Ready to Die
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ready to Die | ||
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| Studio album by The Notorious B.I.G. | ||
| Released | September 13, 1994 | |
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |
| Length | 68:58 or 1:17:01 (Extended Version Bonus Track) | |
| Label | Bad Boy Records | |
| Producer(s) | Sean "Puffy" Combs (exec.) Easy Mo Bee Chucky Thompson Poke Bluez Brothers DJ Premier Lord Finesse Darnell Scott |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| The Notorious B.I.G. chronology | ||
| Ready to Die (1994) |
Life After Death (1997) |
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| Alternate cover | ||
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| Ready to Die (2004/2006 re-issue) | ||
Ready to Die is the debut album by East Coast rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994 (see 1994 in music). The partly autobiographical hardcore hip hop album gained strong reviews on release and became a commercial success, reaching quadruple platinum sales. It is significant for revitalizing East Coast hip hop at a time when the genre was mostly dominated by West Coast artists.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Conception
[edit] Recording sessions
The album was recorded in New York City (mainly in The Hit Factory recording studio) in a two-part process between 1993 and 1994. The album's darker, less radio-friendly content (including “Ready To Die,” “Gimme The Loot” and “Things Done Changed”) was recorded in 1993 when Biggie was signed to the Uptown Records label. In these sessions, XXL magazine describe an "inexperienced, higher-pitched" Biggie sounding "hungry and paranoid". When Executive Producer, Sean "Puffy" Combs, who had originally signed him to the label was fired, Biggie's recording career hung in limbo. After a brief period dealing drugs, Biggie returned to the studio the following year on the Bad Boy Records label possessing "a smoother, more confident vocal tone" and recorded his more commercial tracks, including the album's singles. Between the two sessions, XXL wrote that Biggie moved from writing his lyrics in notebooks to freestyling them from memory.[2]
[edit] Music
[edit] Lyrical content
The lyrics on Ready to Die tend to deal with violence, drug dealing, women, alcohol consumption and other elements of Notorious B.I.G.'s environment. Biggie described his debut as "a big pie, with each slice indicating a different point in my life involving bitches and niggaz... from the beginning to the end".[3] Biggie rapped about these topics in "clear, sparse terms, allowing the lyrics to hit the first time you hear them".[4] The album contains a loose concept starting out with an intro that details the birth of Biggie, his early childhood, his adolescence and his life at the point of the album's release.[5] Songs on the album range from homicide narratives ("Warning") to braggadocios battle raps ("The What," "Unbelievable"). Finally, the album ends with "Suicidal Thoughts," a song where The Notorious B.I.G. contemplates suicide and then commits it.
[edit] Production
While Combs is commonly associated with the production of this album (and acts as the album's Executive Producer), most of the beats were provided by Combs's Hitmen Productions squad and other producers including DJ Premier and Lord Finesse; Combs produced the two interludes on the album and co-produced three songs including the first two singles. Rolling Stone describe the beats as "heavy bottomed and slick", but write they only act to enhance the lyrics rather than stand out in their own right.[4] The beats are mainly sample-based with the samples ranging from the percussion of funk songs to the vocals of hip hop songs.
[edit] Singles
Three singles were released from the album, as well as four music videos (for "Juicy", "Big Poppa", "Warning" and "One More Chance (Remix)"). The singles were "catchy, radio-friendly" songs in stark contrast to "the grim depiction of urban hopelessness" that appeared on the album. XXL believe this more commercial sound of the singles was as a result of encouragement by Combs during the later recording sessions.[2] The singles were commercial successes, with the lead single, "Juicy", going gold and the latter two reaching platinum status. The album's final single, "One More Chance (Remix)", which featured his spouse, Faith Evans, on the chorus (with backing vocals by Mary J. Blige), was a loosely related remix of an album track and never appeared on its original release. The song was the album's best selling single and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Initial
Upon its release, Ready to Die received strong reviews,[6] and unlike other acclaimed East Coast hip hop albums released at the time (including the Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Nas' Illmatic), such critical success was matched commercially. Rolling Stone praised Biggie's ability in "painting a sonic picture so vibrant that you're transported right to the scene" and Q magazine wrote "...the natural rapping, clever use of sound effects and acted dialogue, and concept element... set this well apart from the average gangsta bragging".[6] The album peaked at #3 and #15 on Billboard's (North America) Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and the Billboard 200 album charts and was eventually certified quadruple platinum.[7]
[edit] Retrospectively
In retrospect the album has been highly acclaimed. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums. The magazine, which had initially scored the album 4.5 mics (out of five) in its 1994 review raised its rating to five. In 2003, the album was ranked number 133 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It is the third highest ranked hip hop album on the list (with Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell ranking above). The album was ranked #30 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005".[8]
[edit] List of accolades
The information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net[8] and other website links below.
( * ) designates lists which are unordered.
