Ready To Die

I really wanted to give the GOAT a 5, but the skits on this album are out of control, in a bad way. This is definitely one where you put several tracks in a playlist and never touch the rest of it again. Best track: The What

An album that suffers under it own sheer size. Much like Biggie probably did

Misogynist lyrics made this nauseating, despite any potentially good musical qualities.

We need to talk about Puffy. It’s universally acknowledged that this is one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time from possibly the greatest rapper to ever do it. Nobody comes close to Biggie for having it all - lyrical dexterity, whip smart word play, ingenuity and the flow - god that flow - play any beat, any style and he nails it every time, whether swapping verses with himself on Gimmee the Loot, messing with the beat on Unbelievable (‘The gat's by your liver, your upper lip quiver Get ready to die, tell God I said hi’) or that laid back slow flow on Big Poppa. Impeccable choice of producers and beats (The What, Juicy) make for a thrilling, enthralling, near perfect rap album. But we need to talk about Puffy. There’s no doubting his contribution to shaping and developing Biggie as an artist but, my god, let that be enough! We don’t need your lousy skits, hype man contributions and especially not not your wack ass acting on Suicidal Thoughts. Let the man rap! Back down and shut up! It’s Puffy and the skits that made me hesitate over five or four stars … but it’s a tribute to Big that even this cannot ultimately spoil this classic five star (five mics) album.

This three-star review hurts to give. Biggie's skills are literally the stuff of legend but, man ... the album just didn't age well. The lyrical content is a one-note gong that he just keeps banging over and over and over. The majority of the album can be summed up in the phrase "I'm gonna shoot you." There's very little that strays from that central theme. And that ... well, that gets old after a while, doesn't it? Even if the delivery is fantastic. And then there are the skits. Pure cheese. The skits alone dragged the score down a whole star. Overall, a disappointing re-listen from one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Absolute classic album. Do I wish there were fewer skits with him having sex? Of course. But the rhymes are enough to keep it a 5.

Sex noises! How rude.

Juicy is everything that hip-hop is about perfectly encapsulated into one song. Big Poppa is the perfect player’s anthem with an even more perfect sample. The rest of the album is proof that Notorious BIG was the best rapper alive at the time. And the closing track is a haunting look at the dark side of fame in a troubled mind. A hip-hop masterpiece.

Like the Goodfellas of rap albums

Great timing as i just watched I Got a Story to Tell, the documentary about Biggie. What a dude. How could i not give this a 5?

I could do without the random women moaning in my ear during work hours, but the rapping was great.

As someone that doesn't listen to much rap, I'm pretty choosy on this genre. Part of it is that I can't identify with a lot of the content, and some of it is distaste for some of the ways it perpetuates and glorifies violence and gangsta lifestyle. Biggie was an excellent rapper, the pure talent and flow are amazing, he can weave a story so well and you do get a sense of his upbringing and coming out of that life to stardom throughout this album. For me what drags it down is a lot of the content though, the violence and gunshots, the music video where he blows away a bunch of guys from a balcony and it pans down to dead bodies, the juvenile skits and sex noises. I'm not a square but I just don't enjoy this, though as a teen I would have thought it was edgy and hilarious. 3 Stars from me, the talent is there and there are some bright spots in the album where he really gets into some great poetry, but it drags on too long and I just don't enjoy some of the content regardless of the talent behind it.

Glad I listened. I can appreciate how influential it's all been. But nothing artistically useful to me.

This is a difficult one to review. I liked the music and Biggie's vocals flow well. However, some of the lyrics are absolutely appalling. I'd feel embarrassed to listen to this album with other people around - and considering I'm happy to listen to Kunt and the Gang, that's not an easy thing to achieve. The glorification of violence, the casual homophobia and, in particular, the horrific levels of misogyny mean that I can only give this album 1 star, even though I thought the music was good. Some of the more delightful lyrics: From Me and My Bitch: "And I admit, when the time is right, the wine is right I treat you right, you talk slick, I beat you right" From Just Playing (Dreams). Where Biggie "Dreams of fucking an R&B bitch" "Make Raven Symone call date rape" Fuck off you creepy, vile weirdo.

Liked the beats and music, struggled to connect to the content.

