Ready To Die

6/10

is that a curtis mayfield sample? nice don't mind me, just sitting at my desk in the office listening to biggie smalls rapping about drugs and gangs and violence and murder. i do appreciate this list exposing me to hip hop & rap. not genres i've ever explored on my own, but i can get behind this. i'd rather listen to this than grunge. s/o to sardines getting mentioned by The Notorious B.I.G. that was such a long album. i enjoyed it, but by 3/4 thru i just wanted it to be over.

Biggie raps amazingly, and he is witty, cutting, vivid. The best works are his grim accounts of poverty, crime, despair: clever, bleakly funny, and painful. The skits suck. And so much of this misogynist crap sucked then and sucks now, whether one claims its ironic role play or not.

More potential here than what is actualised. There’s so much sadness and despair layered in the stupid bravado—the emotions are moving and the flow is great, but the music isn’t always up to par.

This was ok. He definitely is a talented rapper/lyricist. Of all of the early 90's hip hop, this may have been the darkest I've heard so far. Too dark for my tastes but it's definitely decent.

By the age of 22, Christopher Wallace had already lived quite the life. By naming his debut Ready to Die, the Brooklyn rapper bluntly encapsulated both his fearless, take-no-prisoners lyrical style and his perpetual sixth sense that death could come for him at any time. While hardly the first to rap about the pleasures and pitfalls of drug dealing, The Notorious B.I.G. elevated the form to a divine art of brutal honesty. “I remember when he was doing the title track, I was a little disturbed,” Easy Mo Bee, who produced several of the album’s standouts, tells Apple Music. “‘You’re saying you’re ready to die? What’s up, Big?’ He told me, ‘I’m going through a lot...I’m tired of being up there hustling, my mom is sick, I have a baby on the way.’ He was going through a lot of p

Everything's awesome except the fucking lyrics (literally).

not a big fan of hip-hop, but this was kinda fire

It was alright, this record can really drag though

7/10

Honestly expected this to be better. So much unnecessary skits filling in space

This was fun but too long, I also docked a star for the intro. I enjoyed the song with Method Man. That was my first time hearing that one and it’s a bop.

Ok rap album. Second half is better than first. Too many skits. Beats ok a bit funky. Talented rapper, doesn’t have much to say.

Я не любитель хип хопа, но изредка может понравиться. Этот альбом в целом понравился, но песен многовато на один альбом, под конец устал. Gimme the loot, Big poppa и Machine gun funk понравились больше всего. Музыка иногда слишком зациклена и минималистична, редко впечатляет. Читка хорошая, некоторые рифмы классные.

There are some undeniable classics and great songs on here, but there are also some terrible bars and skits. If you get rid of a few songs and the moaning interlude, it would be a much better album. 7/10

respeto, sí, pero eres un hortera meter esos interludios porno

3 - good album but a bit too long

Not my favorite music but I am also not exactly the clientele

Some great songs, like Big Poppa. But man the skits and interludes ruin it

I was so excited to dig into this but its aged pretty badly. Some high points but can't give it more than 3/5

The album has some of the best hip-hop music and Biggie's flow and rapping is great, but the content gets a bit much. Also, the skits are horrible.

Ok

not my style but i still like it

Good album. A bit long. Very 90's lyric style.

some of these songs are probably in the top 10 of songs you’d never wanna accidentally play out loud in public

Big's flow was great, but the content of the lyrics and those skits knocked this back a few pegs for me.

Containing some of the best rap tracks of all time, this is a document of Biggie's talents despite the bloat and bigotry. There is a lot of misogyny and homophobia on here, and it is more direct and in your face than the sexism that you would find in most dated classic rock songs. Biggie wants to use up every second available on the CD, so he includes forgettable filler like 'Friend Of Mine' and 'Unbelievable' and unerotic skits of him having sex. No one needed to hear that! When this album is good, it is impeccable. Biggie had an unreal flow and a knack for storytelling. 'Juicy' is a perfect party song about Biggie's rise to the top and the boastful sexual lyrics are the most tolerable on 'Big Poppa' due to the sensual sampling. We get an insight into Biggie's psyche on the dark 'Suicidal Thoughts'. Listening to this made me wonder what music Biggie would put once he was able to lessen the bravado and mature a little if his life wasn't tragically cut so short.

