But his contributions to rap run so much deeper than these artists. and two of the most powerful and influential men in the genre today, Jay-Z and Diddy). His monstrous impact still resonates to this day - especially within the school of artists that came under his tutelage (The LOX, Ma$e, Cam’ron, Lil Kim, Junior M.A.F.I.A. The late, great Biggie Smalls, real name Christopher Wallace was and still is one of the most beloved and respected icons of hip-hop. READ: Who Shouted Ya? 50 Famous Namedrops From The Notorious B.I.G. Very few rappers could illustrate this life as vividly, candidly, and with such unflinching, unapologetic honesty and wit like The Notorious B.I.G. The fact of the matter is that there are overwhelming numbers of black youth (both men and women) trapped in the vicious cycles of poverty, hopeless, and crime. Biggie’s crowning achievement is now older than he was when he died and still remains relevant and fresh, regardless if it’s your first or fiftieth listen.Life as a young black man in America can be one of the roughest experiences over any other group of people in this country. Ready to Die rightfully has earned its place as an iconic piece of rap history that shaped the east coast hip hop scene. Despite not originally wanting the track on the album, it shouts out loud to the world that Biggie is here, and he’s an unstoppable force. Juicy in many ways can be thought of as the quintessential song of the album, Biggie’s love letter to himself and what he’s achieved. You know what I’m sayin’? It’s all good, baby baby” To all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin’ in front ofĬalled the police on me when I was just tryin’ to make some money to feed my daughter (it’s all good) To all the teachers that told me I’d never amount to nothin’ Arguably the most notable track of the album, Juicy, is a nod to his origin story, a shoutout to those struggling and a not so subtle reminder to everyone around him, of what he’s done to achieve greatness. Furthermore, due to several copyright issues concerning some of the samples used, the versions able to be heard today are different to the original tracks.īut then there are the moments of triumph: the cuts that placed Biggie at the centre of the rap world when he was alive and ensured that - even in death - his artistry would be forever celebrated. Ready to Die is littered with crude sexism and skits that can be an uncomfortable listen in-between the rhythmic fire and storytelling substance of the rest of the album.įor example, a track titled Respect ends with a close mic’d recording of simulated fellatio, achieving little more for the album than disgusting the listener.
However, certain aspects of the album have not aged particularly well. While Ready to Die was Biggie’s first and final album, and its long track-list is frozen in time, a perfect snapshot of the late rappers life.
While this frustrated Biggie, some of the albums most notable tracks such as Juicy and Big Poppa are the result of these decisions. While Biggie’s power to captivate the listener comes largely from his in your face and thuggish sound, Diddy ensured that the album had a balance of tracks focused more around hooks and radio playability, to entice audiences. Diddy’s played no small role in the album’s production and its subsequent wide appeal and commercial success. With the neighborhood crews, hanging on the avenues “Lounging at the barbecues, drinking brews His entire neighbourhood is now clouded by a storm of gunfire and death, a stark difference to his fond memories of backyard barbecues. Straight out the gates is Things Done Changed, a dark track that takes the listener into Biggie’s troubled mind. The album’s 18 tracks act like short stories that explore the very real experiences of its creator. The entirety of Ready to Die feels like a heartbeat, the different rhythms marking changes in intensity that reflect the lyrical context. “You won’t see me up in this muthafucka no more! I got big plans n****! Big plans! Hahahaha!”īiggie was ready to shake the world to its core, like a semi-trailer, horn screaming and brakes cut. “Yeah, you’ll be back! You n****s always are!”
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