Biggie sure does have good flow, and the beats are for the most part great. At first I felt like he surpassed the typical Rap culture tropes of just talking about themselves and their accomplishments. Because the album started as more of a nostalgic feel. But then it descended into the same old tropes and I quickly got bored of the lyrics. I stopped halfway into "**** Me" because I really don't want to hear people having sex. So I would say this album is garbage, not something you want to listen to as an album. Maybe individual songs are great. And musically some of the songs are 5/5. But thematically it is pretty much boring rap themes, with a little originality at the beginning of the album. Also I really disliked how it tried to be explicit in every way possible in a way that seemed on purpose just for explicitness.

It is difficult to listen to this album detached from the events of Biggie's career as a result of the feud between Bad Boy and Death Row, the East vs. the West. Biggie and his style of storytelling is definitely a cut above his contemporaries and even today against the current lineup of rap artists. The feud between East and West, whether manufactured or real, Biggie had a real story to tell. This album is dirty rap, with a very specific story that will resonate with specific audiences because of how personal this all comes across. Toxic masculinity as a result of the struggle for respect, the unbridled sexual conquest of generically available women, and the consequences of these actions are played out as ending in tragedy through violence. Where art imitated life, Biggie would be murdered a mere three years after this album was released. All in all, the album is sad and Biggie is telling a truth that happened to him as a young kid, in spite of academic success and great opportunity, that respect, money, maybe even love, could not be granted to anyone other than from the streets. This listener is not really looking for a story to be told in music, but Biggie explored and rather explicitly at times, a story about life that is contraindicative for people listening to music to feel nice or good. In a way, the authenticity of the struggle supersedes that of the rhythmic blues, where we are forced to perhaps understand something that for many people, is impossible.

A classic in so many ways. So many memorable lines and a great snapshot of who Biggie was, before all the posthumous releases started popping out.

Wow. Knowing very little, in the grand scheme of things, about rap and hip-hop, I don’t think I could tell you what makes this a standout example of its genres. But do know art when I see it, know an artist when presented with one. The concept of this album (loose though it may be at times), is well considered. Starting with Biggie’s birth and childhood, and ending with his suicide, it explores all aspects of his life, past and present. He tackles his criminal past, love, sex, fame and wealth (which I was confused about since this is his debut album and he presumably hadn’t achieved widespread fame yet; think I’m missing something there), poverty, stress, and much more. It’s a mosaic of his life, and each track feels like it was intricately written and produced to tell a specific part of it. It’s quite engaging. His delivery feels buttery-smooth while still conveying the emotion of each track. He’s not rushing or trying to impress the listener with how fast he can rap. He wants to be heard and understood. Where some rap can turn an uninitiated listener off with its references to other parts of the culture, fast deliveries, or just otherwise unfamiliar musical concepts, this album and Biggie himself stay rooted firmly in the moment of each song. The samples are brilliantly used to the point where I couldn’t always tell what was and wasn’t a sample. I cannot say enough about this album. It’s long but never overstays its welcome. It’s funny, it’s serious, it’s entertaining, it’s tragic. Absolutely no doubt 5 stars. I need more. Standout tracks: Intro (reminded me of Dark Side of the Moon’s “Speak to Me”), Things Done Changed, Machine Gun Funk, Ready to Die, One More Chance, Juicy, Everyday Struggle, Unbelievable, Suicidal Thoughts

Honestly, the skits are a bit over the top on here. They should have got ridden of a few. I don't care that P Diddy has confirmed that Biggie actually had Oral Sex at the end of Respect. Apart from that, this is an excellen album. One of the greatest.

Never really cared for Biggie, even back when I was teenager in the 90’s. I got about 7 songs through this record and put on De La Soul’s “Buhloone Mindstate”. Someone add that to the list.

I was grossed out by the lyrics Music/vocals are interesting and sound like they must have been a huge influence

Started off solid but after an hour of the same 3 words got boring. Almost turned off at the sound of fellatio, not sure how that is music!

Voice, rhythm, and flow are good. Content not so much. Misogyny, porn, violence. Offensive.

