Ready To Die

Everyday Struggles reminds me of living in Baltimore, really the whole album.

Great album that has dated lyrics. The writing is all over the place, however it has very memorable songs. I had multiple songs in my head after listening, Big Poppa, Machine Gun Funk, Gimme the Loot, Ready to Die were amazing songs. The theming of the album is good, but it could have done with 3 less songs. All of the songs mostly talk about the same thing, but it just sounds great. I do not care for the album cover this time around. I understand how this man is in consideration to be the best rapper of all time, but personally not my favorite. I would listen to this again, mostly just my favorites. Best Song: Big Poppa. Worst ""Song"": Interlude, you know the one. Worst Song: Respect.

Biggy was the OG, with a distinctive and unique sound that is evident on songs like Juicy, Ready to Die, Things Done Changed. Interested to hear more “Radio Edit” versions

The Notorious B.I.G. comes out swinging with his debut album Ready to Die. His flow and cadence is a mesmerizing aspect of his rapping, which seems almost effortless. The production in each song supports the stories and adds to the overall sound in a purposeful and worthwhile way. With songs like "Gimme the Loot," "Suicidal Thoughts," and "Big Poppa," Biggie's storytelling is intricate and impressive. This album is incredible as a whole, but who let Diddy taint this record? His influence, unfortunately, shows in the lyrical content and skits, and I feel it holds Biggie down, preventing him from being as creative and lyrical as he desires. Even considering these crushing flaws, the expertise shown in this record, along with its impact causing a dramatic shift in the music industry, is evident and produces a spectacular album full of hits.

Yes, I know a little bit about the Notorious B.I.G. none of it good. The title of the album says it all, Ready to Die. Very nihilistic. Listening to this album was an awful experience. The album had no redeeming value whatsoever. The vocals are harsh. Lots of swearing, misogyny and glorification of violence. It is one of the worst examples of gangster rap. Pure nihilism. The songs all sound the same. Gimme the loot sounds like a philosophy of life. Ready to die is prophetic. What do you expect when you live a life that is. This is a terrible album. One star. I would give it a zero if I could.

I wanted to listen to this album for a long time but I never did because its very long. Well its one of the greatest hip hop albuk ive ever heard. The beats are beautifull, Biggie flow is AMAZING and unique. The lyrics are great and funny sometimes. Its everythig you want in a good rap album. That interlude was very weird though... Id give it 4.5 cause its a litlle inconsistent but ill give a 5 cause this user score is horribly low.

For as much praise and attention this album gets I don't think I would have ever guessed it would have the birth of Notorious B.I.G., Biggie having sex, and Biggie getting head all on one project. Other then Piñata and Straight Outta Compton, Ready to Die is one of THE gangsta rap albums that should be studied by anyone in HipHop. This project is so simplistic but just so straight to the point, Biggie has a once in a lifetime voice that makes him distinctly different from anyone else in the game before, at the time, and since. The production doesn't need to be over the top, but it does need to make room for its star, and that's why this project works so well. Biggie is the centerpiece that makes this whole project work and he single handedly launched himself into the HipHop history books with this release and it makes sense, he's absolutely killer. I don't know what else I can say without repeating everyone else but this is an essential and there is no arguing that.

Great beats, great flow, terrible skits. I wouldn't come back to the full album but some of the tracks are worth playing again. 3.5

4/5. An undeniable classic of rap music, that being said the minute and a half sex interlude was a bit unnecessary. I honestly forgot how insane some of Biggies bars are on this album, like on the track “me and my bitch” where he says “you look so good, huh, I’ll suck on your daddies dick.” besides the funny lines though, the production here is great and holds up well today and Biggie has a great sense of flow in his vocal delivery.

This has everything I hate about rap music. Frankly, THIS guy is the guy everybody was falling over themselves over back in the day. This promotes gun violence, money grubbing, treating women like objects & so many n-bombs. I just LOVE hearing Puffy add the Uhs & yeahs to the songs. Shut the Fuck up & push buttons to make Biggie sound better. I soo LOVE hearing about how Big Lil Biggie is & how good he is at sex. I am not surprised whatsoever that this guy was murdered. gee I wonder why. I get that he is A Legend in the rap world. His flow is fantastic & his lyrics can be good. Hearing him talk about making it in Juicy is great & the opposite with struggle in the other songs. I give this a 2 because I can see why he's considered great. I just quite simply don't like it.

The blatant misogyny on the majority of the albums I got so far is getting tiresome.

Annoying.

Nice.

Too much bad and ugly for my tastes

East coast hip-hop.

Great album however the misogyny is pretty gross so deducted 2 points

Some of the tracks on this are straight up nasty, but i also gotta respect the era of concept rap albums

I was gonna give it a 4 for how many bops are on here, but the interlude made me take a star away. Ugh.

If you don't take it seriously, this is phenomenal. Biggie is phenomenal. What's there to be said that hasn't been already? I see people complaining about the skits however personally they aren't nearly as jarring as made out to be. I'd rather not have them obviously (especially the ones where he having sex, because that was necessary for whatever reason) but they aren't as annoying as in many other hip hop albums from this time.

Pretty solid. Some tracks are meh, but there’s a lot of good to great material here.

Biggie was iconic - yes, this has its problems (violence, misogyny, etc) looking at it now, but you could say the same of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and many others. But it's well done and important to the evolution of hip hop.

low 5

Not for me

Not my cup of tea. There's definitely a lot to like, but it's definitely outside of my comfort zone with music.

never heard before (apart from Juicy & Big Poppa) several songs I'd listen to again, really liked this one but what is Biggie's problem with Tina Turner?? also docked -1 star for the unpleasant discovery that Diddy was reponsible for the production I was enjoying so much

The recent events involving Suge Knight are just too much of a coincidence, right? Look, despite the fact he was involved in gangs, and clearly should have went a different route, Biggie Smalls (as well as Tupac Shakur) still died too young. This wasn't unexpected by any means(just look at the title of the album), but it needed to be said. Other than the intentionally vulgar interludes, and crude lyrics, this album still has two of the best Hip-Hop songs of all time, and there is no denying The Notorious B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller. Just imagine, hell, if Christopher Wallace lived a full life. Favorite Track: "Big Poppa".

Fab album, heavy Mother Fucking Hip hop, did he know he was going to Die young, some premonition, poor guy, love Faith Evans too, some really great songs on this album

This is another example of a record that has significance that is simply not my thing. I find it crass, classless, and immature. There's very little offered here that I view as either artistically impressive or enjoyable.

This was my shit in 7th grade. After seeing the Notorious movie on BET at like 12 y/o, I was kinda hooked, along with many other white kids from the suburbs.

Actually insane how fucked the vibes on this one are. Has a guy ever hated himself more.

Absolute stellar album. Even if it does run a bit long and ventures into interludes. It does rely on the singles, but overall the whole thing is worth listening to. Great flow, rhymes, and the signature 90's rap sound and just Biggie's presence makes this so much fun. I've heard Juicy an uncountable number of times during nights out with my friend group and it still hasnt worn thin, its staying power is legit.

