 20054
MUZIQFrance200 Records for a Dream Collection[ citation needed ]2007*
The New Nation United KingdomTop 100 Albums by Black Artists[ citation needed ]20058
Pause & PlayUnited StatesAlbums Inducted into a Time Capsule [57] —*
Pitchfork Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1990s [58] 200332
Q United KingdomThe Ultimate Music Collection [59] 2005*
Rolling Stone United StatesThe Essential Recordings of the '90s [60] 1999
500 Greatest Albums of All Time [39] 202022
100 Best Albums of the Nineties [40] 20118
Sounds by
Rolling Stone		GermanyThe 50 Best Albums of the 1990s [61] 200937
The Source United StatesThe 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time [35] 1998*
Spin The 90 Greatest Albums of the 90s [62] 199927
100 Greatest Albums (1985–2005) [63] 200530
125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years [64] 201243
Time The All-TIME 100 Albums [65] 2006*
Vibe 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century [66] 1999
150 Albums That Define the Vibe Era (1992–2007) [67] 2007
Village Voice Pazz & Jop [68] 199538
VPRO Netherlands 299 Nominations of the Best Album of All Time[ citation needed ]2006*

Track listing

All tracks are written by Christopher Wallace except "The What" written by Christopher Wallace and Clifford Smith [69]

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Intro" Sean "Puffy" Combs 3:24
2."Things Done Changed"Darnell Scott3:58
3."Gimme the Loot" Easy Mo Bee 5:04
4."Machine Gun Funk"Easy Mo Bee4:17
5."Warning"Easy Mo Bee3:40
6."Ready to Die"Easy Mo Bee4:24
7."One More Chance"
4:43
8."#!*@ Me (Interlude)"Combs1:31
9."The What" (featuring Method Man)Easy Mo Bee3:57
10."Juicy"
5:02
11."Everyday Struggle"Bluez Brothers5:19
12."Me & My Bitch"
  • Bluez Brothers
  • Chucky Thompson
  • Combs
4:00
13."Big Poppa"
  • Chucky Thompson
  • Combs [a]
4:13
14."Respect"
  • Poke
  • Combs
5:21
15."Friend of Mine"Easy Mo Bee3:28
16."Unbelievable" DJ Premier 3:43
17."Suicidal Thoughts" Lord Finesse 2:50
Total length:69:05
Remaster bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
18."Who Shot Ya?"
  • Nashiem Myrick
  • Combs [a]
5:19
19."Just Playing (Dreams)" Rashad Smith 2:43
Total length:77:03
Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

</ref>|relyear=1994}}

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [85] Gold10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [86] Platinum300,000‡
United States (RIAA) [87] 6× Platinum5,000,000 [88]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  27. ↑ Wax Poetic interview – Pete Rock – tribe.net Archived February 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
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