I have mixed feelings about this. I was massively into hip-hop in the early 90s but I started to get turned off around the time that this came out as I felt the production was starting to sound too polished and this epitomises that. Same with the aesthetic of Bad Boy, I liked my hip-hop darker and grittier, not videos of people having mansion parties and pouring Cristal into swimming pools Listening back now, musically it's decent, especially the funkier stuff and there's some great samples. But for the most part, lyrically it doesn't resonate with me and some of it is just off putting. US hip-hop of this ilk has always had a misogyny problem and there's large parts of this where it's the focus. If i'd been into this at the time, I'd probably have overlooked it, as I have in some hip-hop of the time that I do like, but it's not something that Im comfortable with retrospectively, even if I understand my own hypocrisy here. Whilst Biggie's flow is excellent, especially for the time, I'm not a huge fan of his voice, if find it becomes a little monotonous over the course of what is obviously, like most hip hop of the time, an album that's about 20-30 minutes too long. Where I like him best is where the bravado drops a little and the one two of _Juicy_ and _Everyday Struggle_ are probably the highlights because of that.

What a title for three years before he was killed. It’s solid 90s themes; I love Biggie’s rhyme structure. Yet this one sticks around longer than I need it to.

It's not my jam, but I can respect the flow. It's easy to listen to this and just hear the drugs and guns and profanity, but there's more to the story; it's a shame a promising career ended the way it did.

just not my style

The hits Juicy and Big Poppa are the obvious standouts. I can always do without the skits/interludes in between.

Découverte. Un gros album avec beaucoup de classiques. Jérôme beaucoup l'esthétique même si je n'ai pas compris tous les textes. Des rythmes et rimes qui s'accrochent. Solide et s'écoute bien

Classic (à lire avec un accent anglais). Top album avec des interludes un peu olé olé. Quelques longueurs malgré tout. Il aurait mangé un 3,5, mais vu que c’est que des notes entières ce sera un 3… Sorry Biggy.

Fun memory: I come from a majority African-American town in the Southeast. When I was a senior in high school (94-95), there was a small crew of black girls who hung around near my friend's locker. I, a tall, lanky theater kid in thrift store clothes, would show up every day to tell them "I love it when you call me Big Poppa" and do a stupid little dance. And every day they'd squeal, "That white boy crazy!" and laugh their asses off. I think they were laughing with me. Either way, we were all entertained. Notorious B.I.G. was the best rapper of the MTV-friendly gangster genre of the 90s. His delivery was so smooth, and his appearance and authentic rags-to-riches background kept him relatable, despite the champagne-and-speedboat image in his music videos. I don't know, though. The older I get, the less I can tolerate the "bitches and hoes" and faux gangster gunplay lyrics in a lot of the rap from this era. It's easy to dismiss Christopher Wallace's murder as a live by the sword tale, but I still think it was tragic to have this incredibly talented artist cut down in his prime. His demise sours the entire enterprise. I had always thought of Biggie Smalls as an excellent rapper, even if his music didn't appeal to me beyond his best tracks, especially "Juicy," which is his masterpiece and must be one of the top 20 or so rap tracks of all time. This album was a bit of a chore for me because, like so many other albums from this era, it is far too long and contains too much filler. However, I noticed one thing this time through that I had never thought of before. At this time, the East Coast, West Coast rap beef, manufactured or not, was in full swing. But Ready to Die is perhaps the most perfect example of a successful blending of the boom-bap of the East with the Funkadelic-inspired G-Funk of the West. Listening closely, I was actually startled by how good the production on this record was. We think of Sean Combs as a monster now, but I always thought he was annoying. His "Yeah," "Haaaa" background vocals on many of these tracks are cringy at best, but the quality of the music he either commissioned or produced on this album is impressive. The DJ Premiere (a personal favorite) collab "Unbelievable" deserves its title and really shows off Biggie's considerable street-level rhyming skills. I would have loved to hear a full album of him doing the One MC/One DJ thing of the late 80s and early 90s. What if Notorious B.I.G. went the way of fellow New Yorkers like Gangstarr, Nas, and the Wu-Tang Clan? I just got chills thinking about how great that could have been. As it stands, though, I'm just not into this album as a whole. Even though there are several standout five-star tracks here, this album is a three-star for me.