I listened to this album a lot back in the day. I was always a Biggie fan over Tupac. Biggie had great flow, funkier songs and was often pretty funny. This album is the perfect example of all of that. Plus the beat for Friend of Mine is nuts

letss go

Grisen kan rappe.

this album flows so smooth, and Biggie has such a specific cadence and way of talking that is so chilll and good. i hate that there's a lot of diddy, that guy just adlibs the shit out of these songs, for no fucking reason

Big poppa

AKA The Notorious B.M.I.? TIL contrary to what his rap name and BMI would suggest this guy wasn’t whacked by natural causes related to massive O.B.E.S.I.T.Y. but by real bullets giving credibility to his gangsta persona. Thankfully , as I couldn’t understand any of the lyrics I‘m only in it for the beats but damn those hit hard. Never thought I like this as much as I did. Would strongly support an album filled with fat-shaming lyrics directed towards him by all the women he insulted here, though

Ready to Die is like if you made one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time and then decided to just add 6 songs about how much you hate women. Just for the laughs. Lets start with the "one of the greatest" parts of the album. Biggie ofc has head-noddingly catchy flow, an uncanny ability to rhyme, and a distinctly enjoyable voice that make pretty much all of the actual vocals on this song great to listen to. Despite his heavy alignment with East Coast hip-hop, I actually felt like his flow was a bit reminiscent of Ice Cube at times. A good thing to be reminiscent of. The album starts with his birth, ends with his death (prophetic), and catalogues his transition from a life of crime to being a successful artist. He mentions his mom not being able to feed him or give him money several times, pushing him towards crime to sustain himself, and how crime becomes an Everyday Struggle (which is probably the best song on the album). He gets remarkably vulnerable about how this affects his mental state, commenting on how he doesn't wanna live any more, how he thinks he deserves to go to hell on Suicidal Thoughts, how good it feels to escape that life on Juicy. The vulnerability is very contained though, and at no point on the album is he vulnerable about why he hates women. Or rather, on "Friend of Mine", a song with a great beat that is ruined by its shitty subject, he talks about how its okay to hate women because they'll cheat on you! Yeah! On One More Chance he mentions how his dick (the whole song is about him fucking women) will... shatter your bladder. NOT SEXY. SOUNDS PAINFUL. Also mentions how he doesnt eat pussy anymore. loser behavior. Me and My Bitch is another song about women, and this time its not about sex! mostly. Of course, in this relationship he's describing, he very casually mentions beating her, and never refers to her as a "woman," just a bitch. HIS bitch, to be specific. Also she DIES at the end and he really doesn't seem that torn up about it? Not to mention the great opening line about how she's so hot, he'll suck her daddy's dick. He calls his dad a faggot for leaving him earlier in the album. Big Poppa is the only even slightly redeemable song about women on the album, and its not great, just okay. The song Just Playing (Dreams) was not included on the original album, only the remaster, but it was recorded around the same time as the album, and features a line about Biggie date raping a 9 year old girl. No that is not a joke. Actually difficult to listen to some of these songs with a modern perspective. Sorry biggie, great rapper, wish you had some self control to trim this thing down to like 12 songs and leave the garbage off it.

Very good 70s rock

Really good 7/10

Not for me. Production was really good, though.

Top 5 most enjoyable rapper voices all time. Biggie brings a ton of vocal energy and yet it always go down smoothly, like his voice is coated in maple syrup. The flow, the storytelling, the passion, the beats; it's all top tier. Plenty of unsavory topics and points of view expressed but they're tempered by Biggie's spit-take humor and a recurring sense that any braggadocio is both warranted and weighed down by depression and fatalism. To wit, the final track, 'Suicidal Thoughts', is a genuinely shocking slice of vulnerability, casting a dark shadow over everything that came before. This album is an all-time classic of the genre, but unfortunately also a constant reminder of a talent gone too soon who could have scaled much higher peaks had he the opportunity.

Sick day from work, listened to before. Skits are weird but some bangers

Stuff of legenda right there, top notch rapping talent and I really like half the songs, but as someone said, life imitates art and vice versa and perhaps it's no wonder he ended up the way he did.. lyrically though this can be absolutely horrible, but no one can deny Biggie's prowess, at least 4 stars

Ready To Die didnt age well. You cant deny Biggies rapskills though. There hasnt been many MCs that reached his complex rap level. The album itself on the other hand is sadly quite annoying. Interludes interludes interludes its just too much of it. I need someone whos deeper into HipHop to explain to me how it improves his listening experiences to listen to Biggie fucking a bunch of women? The parts where its no sex are pretty easily summarized. Shoot people and slap bitches. Biggie one of the goats some individual tracks are really great and his rhyme structure is just brutal but as an album as a whole it doesnt work out at all. Bloated with over an hour, too many sex interludes, violence against women. Not the best piece of music! 2,0/5

The intro. Hurt me physically Rapping was good though

Darwin awards - best album 1994 Some of the individual tracks were ok. I do agree with the concensus that his voice flows well. And although generally boring and repetitive, some of the samples are foot tapping. But I don't want to listen to someone getting a BJ and fucking in between the tracks (unless it's me!). And the constant fuck fuck fuck fuckety fuck fuck motherfucking fuck fuck motherfucker bitch fuck fuck hoe fuck fuck fuck pop pop nigga fuck fuck motherfucker fuck fuckety motherfucking fuck bitch hoe, just gets mind numbing.

In my junior high days I was a West Coast rap guy. I knew the hits because they got played a ton. This was my first time listening to this album. It’s typical mid 90’s rap, songs of bravado and sexual prowess, of a life of crime, but what struck me was just how nihilistic it was…it’s called Ready to Die and I feel like he really truly was. I’ll rank it a 4 but I think it’s more of a 3.5 from me. He’s got good rhymes and great flow, the samples and beats are good, annunciation in what it is, worth a listen, but doesn’t strike me as essential.

not into trap/rap wtv

Ironic.

90s hip hop good. 90s misogyny bad.

The greatest of ‘90s rap. Wonderful

If you don’t know, now you know.

Aged like milk, and all the explicit stuff in between actual tracks make it a frustrating listen.

Good vibes, lots of songs I already heard

The sex noises and misogyny that layer over this album or what keeps it from being so truly great yet it is extremely honest and raw

I admit. This one was a bit hard for me, but genius. Fucking great album with some hard shit to get through. Solid beats and rhymes!

Skits were fashinable at the time but feel dated and inappropriate. That said its doesn't really detract from one of Biggies finest albums. Contraversial and emotive subject matter, beats by Premier, Lord Finesse and Easy Mo Bee make this an absolute banger.

Its not my thing but I can see how good it is

The intro really doesn’t work for me and it slows down abit towards the end but really this is quite nitpicky… this is recognised as being a game changer for a reason, dark but accessible and full of total bangers

Biggie is on point here. If Puffy would STFU and the skits weren't a thing it would be better

I'll never listen to the whole album again, but some of the tracks were actually pretty good, but the package around it was enough for me to stay close to the skip button in future

Liked the tracks, the poppy backing worked well, but god, I don't need extended periods of multiple people moaning in pain or in pleasure.

Just not for me

노래는 전체적으로 좋았다. 힙합의 비트가 좋았다. 가사를 알아들을 수 없어서 욕만 들리긴 했지만 그래도 좋았다. 중간에 이상한 노래?가 끼어있어서 좀 아쉽긴 했다. Overall, the songs were good. I liked the hip-hop beats. Although I couldn't make out the lyrics—hearing mostly just the profanity—I still enjoyed it. It was a bit of a shame, though, that a strange song was thrown in the middle.

Ah, the twin pastimes of threatening violence and bragging about one’s skills with women, delivered in rhyme schemes that would make Dr. Seuss proud. Rhyming Beretta with sweater is obviously excellent, but I feel it just didn’t go far enough with armament rhymes - we could have had Uzi and jacuzzi, Heckler & Koch with party frock, or AK47 with holiday in Devon. Backing tracks were okay, delivery was solid, but content and attitude were just dully predictable.

Pre Listen: I don't have any memorable exposure to Notorious B.I.G. but I know his name. I recall from my youth my Mom was a fan of his, but I don't recall any of his songs. Notable Tracks: The What - Realized P. Diddy was involved in this shit and stopped listening here out of principle. Will discuss further below! Post Listen: Not good, didn't enjoy that at all really. Yet another self-aggrandizing dick measuring contest of a rap album, with the thinnest of political messaging veneers overtop it. B.I.G.'s voice is annoying, more talk-rap than any sort of singing. The lyrical content is as boring as dirt. We get it, you got women, fuck up your ops, and have lots of money, it's like a broken record with these sorts of albums. What sunk this album from a low 2 to a 1 for me was the second I realized/remembered Sean Combs played a large roll in this thing's production. And so becomes the first album on here where I just can't separate the art from the artist. I do believe somewhat generally that the negative actions of the artist, for the most part, should be pushed to the back of your mind when listening or enjoying art. It's impossible to separate the art from the artists when one of them is an Epstein-tier sex pest, and the lyrical content of the album glorifies that shit. 1/5

Don't get much better.

