Ready To Die album

Today in Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Turns 30 Years Old!

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On September 13, 1994, Notorious B.I.G., alongside producers Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier, Poke of the Trackmasters, and none other than “Puffy” (as Diddy was called then) as the executive producer, released the Hip Hop masterpiece known as Ready To Die.

As Big’s debut album, this highly anticipated release shows the lyrical prowess of the Bed-Stuy big man, and besides Method Man’s assistance on the epic “The What?” track, Mr. Wallace made it happen all by himself. Other than Nas’ Illmatic, no other solo emcee accomplished that feat on the East Coast during that era. Recognized as “The King Of New York” and as seen on a vintage 1995 Source Magazine cover, Big’s legacy was etched in stone with this LP.

Timeless classics from that four-and-a-half mic-er include the DJ Premier-produced “Unbelievable,” the back-and-forth storytelling adventures of “Warning” and “Gimme The Loot,” and the eerie title track itself were just a few of the highlights of this legendary project. That’s not to forget the mainstream success of singles such as “One More Chance,” the Brooklynplayalistic sound of “Big Poppa,” and, of course, the hood inspirational, Mtume-based “Juicy.”

We only had the chance to get one more album(prophetically named Life After Death) out of one of the game’s greatest lyricists before he was prematurely killed in Los Angeles in 1997. Still, this album will always remind us that B.I.G. was “Ready to Die” because his talent was and will always be larger than life.

Salute to Big (RIP), Premier, Easy, Poke, Lord Finesse, Diddy, Lil’ Kim, and the entire Wallace family for this classic masterpiece!

The post Today in Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Turns 30 Years Old! first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

Rhino Records Announces Biggie Smalls ‘Ready To Die’ 30th Anniversary Re-Issue

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The Notorious B.I.G.’s multi-platinum debut, Ready to Die, celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special 2-LP reissue featuring newly reimagined limited edition cover art.

On September 13—the album’s original release date—Ready To Die (30th Anniversary) will be available as a double album on black vinyl from Rhino.com and biggiemerch.com. On the same day, a color vinyl edition will be available exclusively at select retailers.

Earlier this year, the Library of Congress inducted Ready To Die into the National Recording Registry. In the essay accompanying the induction, author and journalist Justin Tinsley writes, “In its true essence, the album is a response to American capitalism and just how deadly the pursuit of money could be and was for so many–in particular, young Black folks in America. ‘Ready To Die’ is a response to so many moments in American history before it: the economic crisis that nearly crippled New York in the 1970s, the crack explosion of the ’80s (and the unfathomable violence and destruction it brought) and Reagonomics, ‘Stop-And-Frisk’-era policies that crippled Black communities… ‘Rolling Stone’ dubbed the album ‘the precise moment when hip-hop’s golden age transitioned into its modern age, the height of New York hip-hop and the sound of the greatest rapper of all time at the absolute top of his power.’”

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The album’s lead single, “Juicy,” achieved gold certification upon release and peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, crossing over to reach No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Since its release, the platinum-certified track has garnered over 1 billion streams and was named the best hip-hop song of all time by the BBC. The second single, “Big Poppa,” was an even bigger success; with over 1 billion streams to date, it topped the Rap and R&B charts and reached No. 6 on the Hot 100. It was certified platinum at the time and nominated for the GRAMMY® Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. In addition, a remix of “One More Chance” topped the Rap and R&B charts and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100. 

The iconic record has been certified 6x platinum and is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever, making the Apple Music 100 Best Albums of All Time and No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time.

LP One: Side One

  1. Intro
  2. “Things Done Changed”
  3. “Gimme The Loot”
  4. “Machine Gun Funk”
  5. “Warning”

Side Two

  1. “Ready To Die”
  2. “One More Chance”
  3. “F*$K Me”
  4. “The What”
  5. “Juicy”

LP Two: Side One

  1. “Every Day Struggle”
  2. “Me & My Bitch”
  3. “Big Poppa”
  4. “Respect”

Side Two

  1. “Friend of Mine”
  2. “Unbelievable”
  3. “Suicidal Thoughts”
  4. “Who Shot Ya”

The post Rhino Records Announces Biggie Smalls ‘Ready To Die’ 30th Anniversary Re-Issue first appeared on The Source.

The post Rhino Records Announces Biggie Smalls ‘Ready To Die’ 30th Anniversary Re-Issue appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 29 Years Ago

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Screen Shot at

On September 13, 1994, Notorious B.I.G., alongside producers Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier, Poke of the Trackmasters, and none other than “Puffy” (as Diddy was called then) as the executive producer, released the Hip Hop masterpiece known as Ready To Die.

As Big’s debut album, this highly anticipated release shows the lyrical prowess of the Bed-Stuy big man, and besides Method Man’s assistance on the epic “The What?” track, Mr. Wallace made it happen all by himself. Other than Nas’ Illmatic, no other solo emcee accomplished that feat during that era on the East Coast. Recognized as “The King Of New York” and as seen on a vintage 1995 Source Magazine cover, Big’s legacy was etched in stone with this LP.

Timeless classics from that four and a half mic-er include the DJ Premier produced “Unbelievable,” the back and forth storytelling adventures of “Warning” and “Gimme The Loot,” and the eerie title track itself were just a few of the highlights of this legendary project. That’s not to forget the mainstream success of singles such as “One More Chance,” the Brooklynplayalistic sound of “Big Poppa,” and of course the hood inspirational, Mtume-based “Juicy.”

We only had the chance to get one more album(prophetically named Life After Death) out of one of the game’s greatest lyricists before he was prematurely killed in Los Angeles in 1997. Still, this album will always remind us that B.I.G. was “Ready to Die” because his talent was and will always be larger than life.

Salute to Big (RIP), Premier, Easy, Poke, Lord Finesse, Diddy, Lil’ Kim, and the entire Wallace family for this classic masterpiece!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 29 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 29 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 28 Years Ago

by
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On September 13, 1994, Notorious B.I.G., alongside producers Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier, Poke of the Trackmasters, and none other than “Puffy” (as Diddy was called then) as the executive producer, released the Hip Hop masterpiece known as Ready To Die.

As Big’s debut album, this highly anticipated release shows the lyrical prowess of the Bed-Stuy big man, and besides Method Man’s assistance on the epic “The What?” track, Mr. Wallace made it happen all by himself. Other than Nas’ Illmatic, no other solo emcee accomplished that feat during that era on the East Coast. Recognized as “The King Of New York” and as seen on a vintage 1995 Source Magazine cover, Big’s legacy was etched in stone with this LP.

Timeless classics from that four and a half mic-er include the DJ Premier produced “Unbelievable,” the back and forth storytelling adventures of “Warning” and “Gimme The Loot,” and the eerie title track itself were just a few of the highlights of this legendary project. That’s not to forget the mainstream success of singles such as “One More Chance,” the Brooklynplayalistic sound of “Big Poppa,” and of course the hood inspirational, Mtume-based “Juicy.”

We only had the chance to get one more album(prophetically named Life After Death) out of one of the game’s greatest lyricists before he was prematurely killed in Los Angeles in 1997. Still, this album will always remind us that B.I.G. was “Ready to Die” because his talent was and will always be larger than life.

Salute to Big (RIP), Premier, Easy, Poke, Lord Finesse, Diddy, Lil’ Kim, and the entire Wallace family for this classic masterpiece!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 28 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.