L’ALBUM Hip Hop per eccellenza, va ascoltato solo per la sua iconicità E poi perché il tipo ne ha fatti due e poi gli hanno sparato quindi quindi non c’è molto altro di suo sul mercato

Bed-Stuy's chef d'oeuvre! Ready to Die is a success story that is entertaining and poetic!

Classic album. One of the greatest hip hop albums ever. The storytelling, production, rapping are so point it's crazy. Biggie is one of the greatest rappers ever, flows are the best I have ever heard. 10/10

Re-listening for the generator. What a superb album, tons of fun (rimshot). When he's in the zone, no one does it like Biggie. From all-time opener Things Done Changed to endlessly quotable story of impending conflict Warning to the gloriously victorious Juicy, this work by the notorious one is simply awesome. 9/10 and a probable future 10

Gimme the loot is an absolute track. From the BERETTA puttin' all the holes in ya sweater

Always loved Biggie. It was a great trip down memory lane.

I know every lyric to this album for good reason.

This album bought Diddy a lot of lube unfortunately

Just about every song here is a certified classic. Incredible beats and quite possibly the best flow and voice of all time. Would be an easy 5/5 if not for the sex skits, which haven’t aged well, and Diddy not ever shutting up. Who Shot Ya? Is one of the best beats ever, but half of the song is his yapping. My favorite songs were Gimme The Loot, The What, Juicy, Big Poppa, Unbelievable, and Who Shot Ya?

I enjoyed the autobiographical nature of this album. And not enough can be said about Biggie's voice. That throaty baritone filled with moxie. Pride in one song, rage in the next. Songs about coming out of the life of a drug dealer into the life of a musician are a common theme. It's a shame that changing his focus still couldn't keep him safe from violence. The Biggie vibe is that of a monster rhyme delivered with timing absolutely locked in the pocket. Stick those lyrics on top of beats by Puff Daddy and that's a winner all day long and twice on Sundays. All of that being said however, I could never give an album this misogynistic a five.

Very influential and a classic album. His voice is super unique and recognizable. Kinda the king of sexual interludes - made this weird to listen to at home, but there's vulnerable parts as well that make it a really well-rounded album. A little long, but that's alright Saved: Gimme The Loot, Juicy

No. 215/1001 Intro 2/5 Things Done Changed 3/5 Gimme The Loot 3/5 Machine Gun Funk 3/5 Warning 3/5 Ready To Die 3/5 One More Chance 4/5 Fuck Me 2/5 The What 3/5 Juicy 5/5 Everyday Struggle 4/5 Me And My Bitch 3/5 Big Poppa 4/5 Respect 3/5 Friend of Mine 3/5 Unbelieveable 3/5 Suicidal Thoughts 3/5 Average: 3,18 Some very good songs, some ok songs. Didn't like the interludes.

Wow this is such a magical brake from the majority of the list being classic rock. I have never listened to this before but loved it from start to finish just a shame I never found it when I was younger.

GIMME THE LOOT GIMME THE LOOT

Fucken banger damn. Why did I never listen to this before?

Excellent album, almost every track hits hard. The flow, story telling, and production were great. You can tell he was still hungry and giving 100% effort, later albums weren't as consistent. The vibe of the album pumps up my testosterone levels and makes me feel like I would fight someone for looking at me wrong. Skits and intro/outros were obnoxious. I read that there were real recordings of fellatio on it... could have definitely gone without hearing that. I also felt like it was too long. 9/10

Love Biggie. I grew up on Biggie and Pac. Can't go wrong listening to one of the greatest rap albums of all time.

One More Chance, Juicy, Big Poppa, this album, which celebrates 30 years this year, is a certified banger.

This is the 88th album I’m rating. I still can’t believe that kid isn’t him. I wonder if Lana Del Rey was inspired by this album title. Adding to my Playlist - Things Done Changed, Gimme the Lot, Machine Gun Fuck, Warning, Ready to Die, One More Chance, The What, Juicy, Everyday Struggle, Me & my Bitch, Big Poppa, Respect, Friend of Mine, Unbelievable, and Suicidal Thoughts. Not Adding to my Playlist - Intro, Fuck Me (Interlude) All in all I liked 15/17 songs. This was really good might even be better than To Pimp a Butterfly.