Для своего жанра очень классный альбом, но это все-таки не моё. Я слушаю музыку под определенное настроение, не знаю под какое настроение слушать такую музыку. Где-то в комментах писали, что Rolling Stones назвали этот альбом величайшим хип-хоп альбомом всех времен. Наверное, это реально так, он звучит очень классно. Если как-нибудь захочется послушать хип-хоп, обязательно к нему вернусь.

I am too white, too middle-aged, and too female for this album. Too bad… Because some of the beats are good. Nice funky vibe.

Absolute classic and banger of an album. Seminal album - Biggies flow is nuts and the production is that bad ass east coast hip hop sound. Could do without the skit of him fucking someone though.

This is a very influential rap record. However, I was never the biggest Biggie fan. It was ok.

Just men being derogatory to women, i don’t get it really. I guess the beats and rhymes are at the better end of the spectrum for this genera?

If you leave out the 'sax' noises and the Puffy voice then it's a nice album

3.5

So…boring.

Nope. Just can’t do the gangster rap stuff.

Det hørtes veldig ut som et rapalbum fra midten av nittitallet, ispedd en og anna «hm, lure på om det der inspirerte Tungtvann». Æ likte det, men æ slit litt med å være veldig begeistra for album med for høy grad av bitches&hos.

As is usual with the gangsta rap albums on here, the music isn't a problem - some excellent sampling and the flow is spot on. However, the lyrics are unacceptable. I couldn't give a flying monkey's if he's describing his actual life. Count me out of this misogynistic, violence-worshipping shit. If it's for you, fine. Carry on jerking yourself off whilst daydreaming about being an alpha male in the 'hood waving your pretend glock around whilst being sucked off by imaginary bitches. I'll just have a nice cup of tea, thanks.

Pole kunagi räpi fänn olnud

Grew up on this one. Looking at the reviews of some others on here… lol… I see what the demo is looking like around here. I’ll leave it at that.

Soooo when does the next album drop? (Joks, enjoyed very much #EastSide #PuffDaddy #RealShit)

Baigi labās dziesmu beigas :D

Not for me

Took a break, because we had a kid, Sylvie. This album had a lot of references to his young daughter which was sweet. The rest was some of the craziest raps and skits put to beats. The beats and lyrics were very effective at translating luxury, which is why I think this was so great. A masterpiece even.

Vocabulario limitado para un rapero

14. avgust 2026. 15.37h best: juicy, big poppa nikad nisam bila preveliki fan repa (ali kao insert onu moju sliku u 8mile majici), sve je tako male centric i repetitive rhythm-vise i uvijek sam nekako in a place of idgafing sto se tice njihovih prica i tema tbh ali ponekad kad cujem rep 90ih budem kao ok i get it

Wow, this was awful.

Besides the skits

i am not looking forward to this... Yeah this was definetly not for me, id give it like a 1.5/5. i can see why other people would like it tho, he has a nice voice and good flow but i just cant get behind a some of the stuff here especially about the beating women and the sex in the interludes and stuff. i dont really like or listen to alot of rap music and this kind of reminded me why. I did think some of the songs had good storytelling tho like the one where he was robbing something and the beats were pretty good overall. I am glad i listened tho.

A long overdue listen. Slick flows and catchy beats collide to show you why Biggie is considered to be one of the greatest. It's a smooth album that flows well.

Great flow but the violence and misogyny hasn't aged well, if it was ever ok.

I guess I'm washed up and broke but I just don't fuck with rap much anymore

What a narcistic ass. Didn't like any of this shitload of crap

This album is straight fire. Notorious at his finest.

4/10

This hip-hop record is quite something. It’s incredibly compelling, with a relentless beat and his incredible rhymes. The autobiographical arc of it is much of what makes it so engaging, how he starts out doing crime, ends up in jail, then he finally becomes this famous rapper; so glad the "Juicy" video was there on YouTube because it was joyous. I'm not going to listen to this a lot (ever?), but I thought it was pretty great today.

A hip-hop masterpiece with the worst interlude of all time. Favourite track: Big Poppa

Oh it's Biggie! The beats are fire and the rhymes are flawlessly slick, but each track sounds the same with each boom bap. The momentum stays pretty strong in the first half, but loses it in the latter half. "Big Poppa" will always be my jam (3.5-4).

Some absolut bangers but stuff like the interlute is just weird

big poppa is lit. sex noises not great during work hours. cool but long and lowkey getting sound fatigue

9/10

diddy kept interrupting biggie i dont like it

Great album full of classic tracks, unfortunately the album suffers from the 90s rap album cliche of the track where the artist is having very loud sex

Not for me this one. Didn’t hate it enough to justify a one star rating but it’s not one I’m ever going to revisit

★★★★★★

Hard to rate. There are some good songs, but also some songs with unnecessary profane and violent focus. But the worst is the sex noises that keeps coming up. I will never listen to the full album again.

It’s a classic

un buen disco, un clasico. no falla, bien gangsta. buenos sonidos, y el eterno biggie. El eterno tema bigg poppa

Better than Tupac, but he's got the same issue most 90s hip-hop has, where it's just way too much and none of it particularly stands out

Not a big fan of rap in general and found this to be boring for the most part.

The Notorious B.I.G. an incredible rapper and the tracks are truly awesome. It isn't the best rap album ive ever hearded but we can see the talent. Its definitely an immersive album. Tho I don't think some of the song would be okay if they would have released in 2026( I don't think a woman moaning and all the sex reference are necessary). There's a bunch of misogynist lyrics that could have been avoided but overall not a bad album.

Easy 5. Great song after great song.

Debut of a legendary rapper that is quite great with a few issues that hurt the project as a whole. The skits especially loud ass moaning really kill the pacing and are just noise tbh. Pads out the runtime and could have easily been removed without losing much. Also a bit over long and drags a bit after a while. Some lyrical content obviously hasn't aged well either and neither has anything including Puffy lmao. Despite that, there are some classic Biggie tracks here with my personal favorites being Juicy, Sucidal Thoughts, Big Poppa, Gimmie the Loot, and Who Shot Ya?. Also liked Machine Gun Funk and the self titled track. Method Man has a great feature on The What as well. The issues I have are nowhere near enough to completely bring down the incredible highs this record hits though. Either worth a full listen with skips over interludes and skits, or picking the best songs and listening to them separate from the album.

Uff, this was a tough listen. I was initially excited to give this a play, since i never really listened to B.I.G before. And the strengths he’s being praised for are clear immediately: his flow is amazing, he delivers his rhymes with so much punch and energy. He also just transports an effortlessly cool vibe. And yes, he has some great puns and lyrics. But oh boy, the sample selection and how they are implemented is just so… boring. Maybe that’s because i listened to it with 2026 ears, but sadly i cannot go back to a time before i was even born. Musically, this album is just so repetitive and bloated. This might have worked on a 12 track album, but here we have so many songs that it turns into a slog after a few tracks. Some notable exceptions are Juicy, Big Poppa, Respect and Unbelievable. And then there are the skits… i’m generally not a fan if Skits/Interludes (except for you Janet, you rock at them!) but these here are just grating and don’t really add anything to the album’s substance. And THEN there are the incredibly misogynistic lyrics on tracks like Me & My B**** and Machine Gun Funk. These just really made it a painful listening experience, it’s just such a low to reference Tina’s experience of domestic violence (TWICE) and whatever else he is doing on Just Playing (Dreams).

This is a fun one to pop up on here. Haven’t listened to Biggie in years. I’m sure I’ve listened to this full album but it’s been a long time and don’t remember much other than whatever few hits I’ll come across. Excited for a re listen. Great opening to this album. Storytelling right away. So much of this feels like classic hip hop. Some of the rhymes feel dated but it’s all so good. One More Chance and the interlude that follows feels like parody today. Biggie’s slower style is so smooth. The title track is a gangster rap classic. Juicy is a famous song and everyone raps a long to it but it’s a great song with a great coming of age theme and story and a great hook. There’s a lot of self indulgence and the album is certainly excessive at times. But there are some great tracks. Things like Respect are really good. This is a solid 4. It’s too much at times and gets repetitive with his sexual conquests bragging. But there’s also a story being told here and it’s all interesting, even the stuff that doesn’t hold up as well.