2.8 Wow, Raekwon and then Biggy straight after. Actually made this a bit refreshing, whereas Raekwon scored very lowly, the difference between these two in clear. Again, same backstory applies, used to have to listen to this whilst getting driven to school every day by my brother's mate, so I'm familiar with it, but didn't like it then and still not a big fan of it now. However, in comparison to a lot of other 90s gangsta rap, like Raekwon yesterday, the beats are actually pretty good in places, the rapping style good, but what let's this down is the bombastical, extremely mysognistic nature of it. I feel like that was missing from the rare few in the genre I like, such as Illmatic. But here it just grates so often throughout. Also, what the fuck is Fuck Me being included for, grow up. Embarrassing that an adult put that on their album, it's massive "I'm 16 and I've had sex" energy. Instant 0.5 points deduction from being forced to listen to that. Anyway, can appreciate it more than I did when I was younger, but moreso because I've now heard just how much worse it could be.

I can appreciate aspects of the music here, but the misogynistic content ultimately meant I couldn't finish the album.

A couple great songs embedded in an awful album.

Damn good grooves, gross at times. I get why it is like it is, but come on...

"Used to lick the clits a lot, but licking clits had to stop cause y'all don't know how to act when the tongue go down below". What a strange way to say you don't know how to get a woman off.

I rated it a 3 for nostalgic purposes, Biggie's flow, and I understand it's cultural significance, but it hasn't aged well and the skits are too much now that I'm a lot older and shock value is less appreciated in my music. Favorite song is "Gimme the Loot".

A couple bangers but were the interludes necessary

There's some good stuff here, but so much of it has aged badly. The skits and diddy makes it harder to enjoy.

To hard for me, but groove is great

Classic 90s gangsta rap album from Biggie. He was great and gone too soon. Highlights: "Juicy" and "Big Poppa"

Hadn't ever listened to this, and was looking forward to it. Started strong, great beats with a lot of musical variety. But even though some of the strongest tracks ("Respect", for me) are near the end, the repetition of lyrical themes got tiring. And damn, enough with these skit interludes which are also pretty repetitive. It's an album I'd enjoy more if I gave it less attention, if it were background, because the grooves and the beats and the musical production here is great, but listening close there's just a lot of dated detail here that ruins it for me, so it's a disappointed 7/10, rounding down.

It is rap.

No me gustó tanto, dos o tres canciones si. Hay algunos temas que no podría volver a escuchar, no me gusta no me llama, no me atrae su forma de rapear. No me gusta este tipo de hip hop. Mucha voz tiene y no me gusta. Me gustan otras canciones de el, no de este álbum en si, pero entiendo que es escencial y el más popular o "el más" del hip hop. Se que tiene algunas canciones producidas por p Diddy y que envejeció mal por eso obviamente. Aparte no me gusta como rapea y las letras, todo es tiros, madafacker etc. No es el hip hop que escucharía, como ya dije rescato 3 temas como muuuucho.

Why do all these 90s hip hop albums need a terrible, cringe-inducing interlude about fucking? Could be a great album without that.

Pretty good! Above average for a rap album for me. The singles stood out on this listen, with none of the deep cuts really getting me all that excited.