4.5/5

Favorite songs: Big Poppa, Respect, Everyday Struggle, Juicy, Things Done Changed, Unbelievable Least favorite songs: Intro, F*** Me (fuck skits) 5/5

Awesome album. Never listened to it entirely before

Loved the album, 5/5 stars. Made me remember some of my favorite hits

Classic. I've never listened to the whole thing, track after track and the man was a genuine storyteller. RIP.

Always knew this was a classic, but I love how cinematic this feels. Tells a story in a way that I can visualize a movie in my head. Masterful storytelling for a debut especially.

Hellllllllll yeah. Unbelievable is my favorite track, but this whole record slaps from top to bottom.

Going in, I already know this is between a 4 and a 5. The difficulty in rating this album is that about half of the songs are absolute classics, and the other half are okay or worse than okay. Upon listening, I enjoyed enough of the “bad” half that I feel comfortable elevating this to a 5. “Juicy,” “Warning,” and “Things Done Changed” deserve all their hype, but to this day I’ve never heard a song like “Suicidal Thoughts.” It’s so dark but at the end of an album filled with such bravado, it’s striking and intense. Tough to say I “love” it, exactly, but I love the creativity and vulnerability.

Сначала я хотел написать что это просто прикольный генста-рэп с интересным интро (типа жизнь черного чела от рождения до тюряги). Но потом я дослушал до конца. Если скипнуть пару треков про секс, то оказывается, что это очень экзистенциальный альбом, наполненный мыслями про тяжкую жизнь, раскаяние, попытки осознать вообще смысл и всё такое. Ну и биты тут мега кайфовые, да и в целом звучит он очень приятно. Однозначно рекомендую, плюс стоит вслушиваться в тексты.

Another album that is incredibly important in my musical journey to attempt to define my ever-moving taste. I considered myself a fan of hip hop prior to listening to this album. But I was only scratching the surface of what it hip hop could be. I didn’t realize just how limited my understanding of hip hop was until I listened to Ready to Die. I was aware this album, Nas’s Illmatic and A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory were often anointed the “greatest” hip hop albums of all time. But my teenage self found the production to be so boring compared to the and often maximalist approach of Kanye West’s MBDTF and 808s & Heartbreaks and the many producers and rappers heavily inspired by them that dominated my experience with hip hop to that point. As such, the minimal approach of loops, drums and bars was comparatively sleepy. But when I decided to give this album a shot in college, I found myself drawn to the dusty bass and punchy drums. It had a rawness that I really only associated with rock that sat just outside the mainstream. It allowed Biggie’s raps and rapping to take center stage. It was refreshing. Biggie might have my favorite voice in rap and is one of my favorite story tellers to boot. After this album, it was over for everything else. I was absolutely hooked on the east coast scene of hip hop’s Golden Era. While it may not be my favorite of the 90s east coast scene (Wu-Tang, Nas, and A Tribe Called Quest have something to say too), I cannot deny that it is because of this album that hip hop was able to entrench itself, in my mind, as one of the most interesting (and frankly important) forms of artistic expression, regardless of medium.

Doesn't get old

super classic, some really weird moments (blowjob sound)

legende

Man this is a bop.

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, when I was dead broke, I couldn’t picture this. Just the tracks … forget the skits — and Puff.

This is just such a classic rap album. While I don’t enjoy it as much as a lot of others, I still think it deserves 5 stars.

Now we’re talking. Great album, sex and violence so makes for age appropriate listening

One of the greatest. Wish there were less sex skits... Would feel far more comfortable playing it out a speaker.

Listened to this a lot when I was a teenager. Whipped out the vinyl for it this time. Easy 5