Another rap intro/ woman giving birth FFS Things done boring and shit Gimme the loot sounded ok they bounced off each other but then ruined it by coughing up shit ay the end. Machine gun funk repetitive shit Warning shit Ready to die shit One more chance - voicemail messages he’s clearly a dick 🤣 Fuck me- thought I’d flicked Pornhub on 🥵 Juicy- that told the teachers 😂 WTF is happening at the end of respect… BJ action maybe? Suicidal thoughts- wanting to go to heaven to get his dick sucked.. Can’t even be arsed to put it into a review, I’m off to have a wank to one of the tracks instead! 😂 Best track- ‘gimme the loot’ Worst track- ‘one more chance’ I won’t be giving this album another chance! 1.5 .5 of that for the album- the other 1 for the sexual action 🤣

Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die I bet he wasn't. Weirdly, I didn't mind this rolling along in the background. Obligatory shit intro excepted, the first few tracks offered enough variation and decent beats to engage me, and I quite liked his rapping style. But then I listened more closely to the lyrics 😳 What a load of horrible, misogynistic nastiness. So there's points lost. Then it turned into a porn soundtrack, more points lost. Then I read P Diddy was involved....even more points lost. Only track that I stopped and restarted was Respect. Ironically because I liked the dancehall style female vocal. Finally it ended and I went for a shower to de-soil myself. 2/10

Overly long

Skits are really bad, some good tracks but very bloated overall

Turns out, I like East Coast rap better than West Coast. What I don't like are silly fucking interludes or sketches or whatever. Either rap or don't.

I missed this in real time, but had listened to it maybe 15 years ago. It made a bigger impression this time. I could use a little less of the retrograde content, but songs like Big Poppa redeem it for me.

2/5 - After a handful of songs, I'm just kinda done.

бляну

Legendary flow, an unforgettable classic.

*One of the best examples of early 90s gangsta rap

no.. just no.. what the fuck is any of that..

Unfortunately, was genuinely unable to start this project with the knowledge of what's inside, and who produced it...

Gangsta rap is niet mijn ding

Definitely a historically significant album with some incredible songs, but also a lot of skipping through.

honestly biggie might not be being the singles artist allegations either!! but man there are some all timers on here

Forgot how pornographic filthy this album is at times lmao but it was the 90s! Such a great album Can’t believe Biggie wanted to suck the hot girl’s dad’s dick because she was so fine!!!

I heard this album when I was more into rap, sometime in late high school or early college , and I had a few songs on my playlist. This was Similar to Ice-T, but slightly better flows, better storytelling, and better beats. He's a great storyteller; I enjoyed the intro and the other skits, save for the sex audio. It's hard to enjoy the hedonism and depravity, even if I understand it's part of the artistic representation of living in the hood. Some of the sampling/beats on this album are iconic; Juicy is a great song that blends Hip/Hop with R&B, and so is Big Poppa. I will say it can be disorienting when interpolated samples/melodies are in different keys though, like the major vocals over a minor sample on the latter half of "respect." I'm going to give it a light 4 for those reasons and for culture impact and notoriety.

See reviews of Cypress Hill, Ice Cube -- similar thoughts about this one. As music (and lyrics), not very interesting to me (indeed, the music is basic and uninteresting, and the lyrics are oppressive). So, a low 2 stars (?) . . . actually, though, now that I think about it, the samples and beats on this one were actually less interesting than on the Cypress Hill and Ice Cube albums, so I think I have to give this one 1 star.

big album. too big, actually Biggie has a very musical flow, delivery, and the beats are usually solid. A few tracks on here have achieved the height of popularity and for good reason. This album is easily one of the greatest of its genre, but it's not a genre that I can enjoy over extended listens. I would have given four stars if some weaker tracks weren't there

"Ready To Die" feels as the definitife iteration of nigger rap music. Having an extended length, it manages to provide worthwhile material all the way through. It is well-produced and has many smart detail additions, and, importantly, one solid concept. The record starts with a birth and finishes with the death; has lots of sex "ambience" and dialogue. Even to me who prefers instrumental hip hop over the rapping itself, it presented numerous tracks showing quite enough excellence to call the album outstanding. The B.I.G. has put so much effort to this, it could be heard very well. Again, the level of production, the sincerety that he shows, all that desperation and taste with regard to the rhythm and rapping are truly impressive. I could easily identify motives that have likely influenced hip hop musicians later on that I like nowadays. For how much "Ready To Die" has to offer, its determination and stylistic coherence, I am more than ready to give it an A and confirm that if you wish to get to know rap music, you should certainly give this album a try. It is difficult to choose a fav track but prolly the title track; it was obvious to me that it was a masterpiece just as I was listening to it.

Great flow, but too much gangsta

The beats and the rapping flow so well in this album. Sure, the lyrics are vulgar, misogynistic, and violent, but Biggie weaves those lyrics into good stories (I can't say that about many of the rap/hip hop artists I've had to listen to). The skits are never my preference, though. I'd rather just listen to musical parts.

Not to my personal tastes, but it's evident why he was so influential.

I spent the day getting over a sickness, with burning nostrils and a persistent cough. As a huge fan of hip-hop over the last few years, I have long been aware of the reputation and influence of the Notorious B.I.G. However, despite hearing constant praise and acclaim, my personal familiarity with the music of Biggie was limited to Hypnotize and Big Poppa. Thus, Ready to Die represented one of my most eagerly awaited listening experiences in this project. The intro alone immediately had me excited, its collage of difficult childhood moments with classic hip-hop songs setting the perfect tone for the story about to unfold. When the album began in earnest, its heavy and creeping production paint a vivid image of a dark and dangerous environment, building the perfect atmosphere for B.I.G.'s incredible storytelling. With a voice far deeper and gravellier than I would expect for his age, the life story brought to life on this album is brutally honest and insightful, balancing moments of personal joy and introspection with expressions of violence and crime. Now, there are certainly a fair few more interludes of sexual moans than I would have expected, and they can certainly interrupt the flow of the album and render it a little more difficult to play in public, but I even understand the presence of these moments within the story of the album. In B.I.G.'s lyricism and flow, I can finally appreciate the countless songs and artists over the years who I have unknowingly heard pay homage to the work of Biggie, from Kanye's "[...]who the hell is this? Emailing me at 11:26?" on Get 'Em High, to countless lyrical references throughout the Hamilton soundtrack of all things. In his abilities as a rapper, to craft a narrative through intricate lyricism and a compelling flow, Biggie is absolutely worthy of all the praise he receives despite such a tragically short time in the spotlight. His work is the bedrock on which countless of my favorite rappers built their styles, and where some foundational works in music don't hold up to the quality of those projects which come after them, Ready to Die is still a one-of-a-kind album. Highlights: Intro, Things Done Changed, Gimme the Loot, Machine Gun Funk, Warning, Ready to Die, One More Chance, The What, Juicy, Everyday Struggle, Big Poppa, Suicidal Thoughts

East Coast hip-hop brought back to prominence by a legend. I wasn't a hip-hop person growing up, only getting into once I was in college, but as a child of the 90s I of course knew about Biggie. And this album deserves all of its accolades, full stop. The only reason I don't rate it 5 stars is because while I like a few songs on the album, and I readily recognize the lyrical genius, I'm not a fan of the album as a whole. But still, solid and worth the listen.

3.4/5

2,5

Soon in my CD collection!

I struggled with the full album. Would much rather have the best 3 or 4 songs on as part of a broader playlist. 2.5

Meh, another album that was obviously not made for me.

This would be infinitely better if Diddy was surgically removed from any track he’s on. There are parts of this that don’t sound 32 years old.

