'Ready To Die' is one of the best east coast hip-hop records of the 1990s and an all-time hip-hop classic that sounds just as relevant and dope in 2017 as it did when it was released back in '94 on the legendary Bad Boy Records company run by Sean 'Puffy' Combs now known as P. Diddy, Diddy or more recently 'Love a.k.a. Brother Love'. The record was in direct competition with recent releases by Death Row from Dr. Dre and more specifically Snoop Doggy Dogg's (as he was known then) 'Doggystyle' record. Snoop was hot back then but so was Biggie Smalls a.k.a.
The Notorious B.I.G. From Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. Ready To Die is a concept album and chronicles Biggie's life from birth to death. The intro starts in 1972 with Christopher Wallace being born in the labor room to Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly'. Then it transitions to 1979 and you can hear Christopher's (Biggie's) father arguing and shouting with his wife (played by Lil' Kim) saying 'You can't control that boy?!' And Kim responds that he's a 'dumb muthafucka!'
Next, we have a scene were Biggie coaxes a friend into robbing a train set to the sound of Audio Two's 'Top Billin' from 1988. They then proceed to rob the train as they shout 'Get on the floor muthafucka!' While they shoot off shots from a shotgun. In the next scene, Biggie is getting released from prison to Snoop Dogg's track 'Tha Shiznit' in 1993 (after serving 5 years for the robbery) and the prison guard asks Biggie 'So how does it feel leaving us?' And Biggie replies 'Huh! What kind of fucking question is that?
I'm trying to get the fuck up out this joint dawg!' To which the guard replies 'Yeah, you'll be back! You niggas always are!' Biggie answers 'You won't see me up in this muthafucka no more! I got big plans nigga!
After the intro, we dive right into the albums first cut, 'Things Done Changed' which sample Dr. Dre's 'Lil' Ghetto Boy' on the chorus, the track is an intense affair and is very uncommercial. Next up Biggie does some role-playing on 'Gimme The Loot' where he tells a story and does a two-voiced rap explaining the art of armed robbery in detail. Next, we have two less interesting songs, 'Machine Gun Funk' is a New Jack Swing style beat with some okay rapping, while 'Warning' is slightly better with a chill beat and some more multi-voiced rapping. Track six is the title track and one of the best tracks so far with a hardcore and morose beat with Biggie delivering some morbid lyrics with a vicious twist of battle lyrics. Next up Biggie goes full sex mode on 'One More Chance', the track has a low key beat and features an r&b hook from Debarge.