[edit] Reissues
Ready to Die has been remastered and reissued with two bonus tracks and a DVD containing four music videos and one live performance. This reissue was released in 2004 and 2006. On March 19, 2006, a judge ordered that sales of Ready to Die be halted because the title track sampled a 1992 song by the Ohio Players, "Singing in the Morning", without permission. It would not be sold again until November of that year, when Bad Boy released it in a remastered edition with the sample in question and a further Parliament sample removed.[9]
[edit] Track listing
All songs were performed by The Notorious B.I.G. The list of samples for each track is only partial.
| # | Title | Time | Songwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Sample(s)[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | 3:24 | Christopher Wallace | Sean "Puffy" Combs | *Interlude* |
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| 2 | "Things Done Changed" | 3:57 | Christopher Wallace | Darnell Scott | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 3 | "Gimme the Loot" | 5:04 | Christopher Wallace | Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 4 | "Machine Gun Funk" | 4:16 | Christopher Wallace | Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 5 | "Warning" | 3:40 | Christopher Wallace | Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 6 | "Ready to Die" | 4:24 | Christopher Wallace | Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 7 | "One More Chance" | 4:43 | Christopher Wallace | Chucky Thompson Sean "Puffy" Combs The Bluez Brothers |
The Notorious B.I.G. Total (additional vocals) Chucky Thompson (instruments) |
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| 8 | "Fuck Me (Interlude)" | 1:31 | Christopher Wallace | Sean "Puffy" Combs | The Notorious B.I.G. Unknown Female (Lil' Kim) |
— |
| 9 | "The What" | 3:57 | Christopher Wallace Clifford Smith |
Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. Method Man |
— |
| 10 | "Juicy" | 5:03 | Christopher Wallace | Poke Sean "Puffy" Combs |
The Notorious B.I.G. Total (additional vocals) |
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| 11 | "Everyday Struggle" | 5:19 | Christopher Wallace | The Bluez Brothers | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 12 | "Me & My Bitch" | 4:00 | Christopher Wallace | Chucky Thompson Sean "Puffy" Combs The Bluez Brothers |
The Notorious B.I.G. Sybil Pennix (voice) Chucky Thompson (instruments) |
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| 13 | "Big Poppa" | 4:13 | Christopher Wallace | Chucky Thompson Sean "Puffy" Combs |
The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 14 | "Respect" | 5:22 | Christopher Wallace | Poke Sean "Puffy" Combs |
The Notorious B.I.G. Diana King (additional vocals) |
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| 15 | "Friend of Mine" | 3:28 | Christopher Wallace | Easy Mo Bee | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 16 | "Unbelievable" | 3:43 | Christopher Wallace | DJ Premier | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 17 | "Suicidal Thoughts" | 2:54 | Christopher Wallace | Lord Finesse | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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| 18 | "Who Shot Ya?"* | 5:19 | Christopher Wallace | Nashiem Myrick Sean "Puffy" Combs |
The Notorious B.I.G. Faith Evans (backing vocals) |
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| 19 | "Just Playing (Dreams)"* | 2:43 | Christopher Wallace | Rashad Smith | The Notorious B.I.G. |
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* denotes Extended Version Bonus Tracks
[edit] Singles
| Single information | |
|---|---|
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"Juicy" |
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"Big Poppa"
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"One More Chance" |
[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Album
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 15 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 3 |
[edit] Singles
| Song | Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Juicy" / "Unbelievable" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 27 |
| "Juicy" / "Unbelievable" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 14 |
| "Juicy" / "Unbelievable" | U.S. Hot Rap Tracks | 3 |
| Song | Chart (1995) | Peak position |
| "One More Chance / Stay with Me" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| "One More Chance / Stay with Me" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 1 |
| "One More Chance / Stay with Me" | U.S. Hot Rap Tracks | 1 |
| "Big Poppa" / "Warning" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| "Big Poppa" / "Warning" | U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 4 |
| "Big Poppa" / "Warning" | U.S. Hot Rap Tracks | 1 |
[edit] References
- ^ Huey, Steve The Notorious B.I.G. > Overview All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-03-17
- ^ a b Duncan, Andrea et al The Making of Ready to Die:Family Business XXL, 2006-03-09. Retrieved on 2007-03-18
- ^ Brown, Jake he shot him self in the head 501 times and shot his dog to. (2004-05-24). Ready to Die: The Story of Biggie Smalls Notorious B.I.G.. Colossus Books, p. 66. ISBN 0974977934.
- ^ a b Coker, Cheo H. Ready to Die review Rolling Stone (2004). Retrieved on 2007-03-18
- ^ Touré "Biggie Smalls; Rap's Man of the Moment" The New York Times, 1994-12-18. Retrieved on 2006-12-26
- ^ a b Ready to Die (Explicit) Tower Records (Muze data). Retrieved on 2006-12-10
- ^ RIAA searchable database. RIAA. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
- ^ a b Ready to Die at AcclaimedMusic.net. Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
- ^ Notorious B.I.G. album sales halted CBC, 2006-03-19. Retrieved on 2007-03-17
- ^ The Notorious B.I.G. Search the-breaks.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-17
| The Notorious B.I.G. |
|---|
| Discography |
| Albums & EPs |
| Ready to Die • Life After Death • Born Again • Duets: The Final Chapter • Greatst Hits |
| Singles |
| "Party and Bullshit" • "Juicy" • "Big Poppa" • "One More Chance" • "Hypnotize" • "Mo Money Mo Problems" • "Sky's the Limit" • "Notorious B.I.G." • "Dead Wrong" • "Runnin' (Dying to Live)" • "Nasty Girl" • "Spit Your Game" • "Hold Ya Head" |
| Guest singles |
| "Who Shot Ya?" • "Suicidal Thoughts" • "Warning" • "Notorious Thugs" |
| Related articles |