Too many awkward sexual skits. Too much bragging about mansions and Mercedes cars and fancy clothes/shoes and all the girls he gets. Too much filler. I understand he is a legend but I don't really get it. A few good songs but not enough to be in the top 5 of all time discussion.

4 - I've never listened to a fully Biggie album and I liked this. His style, flow, and rhymes are amazing, but I don't always like his content.

Hyvää east coast räppiä, ei oikeestaan yhtään huonompaa biisiä. Ne seksi ja suihinotto interludet ois vaan voinu jättää pois. Kivat biitit, Biggien räppäystyyli ei oo suosikki, mutta ikoninen kuitenkin. Parhaat: Big Poppa, Juicy, Unbelievable, Warning, Respect

Things Done Changed with this album. So Juicy.

Notorious BIG - Ready to Die It's never good news to start an album with a skit, and in a lot of ways the intro to “Ready to Die” is as stupid as everything else in the genre, but it also says a lot about the album. Biggie starts his album with a thread from Superfly to modern day, tracing the history of hiphop, and positioning himself as the future. None of these guys are thespians any more than any of their contemporaries, but there is a story here. It's a small conceptual flourish that speaks to who Chris Wallace was. Sure, it's easy to hear the many facets of the man in the lyrics, going from flows about rising from the gutter and the gangs and how rap saved him, while also playing the tough guy game in the next breath, and the master sexer in the third. It's unsurprising from a young man who never made it to 25 to compete in that kind of penis measurement. The more impressive bit is when he goes internal and considers the way things changed in his own life, the struggles he very legitimately survived. So sure, who among us can't relate to loving “big booty bitches?” But most of us can't say we came out on top after the youth described in “Juicy.” Weirdly, this doesn't feel as frivolous in its violence as so many of BIG's contemporaries. Sure, this probably birthed so much of the dime a dozen rap that proceeded his murder (and it definitely is responsible for us having to deal with Puff Daddy), but it has more to it. It's in the title, after all… this is a man who, ridiculously young as he was, had lived through enough that death didn't scare him, that holding on to his new lease on life was worth anything. And sure, American gun culture is, exclusively, trash, it always has been. But there's something to Biggie's storytelling, certainly something about his flow, his ability to play with words no matter how meaningless the topic. Even waxing philosophical about his penis, he does the words good. This is the dichotomy of Biggie. Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood, indeed. And of course, there's Big Poppa, which is a pretty solid contender for greatest hip hop song of the 90s. You almost believe this dude is the mack he thinks he is with that flow, that smooth synth whistling through the chorus. There is, of course, no such thing, almost, as a 90s rap album that doesn't have fat to trim. It's just impressive that, at an hour-fifteen, how little of that fat Biggie gives us. That alone is impressive enough. It's doubly impressive how the album really gets better instead of dragging. It's almost like a reward for getting through the almost obligatory “lol this track is sex noises” bullshit (though honestly, again, one dumb skit in 19 tracks is fucking pristine compared to most of the milieu). As a work, as a 90s rap album built like a proper crab cake (with as little filler as possible), as a crystallized moment in time for a talent that loomed large but so brief, it feels like it deserves a nice round five, and I think I'd probably wrap it up neatly there if only Biggie stuck the landing. While I don't think “Who Shot Ya?” is a highlight it would probably do it, but closing with “Just Playing (Dreams)” leaves a bad taste, like finishing a tasting menu with a motor oil panna cotta. Where the back half leaves the listener with the vibe that the few missteps can be forgiven, it's tough to end with something so clunky and so stupid. A strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️? Absolutely. But the few missteps are annoying enough to keep it there.

It’s ok. There are better rap albums out there.

Definitely a contender for the greatest rap album of the 90’s. Just consistently good all the way through, well except for the interlude but whatever. Fav tracks: Gimme the loot, Machine gun funk

I still love Big Poppa but sadly I can't with this album.

I'm very conflicted on how to rate this one.

Not really my jam, but I get why it made the list

I know their are likely a lot of young artists on this list, but it blows my mind that this man was 22 when he made this. I've looked it up hundreds of times and somehow can't convince my brain that he was only 24 in the oldest pics of him. What a crazy insane young life he led. Married, drug career, rap career, famous rap feuds, wow. The music is great and the lyrics read like they were written by someone much more mature. Great album.

I usually don't like rap, and this album is the epitome of why I don't. There's no denying that Biggie has talent, but he wastes it on gross, sexist, immature lyrics, the kind of which I would have written at 14 years old and be eternally embarrassed by. There ARE some genuinely good songs here and there, like Juicy, but even that one lacks self-awareness on a very deep level. Becoming rich and famous isn't the gotcha to his teachers he seems to think it is. Bro, you write songs about your penis, sit the fuck down, that's not success, that's being a cringelord.

This, by all means, is a really good album. I hate skits on albums though and the fact that there are a few on this album is too much. Ain't nobody got time to hear all that. So I dropped it one star. The tracks are nearly hit after hit throughout, I went right back into listening to it after I finished it, just as I have in the past. The second time I skip the intro because really only if its your first time listening to the album should you hear a skit intro track because it kinda sets up the environment he was brought into. Anyway this review is rambling: Biggest Hit - Juicy Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - F*** Me (Interlude) Hidden Gem - Respect

Overrated

Obviously this album is a 5, but fuck me I cannot stand sex noise interludes. And there's fucking TWO in this album cunt. The slurping noises made me want to die.

This is 393rd album on the list and the amount of misogyny and dumb skits I have had to hear from the same like 6 year span of rap. It is so tired and it's dragging my star count down for each subsequent one. So the order I had to listen to 90's rap needs to be taken into consideration here. The bonus stars for this album come from the fact that there's at least a few rhymes on here about depression which is at least a welcome change from the same 3 subjects. The beats were fine.

biggie mf, fuck p diddy for dickin down them kids and most likely taking out eazy e, xxxtentacion, and drake

Listen I would give this a five if not for the audio sex scene right before arguable the best song.

When I first heard this a couple years ago, I was very confused and considerably disappointed. THIS is the legendary Biggie Smalls? But man this shit hits hard. Utterly unfiltered and confrontational, a harrowing tale of a man with simultaneously everything he wanted and nothing to live for. Hiding behind smooth buttery flows, cheeky world play and irreverent verses is the veneer of someone so ingrained in the system, so inextricably a product of his environment that he cannot imagine even an afterlife where he isn’t in hell shooting dice and fucking bitches.

que locochon

Solid gangster rap. Not as hooky as Dre and Snoop. But solid.

It's got some jams but overall don't put it on in front of anybody who doesn't want to listen to a porn on audio. Completely dirty and classless.

DIABOLICAL TRANSITIONS 2/5

2/5

A few good moments, he has a good flow, but some of the lyrics make this a relatively poor listening experience

nichr so mein album

Great album full of classics. Respect was my fav song and first listen. The What and Things Done Changed were my other highlights

One of the greatest albums of all time from one of the greatest rappers of all time. Best Song: Gimme the Loot Rating: 9/10 Stars: 5

biggie's death brings a lot of attention to the Morbid colors he painted all over his music, which is basically unavoidable but also maybe slightly overwhelms that theyre just one part that doesn't work as well isolated. biggie is otherwise defined by his untouchable forceful confidence, and he never really lets his defenses down for any specific person or thing, leaving only the creeping sense of the fragility of the world and his position in it as the only place he can relinquish that domineering control a little. and ofc, That Voice on These Beats is the stuff of legends...biggie's intense Deliberacy is something many rappers are scared of to some degree, he wants to make sure u dont miss anything cuz he knows theres no cracks. one of the great demonstrations that a central appeal to hip hop is just listening to someone talk. give or take when it happens in skits, i suppose.

I was, to be honest, Ready To Die, for quite a bit of this. It was so needlessly aggressive in the beginning, although I would say did settle into more of a groove by the end - or else I got beaten into submission maybe. Whatever, it was broadly fine, but not doing anything to shift the rap dial for me.

Rap in it's purst form.

Was by the end mate

That intro explodes with a history of Biggie and then we are rolling. Things blasts a sparkling beat with Biggie owning the mic. When I first heard Gimme the Loot I thought it was three rappers. That shows how much style this MC has. Funk has a killer beat and the flow is unmatched. Not much more to say, this shits fire.

