Ready to Die

by The Notorious B.I.G.

Overview

The album that reinvented East Coast rap for the gangsta age, Ready to Die made the Notorious B.I.G. a star, and vaulted Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy label into the spotlight as well. 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. His raps are easy to understand, but his skills are hardly lacking -- he has a loose, easy flow and a talent for piling multiple rhymes on top of one another in quick succession. He's blessed with a flair for the dramatic, and slips in and out of different contradictory characters with ease. Yet, no matter how much he heightens things for effect, it's always easy to see elements of Biggie in his narrators and of his own experience in the details; everything is firmly rooted in reality, but plays like scenes from a movie. A sense of doom pervades his most involved stories: fierce bandits ("Gimme the Loot"), a hustler's beloved girlfriend ("Me & My Bitch"), and robbers out for Biggie's newfound riches ("Warning") all die in hails of gunfire. The album is also sprinkled with reflections on the soul-draining bleakness of the streets -- "Things Done Changed," "Ready to Die," and "Everyday Struggle" are powerfully affecting in their confusion and despair. Not everything is so dark, though; Combs' production collaborations result in some upbeat, commercial moments, and typically cop from recognizable hits: the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" on the graphic sex rap "One More Chance," Mtume's "Juicy Fruit" on the rags-to-riches chronicle "Juicy," and the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" on the overweight-lover anthem "Big Poppa." Producer Easy Mo Bee's deliberate beats do get a little samey, but it hardly matters: this is Biggie's show, and by the time "Suicidal Thoughts" closes the album on a heartbreaking note, it's clear why he was so revered even prior to his death. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	10/08/2021
Label:	Bad Boy / Rhino / Wea
UPC:	0603497843343

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Notorious B.I.G.   Primary Artist,Vocals
Method Man   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Chucky Thompson   Various Instruments,Multi Instruments
Sybil Pennix   Spoken Word,Vocals,Voices,Voiceover
Diana King   Guest Artist,Vocals
Total   Guest Artist,Vocals
Faith Evans   Vocals

Technical Credits

Richard Travali   Audio Engineer,Mixing,Engineer,Recording,Mixing Engineer
Greg Pinto   Audio Engineer,Mixing,Engineer,Recording,Mixing Engineer
Bob Brockman   Audio Engineer
Chucky Thompson   Audio Production,Musician,Producer,Composer
Norman & Digga Bluez Brothers   Audio Production
Easy Mo Bee   Audio Production,Producer
Darnell Scott   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Sean Combs   Audio Production,Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Curtis Mayfield   Composer
Earl Toon   Composer
Eddie Sancho   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Donald Boyce   Composer
Dean Taylor   Composer,Composer
Ernie Isley   Composer
Norman Glover   Composer,Producer
Al'Terik Wardrick   Composer
Osten Harvey   Composer
Leroy Bonner   Composer
Harry Casey   Composer
Herb Magidson   Composer
Trevor Smith   Composer
Dan Norman   Producer
Kevin Scott   Composer,Composer,Producer,Composer
Marshall Eugene Jones   Composer
Walter Morrison   Composer
Harve Pierre   A&R
Dave Grusin   Composer
Allie Wrubel   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Kevin Hansford   Composer
Chris Jasper   Composer
Kool & the Gang   Composer
Clarence Satchell   Composer
Dodie Pettit   Composer
Jean-Claude Olivier   Composer,Producer
Dennis "D.T." Thomas   Composer
Lord Finesse   Composer,Producer
Bob Brockmann   Mixing Engineer,Mixing,Engineer,Recording
B.J. Ben Mason   Composer
Bryan Higgins   Composer
Dominic Owen   Composer,Producer
Fred Scruggs   Composer
Gary Morgan   Composer
Mr. Cee   Associate Executive Producer
H. Bowen David   Composer
D.L. King   Composer
Kirk Robinson   Composer
James Jackson   Composer
Chris Martin   Composer
R. Hall   Composer
Claydes Smith   Composer
George Brown   Composer
Dupree Kelly   Composer
O'Kelly Isley   Composer
John Wydrycs   Engineer,Recording
Charles "Prince Charles" Alexander   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Mister Cee   Associate Executive Producer
Norty Cotto   Engineer,Recording
Shirley Murdock   Composer
Sylvia Robinson   Composer
Nashiem Myrick   Composer,Producer,Programming
Frank Donalds   Composer
Tyrone Taylor   Composer
Harvey Mason, Jr.   Composer
Malik Taylor   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Harvey Mason, Sr.   Composer
Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey   Composer
Richard Westfield   Composer
Richard Finch   Composer
R. Bell   Composer
Rashad Smith   Composer,Producer
The Notorious B.I.G.   Composer
"Prince" Charles Alexander   Mixing,Recording,Mixing Engineer
DJ Premier   Producer
Herbert Magidson   Composer
Nathaniel Robison Jr.   Composer
Bill Esses   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
K. Scott   Composer
Mario Rodriquez   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Nat Robinson   Composer
Roger Che   Composer
Butch BelAir   Photography
Otha Nash   Composer
Larry Troutman   Composer
James Mtume   Composer
Bernard Edwards   Composer
Keith Elam   Composer
Kirk Jones   Composer
Christopher Wallace   Composer
R. Ellis   Composer
Carl Thompson   Composer
Mario Rodriguez   Mixing,Recording,Mixing Engineer
Carlton Batts   Mastering
Reginald Ellis   Composer
J. Oliver   Composer
Bluez Brothers   Composer,Producer
Larry Dobson   Composer
Barbara Mason   Composer
Robert "Kool" Bell   Composer
Diana King   Composer
Roger Troutman   Composer
Black Mambo   Composer
Lord Digga   Producer
Robert "Spike" Mickens   Composer
Ronald Bell   Composer
Ronald Isley   Composer
Junie Morrison   Composer
Roger   Composer
R. Kelly   Composer
Marlon Williams   Composer
Poke   Programming
Rudolph Isley   Composer
Q-Tip   Composer
Marvin Isley   Composer
Meekaaeel Muhammad   Composer
R. Dean Taylor   Composer
Ali Shaheed Muhammad   Composer
Ralph Middlebrooks   Composer
Nile Rodgers   Composer
Method Man   Composer,Performer