I’m so ready. Maybe not to die, but sweet Jesus to listen to this album. There is no chance this doesn’t get a 5, but will the graphic fellatio interludes and constant reminder of “Puff Daddy” render this one into the dreaded “no longer a five” territory?? We’ve had our lyrical miracle street disciple hour with the Jurassic 5 and now, let’s take a turn to the much darker. After the intro of course. I ain’t doing a “blow by blow” on the birth scene. Being born “ready to die” is quite the comment though. Just the beginning. Let loose the best opening salvo in hip hop history. A “back in my day” track rattles out of the starting gate, which you’d think would be a negative. The wordplay, the tone, and the beat. Incredibly good. Had me wondering in my very white, suburban neighborhood why things have indeed changed. Good lord. It’s the greatest. The meanest, toughest mainstream rap song ever released. The true classic from this album. Angry, despondent, yet so so fun. A billion quotables and with that incredibly cool vocal variation and sample. One of the best ever put to tape. Isuzu mentioned. Perfection topped off with a mediocre automobile. This beat is incredibly hard. The sirens and the highly insensitive but so very catchy, Tina Turner interpolation bump up the coolness and odd humour aspect. It’s so extreme that it gets funny at times. I can’t be effusive enough with praise for this song. Even the repetition doesn’t wear itself out. The storytelling is incredible. I’ve heard it many times and I still hang on every word. Also. Might to inquire with the SPCA about the gunpowder dogs. Biggie. Come on now. Start the slow singing and leave the poor German canines alone. Perfect. Well. Except the inclusion of ol’ P Diddy, but at the time, things were relatively unknown. Can’t let him ruin this song. For what it’s worth, his parts are pretty great. This song is another gem in the crown. Biggie sez: When it comes to sex, I’m similar to a boxing match. I assume that means he will punch you and it will last 1-12 rounds? Who knows. I hate sex songs, but he’s simply too likeable and the beats and wordplay are just so fun. Even when he describes personal hygiene. Help me. Oh no. I think somebody is hurt. There is a bumping noise and a woman sounds in pain. Somebody help. The racism roleplay interlude has passed. We have survived. Mr. Cheese. It appears that you’re a rapper now. What a feature. Crazy that it’s pretty much the only one. Despite the lack of respect for pretty much every group of people, this one rules too. I always thought Biggie predicted 9/11 with that line. Anyway. This is overplayed but still fantastic. Such an excellent beat and lyrics that read like a triumph in amongst the dismay of the rest of the album. It certainly has the most pop sensibility so far, but the delivery doesn’t let up, nor does the writing. It’s almost like people don’t talk about Notorious B.I.G’s suicidal themes in his music. People dismiss rap as being about boasting or glorifying a gang lifestyle. Listen to this. Er what did he say about her dad?? This song is kind of romantic? I guess. Not my favourite here. The most popular, most west coast song on the album, and therefore, the very worst song on the album. If it wouldn’t be out of place on “The Chronic,” it’s probably boring. This feels like somebody told Biggie to make at least one hit. The least personality and almost no presence of the rapper’s unique voice to be found on “Big Poppa.” Excellent beat, thrilling intro/chorus vocals, and ultimately, a return to form after the club departure of the previous track. And then simulated fellatio. Or it’s an ad for popsicles. We can all hope. Good song. Decent is probably a better descriptor. Fine. Holy hell. A real deep track winner. The delivery is violent and persistent. Just a really solid hip-hop song. Tell god I said “this song is really good.” And here we go. The official final track. I of course will be listening to “Who Shot Ya” but not until we hear another admission of misery and a real show of depth. I’ve always wondered why music like this appealed to suburban white kids. I think in some surface-level cases, it’s a fetishization of a life that seems exciting and full of danger as opposed to the relative “boredom” and safety of middle class life. For me, sure, there is an element of sensationalism, but what it comes down to is hearing someone who can eloquently describe the feelings of being in a place seemingly consumed by fear, anger, and poverty. The emotions are a point of relatability to a situation that many of us are lucky enough to not have any direct experience with. Of course there are elements of boasting and glorification, but I’ve always found the macho posturing and foreboding lyrics/sounds an illustration of morbid thoughts unsaid. Relatable for anybody who has experienced any helplessness, fear, anger, sadness etc. you just have to dig past the surface. From start to finish, the beats, the lyrics, the humour, the emotion make this a joy to listen to. Popsicle ads and all. Who the fuck is this, paging me a five star album at 10:59 in the morning. Send the gunpowder dogs after those who deny. And somebody keep those fuckers away from the pentagon. Can’t have those monsters harnessing the power of the ShotWeillers. 5 HIGHLIGHTS: Things Done Changed, Gimme the Loot, Machine Gun Funk, Ready to Die, The What, Everyday Struggle, Suicidal Thoughts

What a great album. I've never listened to the whole thing before but it's banger after banger.