The Notorious B.I.G. is the exception to my preference for west coast rap. I usually feel like east coast rap from the 90's is very one-note, and as someone who likes to listen to albums straight through it can get very boring by the end (especially because it was not unusual for those albums to be 1.5+ hours). I hadn't listened to this album since I was a senior in college, my roommate loved all hip-hop from this era and played it constantly. It was in the midst of covid too, so him and I were stuck hearing each other's music OFTEN. This album is such an easy listen though, it's smooth and arranged so well that it before you even realize it you're at the end. An album that can get played straight through at a party and be the right vibe the whole time. Also, I really do thing Big Poppa has one of the best hooks ever recorded. Highlights: Everyday Struggle, Big Poppa, Suicidal Thoughts

Enjoyed this one, some really catchy hooks, and samples.

I'll probably get shot for putting this on AOTY... I don't get the hype. I like rap, but this just isn't for me I don't think. I get he's trying to do a concept but I got to the last song and it was just like. Oh, he kills himself, but I just never even felt invested. The beats are pretty solid yeah, and I like a lot of the flows, so I'll definitely come back to it, but I'm 50/50 on the lyrics. A lot of them just feel like they're saying the same thing in a way that doesn't do much for me, and some of the songs feel like they go on too long and become overly repetitive as a result. Sorry guys...

Flere bangers. Solide beats, verdens beste flow på Biggie.

Absolute classic of the genre, the skits are weird but they always are on rap albums. One of the best to ever do it

The talent is real but this is bloated

No es lo mío

Love the sound, don't like the sexism and uncomfortable with the amount of niggaz in the lyrics (being a sensible white person!).

I get the importance of this album, but it's not my thing.

Bra rap med nice 90 tals beats men har problemet många rap album har där de kör aldelles för många interludes. Dessutom är de över sexuella till punkten där det blir obekvämt.

Not my genre so hard to gauge but the overall beats, samples, and lyrics didn't really grab me.

Some proper bangers in here, but does it need to be as long as it is? Also lots of the misogyny that plagues older hip hop

I can’t stand the skits. But the rhymes and delivery are so strong and often harrowing, enlightening, damn funny. This might become a five if I spun it a few more times

This is a lot better than I expected. Good sample usage. Machine Gun Funk slaps hard, as they say.

If you like rap, you like this album

muy top, pero no me gusta el tema del sexo explícito dramatizado así por la cara

Strangely haven't listened to Ready to Die before this challenge, I've only ever listened to Biggie's bigger hits and wow. There's a phenomenal reason why he's seen as the GOAT. While it is quite 90s in the fact that it's a longer than normal album and has some lude interludes, there's really no other filler or (for the most part) songs that drag on for too long. Absolutely one of the best hip hop albums of the 90s. Shoutout to the West Coast though, the feud seems like it was mostly 2Pac vs Most East Coast rappers cause you didn't see E-40 or Mac Dre try to talk shit to any of the East Coast guys. Also Mac Dre should definitely be on this list

it was good rap classic, but not good enough.

I really love how B.I.G. shapes the tracks here. Excellent flow and some classic bars

I can see why this is influential, but it's just not for me.

da truth. real. gritty.

I’ve had quite a bit of rap from this era lately, and this didn’t rank as one of the best for me. It has familiar problems of being overly long, violent, and misogynistic, but lacked the lyrical or musical quality of other albums of this type (NWA, Eminem). Juicy is a better song, but not much else I enjoyed here.

What started off as a fairly solid 3-star hip-hop album, albeit with all my common reservations about the genre, felt like it dragged on for SO LONG and became so samey that by the end I was really sick of it. There were some positives: I generally enjoyed Mr Wallace’s laid-back delivery, his flow and rhymes, and the backing beats on some tracks were pretty good too. ‘Things Done Changed’ and ‘Juicy’ were probably the best tracks. Unfortunately, however, the album was marred by irritating sex skits and misogynistic, sex-obsessed, bragging lyrics. Overall, I found this one really hard work.

I've said it before - I'm not the target audience for this. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate when it's done well. Unfortunately, most of the Hip Hop/Rap albums we've had so far have been shockingly juvenile. This one, however, I didn't mind as much. Not saying I'd go back and listen again, but something about it, maybe his delivery, worked for me much more so than those others. I guess props to Biggy.

If this is "Ready to Die" ... does that mean we made it to the end of the list?

One of the all time great rap albums. Banging from start to finish.

This album is a slow burn. Takes awhile to draw me in but finishes strong.

Didn’t need to hear Biggie have sex.

Weirdly sexual and violent at a lot of random moments, but still very catchy. I’d probably listen to some songs again. Very long album to listen all the way through though.

Anyone who says that Raps Renaissance was in the 90s and not the 2010s is lying to themselves.

“I'm a man who believes that I died 20 years ago. And I live like a man who is dead already. I have no fear whatsoever of anybody or anything.” - Malcolm X "We're all sensitive people with so much to give" - Marvin Gaye “When the Bible says black, I say white. When it says good, I say evil. When it says Behold, Jehovah is a God of Light, I say, Behold, He is the Lord of dark places, for his children gnash their teeth and cry unto him and are not heard.” - Hal Bennett "Memories don't leave like people do They always 'member you Whether things are good or bad It's just the memories that you have Memories don't leave like people do They always 'member you Whether things are good or bad It's just the memories that you have" - Beenie Man

Biggie was and is my favourite rapper from this era. His flow was so effortlessly great “birthdays was the worst days, now we sip champaign when we thirsty”. Obviously, Diddy whispering in your eardrums aged very poorly. And the sex and blowjob tracks are unnecessary. Still, the album is one of the powerhouses of 90’s rap. I enjoyed it a lot.

sometimes funny always funky

I really can't get into rap. A shame because the rhythms and beats are so innovative. Just get shut off by the lyrics.

Nothing will ruin an otherwise decent album like a track that's literally just self-indulgent porn.

eh

I absolutely loved this. It was unapologetically 90s gangster rap. The beats were great, and his songwriting is something not often found in the genre.

Tämä on mennyt multa aikoinaan täysin ohi vaikka toki nimensä ja maineensa on tuttu. Yllättävän hyvä vaikka ysärijenkkiräppi ei taas ihan sitä ominta musaa ole. 3/5

Listened to this album before always loved biggie had its good moments mainly decent

Me ha gustado bastante más al principio que en conjunto, me guardo: Things done change, Gimme the loot y Machine gun funk. Luego hay cosas muy gamberras que como adolescente podría entender, pero ya no me hacen tanta gracia y me parecen groseras. Anyway es un 3 estrellas alto.

Gran pendiente Biggie. Gran sonido Biggie

Look, there are some rap albums that stand out as excellent critiques of the state of society of the day over masterful flow; aka great rap albums. This isn't that. It's frequently misogynistic and violent braggadocio delivered with admittedly masterful flow and excellent sampling. And excellent musical bones do not a great rap album make, especially when the lyrics are this gross. I mean, the literal interlude of moaning in the middle of the album kind of gives away that it's not very good. Also, in what world is an 80-minute album really going to hold my interest when its content is this lacking. So in the end, this album did not age well at all despite its reputation among rap fans. It's worth listening to once, but I will never listen to it again.

too many bad skits

I was disappointed by this album as I was expecting a lot more. I like a lot of rap, but just didn’t hit for me. Yeah, the grooves are cool, as is his style, and there’s a couple of songs on here that I really like. However, most of the time the lyrics are just overly vulgar. I don’t mind swearing, lord knows that I actually have plenty of songs in my personal library with a lot of bad language. That said, with how much Biggie swears in certain songs, it seems like he just didn’t have anything better to say. That, in turn, makes this album a bit inadequate. It’s not awful, but it’s also not great.