Volgens mijn Brabantse luistermaat is alle hiphop van voor dit album niet aan hem besteed. Bij mij is het meer andersom: ik vind oudere hiphop nog wel ok vaak, maar al die nieuwe dingen boeien me niet. Ik weet niet precies uit welke periode al die gangstarap komt, maar ik heb me al vaker uitgelaten over de kinderachtigheid van de teksten (hoe goed de binnenrijm misschien ook is) en dit album is uiteraard geen uitzondering. Na een minuut vliegen de krachttermen al om je oren, samen met de pistoolschoten en later zelfs nog fellatiogeluiden. Maar goed, om wat positiefs te zeggen, er zit wel een lekkere funky flow in en wat toffe samples. Ik moet gewoon niet naar de teksten luisteren, zoals normaal, en dan glijdt het album vrij moeiteloos een uur lang op de achtergrond voorbij. En kan ik hier nog best een 3 voor geven.

Great rhymes and flow I guess, but the skits and the sexism soured this for me.

Ok got a bit samey

There are three topics that every song is about: fuckin bitches, shootin bitches, and suicide. Some of the songs include all three. The beginning I was enjoying it, about half way through I was tired of it and wanted it to be over. 5/10

Quite a few songs unavailable on Spotify. But some big bangers, but quite a few duds too.

Nostalgic. Brings me back to my childhood.

Pretty good, might listen to Big Poppa agian.

I felt objectified the entire time, but still iconic

Nice album but I didn’t like the whole sex surround thing I felt like every song at least half of it was sex and I got over it real quick

Algumas faixas interessantes

Some songs are total 5/5 and other songs are 1/5. We're meeting in the middle with 3 stars. I think the narrative quality of this album is stellar. The journey that the listener go on is still relevant to this day and the lyrics are quite powerful.

Great Songs: Intro, Gimme the Loot, Ready to Die, One More Chance, Juicy, Everyday Struggle, Big Poppa, Suicidal Thoughts Good Songs: Things Done Changed, Machine Gun Funk, Warning, The What, Me and My Bitch, Respect, Friend of Mine, Unbelievable, Who Shot Ya?, Just Playing (Dreams) Mid Songs: Fuck Me Bad Songs:

Wouldn't necessarily listen to this normally, but it's a classic. Stand-outs - Ready to Die - Big Poppa - Who Shot Ya?

He has better rhymes then "escargot, my car go" but they never were big singles. Not a bad album, I have a soft spot for big papa

Not a big fan of this. Definitely did NOT like "just playing". Gross. I can appreciate the throughline of the story and the bars but I think it was just not meant for me. 5/10

It's a solid hip hop album and properly representative of the golden age of hip hop in the 1990s. "Big Poppa" is a great track. Still, I enjoyed and enjoy other albums of the time more.

Not my kind of music, that's also the reason I don't have this album in my collection.

3.5 - good songs with some skippable parts

Some tunes but what the hell was going on with the interludes

Let’s start with the positives. The beats and flow are great, and Biggie can deliver a line as well as anyone. The problem is what he’s actually saying. Lyrically and thematically, it’s one note. He’s either going to shoot you or fuck you. That might work for a few tracks, but stretched across an album this long, it’s exhausting. And the skits are terrible. What is it with skits on 90s rap albums? There are quite a few songs on here that are a 4 but the rest just don’t make the grade.

Hearing how dated this is makes me feel old. The singles on here are great. Biggie's delivery is outstanding, smooth and cool. He had amazing flow to his rhymes, everything just seemed to flow naturally from him. The skits on 90s rap CDs always drove me nuts, with very few exceptions all just felt goofy and dumb. Time has not aged them well at all. Anyway, I enjoyed listening to the songs I remembered, among the best of the genre for sure. The rest was filler and goofy, not terrible, but not great.

3/5 Flow, samples e batidas absurdas. As letras, após 79 minutos, tendem a ficar repetitivas e a maioria é mais que problemática.

Albums like this seem to be an evolutionary step of hip hop. I like the scripted tracks sprinkled in.