Easy 5. Yes, Puffy's contributions are annoying and unnecessary but if you look past those, this is easily one if the greatest rap albums of all time.

Classique

Bonafide classic, multiple 10/10 songs, not sure there are any skips

Good old hip-hop

Not bad

GIMME THE LOOT!

One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, arguably the greatest! Big was so good at telling you a story while rapping in an elite fashion. Timeless records, effortless flow and the ability to weave in a story throughout this project, flawless man. 10 stars!!!!

Classic Biggie. Funny, heavy, witty, and sounds cool all in one. 5 stars

I never got into this album like I did all the Westcoast stuff. However, this is an excellent hip hop album. This is definitely one of the hardest Eastcoast albums ever. Obviously, the hits are there, but I really like the jazzy, early 90's sound on Machine Gun Funk. My favorite song is Gimme the Loot. Biggie was super talented. I really just didn't like anything else on Bad Boy Records, or anything else Diddy lubed up. This is an all time classic, though, so it gets a 5 from me.

Well, fuck me

Eventually the brag, swagger and chatter gets exhausting, but the record sounds tasty and B.I.G. holds my attention even with the mundane, lascivious and humdrum-morbid life detail, more so than I remember Tupac’s broadly contemporaneous record did, though who knows how I’d feel tomorrow. Many blunts are mentioned and I wonder about the title, “ready to die”, and how intoxicated was the average murderer and victim of the period, thinking about the poor guy himself, and a vision of murderers and victims carrying this constant blurriness into their experiences, whether there was any sharpening in the moment, and what kind of sharpening awaits me. What can I say? It’s Monday.

Please no more skits i beg you 1001albums challenge

7/10. This album is often revered as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Biggie has a great flow, and the lyrics are very tragic. Unfortunately, I'm biased against hip-hop, since it isn't really my thing. Sorry!!!

It's hard to explain how monumental biggie smalls was in his day. His flow was just so unique and his rhymes so creative if gruesome and profane. Unfortunately it doesn't hold up very well. This may be a more recent thing but hearing Puff Daddy whispering stuff in the background puts off a different vibe than it did in 1993, and frankly the stuff he's wrapping about is kind of boring and juvenile. The back in the day I used to be a buyer for a record store that prided itself on an excellent hip hop selection the kids would travel from all around for it. The first time I heard of Biggie was when some of the hardcore hip hop heads started asking about him. None of our distributors knew the name, but within a few weeks he started showing up on some of the underground dj mix tapes we carried. Improbably, about 12 years later I inadvertently found myself gentrifying the very hood Biggie rapped about, Clinton Hill. It might have been the same place, but in name only. Still, it felt good to occasionally walk by the building he grew up in and fantasize about the childhood that developed this unique style we barely got to know before he was murdered. RIP.

Mmm usual gangsta rap with usual tiresome tropes. Good delivery. Lots of annoying skits. Decent production.

If I’m going to listen to misogynistic rap from the 90s it’s going to be Big L. Ready to Die did not age well and in fact has exceeded ready to die status and is firmly Ready to be Forgotten. Gimme the Loot is still great.

I really don't get why people rate this - just some more mediocre '90s rap tedium full of irritating arrogance, dumb skits and limited range; the involvement of P. Fiddler pushes it far into the *hell nah* category. The two brief samples at the beginning are the absolute highlights. Will Ferrell's-Robert Goulet's-Big Poppa is likely the best thing to stem from this crap.

A lot of swearing and sex noises. Would never listen to this in public.

Again no idea what is going on.

Well then how violent. A 1-minute interlude of graphic sex audio lol, bit awkward at work.

The music is undeniable and the talent real. Everything sounds so easy, but the message of some of the music doesn't age very well. I guess that's the appeal for some of the genre.