6.30.26 quite a long album but nonetheless an impressive work. incredible flow/tone from biggie, and i really loved the instrumentals and beats in basically every song. his voice is like butter fr Favorite Song: Who Shot Ya? Rating: 4/5

I do love his style, but there's some pretty forgettable or straight up cheesey songs among the gems. Also the misogyny hasn't aged well and needs to be dialed back several notches in order for me to even get through it all.

Good album 10/10 would recommend js don’t listen to it infront of children

Not a fan

A GOAT for very good reason, not sure why I never tried to get into this when I love the first wutang album

Some absolute classic songs on here make this a classic for a reason Really not sure what he was thinking with fuvk me interlude though lmao 4.5

Mamama trop trop fort

Waaaaaaaaaaah j'avais jamais écouté Biggie qu'est ce qu'il rappe bien. Seul problème les skits j'ai eu très peur que le son sorte des écouteurs et qu'on m'entende au taf mais sinon wow !

"Intro" really was a hell of a intro, playing Curtis Mayfield, Sugar Hill Gang and Audio 2 whilst a drama of voices runs over the top. Really cool stuff. By "Gimme the Loot", I already realise there isn't too much to say for this album musically. Backing tracks are always interesting despite their simplicity and Biggie's flows are always incredible; guy was truly a world class rapper with his words ringing clean despite the delivery speed. A lot of 'hard lines' in here and great metaphors, but... The only big draw back, as has been laid out so much in reviews that have come back before this one, is the misogyny throughout. Hate speech of any kind shouldn't be side lined just because "the flows are lit, bro". The audible sex stuff also pretty cringe, no matter who you are. Favourite tracks were: "Gimme the Loot", "Machine Gun Funk", "The What", "Juicy", "Everyday Struggle", "Me & My Bitch (admittedly, I hate myself for this one. Sonically, it's great), "Big Poppa" and "Respect" (those Jamaican female vocals from Diana King are sick). Something happen with the beats after this point for me; felt totally off.

Gimme the loot man, so funky I can't even... and don't get me started on "Juicy", slaps so hard and the delivery is real tight. Little did I know that I would enjoy ready to die so much 32 years after its release, also as a super white male with barely any hip hop experience, thank you 1001 album generator for this surprise!

no brainer

favorite so far

hmm

A product of it's time. By that I mean it has the sound of the time, it's misogynistic, bomopho

Pretty good

This may not be exactly my kind of music BUT, I can appreciate good music without necessarily enjoying it altogether. I think this was a good album, good progression and great quality, but for the fact it doesn't really resonate with me in a way I'd love I'll rate it a little lower than I believe it to be.

ich mag das Intro sehr, es klingt für mich sehr wie irgendwelche random GTA Scenen. Die Harp in things done changed ist soo cool! ich finde das ist enhanced den beat richtig und ist voll die kreative choice für ein Rap song. Oke ich bin am ende angekommen und ich mochte es sehr. Ich habe das Storytelling mitbekommen obwohl ich wenig auf dei Lyrics gehört habe was cool ist, weil sie das mit sounds und unterbrechungen unterstützt haben. All in all mochte ich es sehr!

Dated, but brilliant. The best era of hip hop

Standouts Things Done Changed Machine Gun Funk Big Poppa

I'm sorry I can't

When I started this challenge I found out that list of 1001 albums is often criticized, among other things, for its lack of hip-hop. Apparently, I'll have to retract that, since I've been seeing it almost exclusively lately. Here's another legendary album, the debut and only lifetime one by the Notorious B.I.G., a major figure in the genre in every sense of the word. Why this album has become legendary is something I personally don't quite understand. Obviously, as often happens, the artist's sudden death played a role, but otherwise, it's a typical rap album of the era, depicting the traditional path of a black gangster: from the cradle to the streets, picking pockets of goofs, dealing opiates, and conquering the big stage. Yes, it's done with respect for the roots, with lots of interesting samples, but the album starts to falter towards the end; it could have been shortened by a third. However, I had no desire to turn it off. Give it a three stars and move on.

I thought this would be much better. As an album guy, Biggie is a singles artist. These skits are as bad as everyone says.

I appreciate Biggie's skill as a rapper. Juicy and Big Poppa hold up. Respect was pretty good. I appreciate the influence the album had but overall the album doesn't hold up. There is a tighter album in here if it was brought under 40 minutes.

pas mal j'aime bien la production mais pas trop mon style

It’s provably a ridiculous hill to die on, but I get really tired of the extended amount of sex braggadocio rapping from Biggie. It just gets boring after a while. He’s got a way with words and the beats are great but damn I’m tired of hearing about his exploits.

I thought I was going to like this one more than I did. There are two decent/good songs on here: Big Poppa and Respect. The others were just meh.

When I was in college The Notorious B.I.G. was an enormous name is the rap world. However, for me back then it was more about the beats and overall sound. Listening to the whole album and paying attention to the lyrics brings new light to my experience and understanding of The Notorious B.I.G. and his music. From the very opening with "Intro" you get the idea this is a story about his life from the very violent beginning continuing to troubles of a lost yesterday in "Things Done Changed." Just like the chorus in "Gimme the Loot" and beats dropped in "Warning" most of his songs pulls you in bobbing your head. Lyrically, Biggie puts it all out there like a detailed journal giving intimate details to his life. On the surface, songs like "Juicy" and "Big Poppa" can lull a listener to thinking B.I.G.'s life is one to emulate. Taking in the album as a whole, it's wise to pay attention to the cautionary tales in "Everyday Struggle," "Respect," "Suicidal Thoughts," and many more of his songs reflecting the immense struggles in his life.

Album #105: Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G. Genre (W): East Coast hip-hop Singles: Juicy, Big Poppa / Warning, One More Chance I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: Disclaimer: I’m trying my best to separate the art from the artist, case in point, Diddy. This review may be biased as a result, but I will do my best to keep a levelheaded perspective. I think Biggie is a talented rapper. His ability to craft internal rhymes and tell stories is something pretty amazing. The aggression and misogyny is appalling and it repulses me, but, ironically, I think that’s the appeal of it. I’m gonna study this further. Another thing I enjoy are the beats by Easy Mo Bee. I think “Juicy” has the greatest hip hop songwriting ever too! Honestly, “Suicidal Thoughts” is such a heavy song. Wow. Favorite songs: Gimme the Loot*, Warning*, Ready to Die-*, Juicy-*, Respect-*, Suicidal Thoughts*

Не побачив я тут генія. Просто реп під місцями непогані біти. Хоча в останній третині альбом сильно просідає. Оцінка: низька-середня 6

Thank you. After a day with Bob I do feel ready to die. Yeah. This album is such a roller coaster for me. I think the opening skit is BRILLIANT. People who criticize aren’t listening. He’s giving his autobiography in sounds AND music. The domestic violence from the start is super hard to hear, but I have witnessed such in front of children more times than I care to count. Listen to the tracks playing BEHIND all that. Many of the artists on this very list. Like Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly. Then the tracks that are straight hate. Yeah, I always want to skip. Just like the ones that are pure venom poured down a partner’s throat. But that opening skit set the stage. I remember the first time I heard the line in Machine gun Funk: That's why I pack a nina, fuck a misdeameanor Beatin' motherfuckers like Ike beat Tina What's love got to do Almost lost my mind. It’s just so… wrong. But he does it so… well. There’s a smooth, laid back quality to the whole feel of the album and the way Biggie flows that keeps me in the groove despite this album being way, WAY too long. Then there is Puff. The Devil. For real. You can’t get away from his touch on this album. I have seen people claim in their reviews that Christopher Wallace was likely “not a nice guy.” And from his lyrics and appearance you’d think not. But all indications are that, to the contrary, he was actually a very sweet, good natured person. I’m not going to get into his choice of thug life, which certainly was a choice. But he was an honors student prior. I believe he made a calculated decision, as one is want to do in youth. But the IMAGE of Biggie was a CONSTRUCT. And we know who constructed it. And that’s the thing. There is more going on here than a simple album. So… this gets a 4 on its own merit. It might be misogynistic and crazy cringy, it might glorify violence far beyond my usual tolerance, but the album has so many qualities that standout despite these serious detractions AND it had such a HUGE and lasting impact. 4 Boolean: TRUE- every once in awhile it’s good to listen to the whole album- not just the saved tracks

I wanted to give it 5 stars because there are plenty of amazing songs and I think it’s a great album, but there is a lot of fluff, sex skits and misogyny throughout that I had to take away 1 star. There’s also a lot of P Diddy throughout, which has become problematic nowadays (especially his spoken word on the bridge of Big Poppa), even if his lyrics are witty. Overall however, the beats and flows still hit and that is enough for 4 stars.