I mean idk if its just cause ive payed attention to only this one album's lyrics, but there are mad misogynistic songs. Like, man, in one song there's a literal sound of a girl blowing off a guy, and in some song you're talking about your daughter. Like hello? But some songs are fire. Big poppa alone, I fricking love that song

Funny enough, I got a 2Pac album a week or two ago. Between the two big 90s guys everyone knows and talks about, 2Pac is significantly better, at least between their respective albums on this list. Biggie is like a walking encyclopedia, though. The random references to other songs, and even non-music things like TV shows and movies, were my favorite parts of the album. 2Pac has him beat in every other respect, but that doesn't make this a bad album at all. The beats are good, he's a pretty on-par lyricist, and the album has some incredible moments, but as a whole it's very mixed.

The lyrics made me uncomfortable

It’s kind of a shame because he has such a great voice and a lot of these songs have really cool beats but super misogynist and it’s kind of jarring in 2026, especially with the puffy connection.

I enjoyed this debut album from Biggie. I think this was my first time listening to a whole album by him so that was a fun experience. Overall, I thought this was a solid hip hop/rap album and I would give it a listen again in the future!

So. Finally I listen to the Big man. I get the tight verbal. It’s very precise and articulate. And the beats are solid. However all the tough guy misogynist stuff is all sorta black Andrew Tate so only a mid from me.

I'm not a prude but I think it's reasonable not to want to listen to some of these 'interlude' tracks and skits. Just do the songs and get on with it.

Insanely good beats, some solid bars and flows across the board. I see why it is beloved, but there are better hip hop albums out there

FUCK DIDDY. There are amazing tracks on here and it's really either on or off. I don't do the radio shit. The skits are terrible. The blowjob part is particularly cringy, as is every Diddy cameo. I never listened to Biggie 'cause I thought the whole Bad Boy thing was garbage, and I still think that for the most part. But I've come around more to Biggie. The tracks where he's straight doing his shit over more classic sounding boom bap east coast beats are absolutely incredible. Everything else is overproduced and not what I'm trying to engage with. Biggie shouldn't have been killed, a tragedy Diddy is responsible for. Biggie had more to do.

ik genoot erg van de achtergrondzang en de band hierin, maar zo halverwege het album begon het allemaal hetzelfde te klinken. vast deels door een onwijs gebrek aan kennis van mijn kant, maar goed

Biggie definitely has talent as far as gangster rap is concerned, but it's still pretty much the same old gangster rap. A few of the songs here have decent melodies but I can't count how many times I cringed at the lyrics.

11-1-26

The good: Juicy, Big Poppa, Respect ( until the last couple seconds), Just Playing (Dreams) The less good: Intro, Interlude There’s some good stuff here but parts of it bring it down. Idk

Mid, with some bangers like gimme the loot

New to me. I enjoyed the tales as I only have sketchy memories of the storey. Thankful for Spotify lyrics.

A lot of the songs on this are good but there are way too many of them on this. Add in the the skits and it really makes this a tough listen.

Lots of sounds I heard already from other newer musicians, because he be iconic. A lot of lyrics about hood that I wouldn’t ever understand, so hard to relate. It does get you to swing your head to the beat. But THOSE SEXUAL REFERENCES AND STRAIGHT UP SOUNDS OF HIM FUCKING AND SOMEONE SUCKING HIM OFF WTFFFFF

I like it, it's annoyingly explicit in a couple parts.

Bem diferente do que costumo escutar, mas muito bom!!!!!!!

Biggie is a rap legend and many tracks on this album such as Juicy and Big Poppa demonstrate that fact. But like Biggie, this album struggles under its own weight. I thought it was too long and some of the skits were unpleasant. I will definitely return to many of the tracks from this album but it's unlikely I will listen to the whole thing in one sitting again anytime soon.

Nie do końca rozumiem jego fenomen, ale chyba po prostu to nie są moje klimaty - jednak słychać zupełnie inny typ hip-hopu niż obecnie

I recognize game. Not always my vibe but I dug it.

Eh I’m more of a west coast gal but still some good ones I knew and discovered some new ones.