The Good: realizing that rappers know how to spell a name The Bad: realizing the size of one’s ego if you’ve got to spell out your nickname… The Ugly: trying to convince us of an innocence lost I don’t want to get all philosophical here, so I will keep this one short… I don’t like rap. Not that rap is bad, nor that I can’t enjoy a good rhyme, or “flow”… but give me a beat poet any day over this “look at the size of my dick, click, there goes Rick, with my gin-n-tonic” Do I know what it’s like to live in the ghetto? No. Do I find this album a good means to let me understand what life is like in the ghetto? If I use most rap albums of that era, then yes… and how grateful I am that I don’t live in the ghetto, or have to worry about a ghetto… but for the love of all, stop glorifying the shit, pretending it’s all cool and shit. And what’s with blow-job in the middle of it all? At the end of the day, if I go by words being used, and the flow, then I’ve heard it before, which might prove that B.I.G. is the goat, or it just might prove that there are only so many words that rhyme with gat, rat-a-tat, or dick, or bitch, or cold champagne… Also, you can’t have a background line stating “remember they used to thump, now they blast, right?” inferring the better days of the past, to then glorify carrying a gun and knowing how to use it… So, needless to say, this album is getting the best possilbe rating 1*

Didn't finish it, heard enough

This album lost me with the misogyny and the threat of violence against women in the very first track. I didn't need to listen to any more, I knew what was in store for me. No thanks.

Things done changed was pretty good! I did not enjoy the rest.

Brilliant, one of the best rap albums of all time, also if you’re listening to “Me and My Bitch” the first line had me in stitches….”you look so good I’d suck your daddys dick” was certainly creative 😂 Best songs - Gimme me the loot, ready to die, the what, Juicy and big poppa

Absolutely essential.

Spectacular.

Top 20 rap album ever. The flow is perfect the transitions are amazing, studio recording clear as day. Gimme the loot is his best song ever.

could i write poetry to this? yes

Finally! First real hip hop album of the list, and what a way to start! For many, this album is the GOAT from the GOAT. It's definitely a top5 in my (sort of uneducated) personal list of hip hop albums. The album is packed with hits. Now that i'm old, I don't find the sex noises skits funny or edgy anymore so i could live w/o them =) but all in all, this is an easy 5

The worst skits and the best rapping — the latter outweighs the former

Really surprised me how much I enjoyed this album overall. Some fabulous storytelling In this album, paints quite the picture. A lot of albums I've listened too over the years have referenced this one, so it was cool to listen. Quite a bit of derogatory language but that kind of comes with the genre.

God damn. While this was the only studio album that Notorious saw released, it might be the only thing bigger than the B.I.G. himself. The man spits bars better than a Snickers conveyor belt. While the album is often dark and dangerous, there is a range of emotions, including joy and humor. There's authenticity in what he's saying (something severely lacking in lots of later rap lyrics), and it might give the most honest representation of being a drug dealer in the 80's and 90's. He makes you feel what he felt, experience his life, which can be difficult as a white dude from rural Pennsylvania. There's so many great references and samples in here (lots of rap history here), this is truly one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

All MCing aside just check out the range of production on this, the samples, the tracks flipped. So many iconic grooves and soaring hooks that make these tracks instantly palatable. Then you add in one of the most compelling storytellers in hip hop history and it's classic after classic. Yes there are a lot of annoying skits, but that was just a thing in 90's hip hop and it's almost unavoidable during this era.

I was a teen when this album came out, but I never listened to it fully until maybe 15 to 16 years after it's release. Biggie is a top 5 rapper to me and I have a soft spot for him because he is of Caribbean descent with his mom being from Jamaica. To me he is like what happens to Caribbean people sometimes when they come to America and just get absorbed into the wrong things, maybe with immigrant parents that do not fully understand the world they've entered. Biggie's intelligence apparently won him spelling bees as a child but then take that same intelligence combined with no father being present in the home while surrounded by the wrong crowd and there you have it. Though I can't relate to the violence on the album, his delivery, story telling, smoothness and vocabulary are on a different level. Whenever I listen to this album I think to myself 'what if his experiences in life had been more positive and he'd rapped about more positive things, like maybe Gift of Gab'. What if he had lived longer...what kind of songs would he have made? Here's some extra credit for you, many may not know this but look up 'rap song featuring Heavy D, Busta Rhymes and Biggie Smalls' and give it a listen. This is while Biggie was moreso an unknown I think. All 3 of those rappers are of Jamaican decent I'd feel odd writing the song title here, you'll see why. Killer upright bass sound on it..... can't beat 90s hip hop man.