Not my cup of tea. Too sweary and crass.

One of the best

Not my genre

not me having an emotional breakdown while listening to this during all the sex interludes lmao (overall love this album, glad I got to listen to it in full again despite my neurotic mood swings)

I think this is a high 3 for me. Enjoyed it, but highly uncomfortable with moans and sounds of a BJ in my airpods at the gym / at work

90s rap. If you feel like listening to this, good album. The song with sex sounds kind of grossed me out.

H: top to bottom this is a good album. As not a huge fan of rap this album had me interested to listen to each song. There are a lot of samples that have been pulled from this album that were fun to pick out and I can see how this album is so influential. 8/10 H fav song: One more chance Z: one of the greatest rap albums ever, one of the best to ever do it. BIG’s storytelling effortlessly places the listener right in his world, and the production/sampling is unmatched. 0 skip album. The 2 sexual interludes are the only notches (at least I was listening with my fiancée and not my parents) 9.3/10 Z fav song: Juicy Z for fans of: doing hood rat shit with your friends, robbery, womanizing, hope

The concept of an album telling a life story from birth to death moved me when I came across it in the generator a month ago, through Simon & Garfunkel's 'Bookends'. Though the story is very different this time, and so is the main character, this record has affected me in a similar way. Of course, it is generally lighthearted; the skits are ridiculous, and the lyrics are immoral. But at the end of the day, the story we were witnessing was tragically cut short, both on the LP and in real life, and listening to it now, reality and fiction are harder to tell apart.

A classic. The skits make me a little embarrassed in public. But overall a fantastic album Rating: 9/10 Favorite song: things done changed, big poppa

one of the better rap albums, but I still have my problems with it. Some of it does just come down to not being a big fan of rap in general, just not my thing

3/5 Favorite Song: Things Done Changed

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM ONE BIT. I TORTURED MYSELF BY LISTENING TO THIS AGAIN FOR THIS ALBUM CHALLENGE.

This is total 90s hip hop/rap gold. Incredibly misogynistic, full of expletives and with interludes of domestic violence, drive by shootings and sexual acts. I feel like biggie/Notorious BIG/Christopher Wallace is not the nicest of people. But I feel like he also knew this when reflecting on his life in "Suicidal Thoughts". It is a classic rap album but it is very much of its time. Even more so than Snoop Dogg, and that is saying something. Glad I listened, but not 100% sure I would return. (2.500)

I hated this so much.

This is a 5. Probably the most naturally gifted rhymer that's ever existed and a top 20 debut record from any artist ever. The legacy and importance of Notorious BIG cannot be overstated. And all with just two albums and some posthumous releases. Insane. Imagine what he could have done....

I really like the sound of his rapping. If there was a less explicit artist that was the same vibe and sound, I think I would love it. Call me a virgin ears, but it’s how I feel. I don’t like the intro, interlude, or gun sounds. 3.5 Who can I listen to that’s similar but more G rated?

la verdad solo escuche los primeros dos temas pero parece estar bueno. Prometo escucharlo en un futuro y veo si se puede cambiar la reseña

A definite classic but too crude for me I guess. Call me a prude idk.

Excellent rap album, one of the ones that drew me in. Yes the skits are absolutely horrible, skip. The rhymes and flows are just amazing, so is the storytelling. Rhyming about a stick up and shoot out with cops and most amazingly: "Suicidal Thoughts". 5/5

Biggy came on after my time, so I was never really exposed. I can see why people love him. Not an easy listen though.

Got through 3 tracks. Not for me.

Se un album inizia con un bambino che piange, riceve automaticamente una stella. I don't care

Good beats but the lyrics are very typical of every rapper: I'm a sex god, nobody's better than me, my rhymes are epic. Honey, douche and bush do not rhyme. Still, Big Poppa is a banger.

Classic!

Not my favorite BIG album

puffy and easy mo bee production sucks this needs to be said, but biggie is too fkin good even in shitty beats

I literally just said I needed to listen to a full Biggie album the other day, and voila-this popped up! While there are some essential hits on this album, there is waaaay too much damn talking! Interludes, scripted endings and intermissions, and too many gunshots and pagers. Yes. I’m old now. I just wanna hear the music. Songs are good. Rapping is gold. Lyrics are thought provoking. It’s all ruined by the flow (or interruption of that) by the useless scripted talking. Listen again: probably, just skipping a lot Purchase for my collection: Nah, unless it’s thrifted. Favourite Song: Warning. Even with the pagers haha

Call me culturally snob (although I listen to quite a lot of punk stuff) but I will never get this shit

Holy lyrics, very groovy

Supernintendo Sega Genesis. Easy to root for old biggie, raps relatable even if you didn't grow up poor in brooklyn. Hard hitting production and stupid puff daddy chiming in now and again, a detriment.

Such a cliche name for a Biggie’s album. The smooth voice and rythmic flow, he sure was good at what he was doing.

The skits are annoying bullshit. As long as we're talking only about the parts where he isn't fucking, I like the album. But now with a grown-up mind, lyrics that all revolve around shooting dudes and fucking bitches just seem boring and unimaginative. Rhymes and flow is on point of course. This is probably the most generous 4 I've given so far. In honesty, I should rate this as 3.

Yeah I really liked this one despite feeling a little sick from some of the lyrics. Listening to the intense sexual sounds through my headphones in the morning didn't help I don't think. Favourites: Things Done Changed Ready to Die

I think it's a 3.5 really but I'll go 3. The highs are very high, and there are at least three all time hip hop hits on there. They both sound better but mainly the lyrical content is just more interesting. But some of the album tracks and interludes are hard work, and the content is a bit dreary (you like fucking Biggie, we get it).

Some silly skits and Puff Daddy is too prominent (any amount is too much). It's also hilarious, has fantastic, varied beats and possibly the best rapper of all time.

Nope

Biggie's a legend. But, I don't revere him the same way others do. He's great don't get me wrong. Everybody knows Gimme the Loot, Big Poppa, and Who Shot Ya? I really liked Just Playing and Everyday Struggle for songs I wasn't familiar with. There are a lot of great bars in the other tracks. But I do think it is a little too long. And I don't really care for all the sex skits and outros.

Entiendo por qué a alguien le gustaría pero a mi no

me rei kleta, pero puta las letras malas wn

I was coming to this one a bit worried, but I'm having so much fun. What a great rapper Biggy was. His flow and talent is unique and, honestly, one of the best I've ever heard. It still shines today. Unlike Tupac (sorry) where I feel the hype is about the myth , here I'm actually flying with music itself. The production is very good aswell, and serve Biggy's rapping perfectly (maybe at time I would like some adventures sounds, but it's personal preference). My untrained ear (somewhat trained maybe), i think it's one of the best hip hop albums I've heard, definitely from that era. Magnificent. Would listen again of course. A high high 4.

I may be biased as I listened to this many times as a kid - but this was a great reintroduction to this album… Biggie had a way of telling stories that pulled you in, and his voice and flow made most of the tracks memorable. He wasn’t just a great rapper, he became larger than life. It’s not going to appeal to all tastes - and not every part of the album has aged perfectly. Some of the skits feel like filler, and some content shows its age, but it’s an excellent album start to finish. There’s a reason it has a place on so many greatest albums of all time lists. And decades after its release I still feel it deserves that recognition.

This was good

Classic solid hip hop album innit. The singles are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. All 90s hip hop was riddled with skits but they’re just annoying. Always been a pac man myself

The quintessential hip hop classic!

Too many skits. Juicy and Everyday Struggle good. Other than that, nah