-at last i am experiencing Biggie. definitely wanna relisten to this one sometime before too long -early 90s gangster rap isn’t necessarily my thing (with the very notable exception of the Wu-Tang Clan), but he channeled something really cool here. East Coast hip hop will always be my favorite -Favorites: Machine Gun Funk, One More Chance, Big Poppa

i had fun but it’s not my favourite

RIP biggie

We love skits!!! I get why this popped off, especially with the east west feud and subsequent deaths, shoutout Diddy right? If we’re picking sides I’m definitely more Tupac inclined but even that not really that much. The hits on this are great but everything else is borderline okay to boring. She look so good I’d suck her dad’s dick is bar of the century though. Too long, skits are unnecessary, but can fully see, understand, and respect why this was as big as it was.

catchy but i couldn't get over the outrageously misogynistic lyrics

mi aspettavo di più però

First time listening to this album. Never a fan of skits between songs but listen first go round. Bragging about how good you are at sexing up the ladies is my not jam if the tracks don't feel solid. Respect is fun as it features Diana King, I love her voice. Biggie sounds more camp sometimes than I'd imagined. ***

no fui fan

Some great songs but too much filler

Classic raps, bad interludes, I'm still not a hip hop fan

4/5 für die Tracks, 2/5 für die Skits

Crazy this man was 21 years old when he made this. Don't love his general disrespect of women, but that's not exactly shocking given *most every* male artist of this genre at the time. "Suicidal Thoughts" is a horribly beautiful track. I also love when an album can elicit a strong feeling, even if it is discomfort (ie. the sex tracks)

not for me

Im not sure I think this is what others think it is. But it does have some high highs in it

Great album But I really did not need to listen to moaning for a whole song lol

Good beats, skillful rapping... ...a whole song bragging about his dick followed by a track of sex noises? Casual misogyny? Yeah, gross.

This album did not age as well as I thought it would. Yeah two big songs, but other than that is was very subpar, especially compared to NAS and WuTang and others.

Good verses, but not my favorite rap album.

Good album but not my thing.

The beats are fun and I appreciated Biggie's storytelling, but I struggled to get through all the blatant misogyny, really creepy rape comments, casual homophobia, and the glorification of violence. Oh—and it's unnecessarily long. Would've been a solid album otherwise. Notable tracks: Intro, Warning, Suicidal Thoughts

Very talented, and obviously I appreciate his impact on the industry. However, I just can’t relate to the lyrics and many of them are distasteful.

first listening...nothing new lots of expletives and some nice rhythm

The songs alternate between powerful lyrics about his struggles and his prowess in bed. So. Much. Detail. (I’m looking at you One More Chance)

I'm not against having sex noises in music (Mr Flash's "Monsieur Sexe" mix is one I've listened to many times!) but man. not like this

Salut à toi, installe-toi et prends une bière tiède ou un thé au jasmin, selon ton humeur car aujourd'hui, on laisse un peu de côté mes obsessions habituelles. On range les vinyles de Current 93 dans leur pochette en papier de soie, on met en pause le drone assourdissant de Sunn O))) qui fait vibrer les vitres du salon depuis trois jours, et on sort la tête de l’underground noisy pour aller respirer l’air vicié mais électrisant de Brooklyn. On est en 1994, une année charnière. Kurt Cobain vient de se faire sauter le caisson, laissant le rock alternatif orphelin et dépressif. Pendant ce temps-là, de l'autre côté du spectre musical, le Hip-Hop est en pleine guerre civile, une sorte de Guerre de Sécession avec des beats funky et des Glock 9mm. À ma gauche, la West Coast, dominée par l’ombre gigantesque de Dr. Dre et le flow nonchalant de Snoop, qui ont transformé le gangsta rap en une machine à cash huilée au G-Funk. À ma droite, la East Coast, New York, le berceau du truc, qui fait la gueule parce qu'elle a perdu sa couronne. C'est dans ce contexte de tension palpable, où les balles commençaient à coûter moins cher que les disques, que débarque un mastodonte. Un type qui n'avait pas le physique de l'emploi, pas la gueule de porte-bonheur, mais un charisme à faire passer un prédicateur évangéliste pour un comptable sous Xanax. Christopher George Latore Wallace aka Biggie Smalls aka The Notorious B.I.G. L'album s'appelle "Ready To Die" et bordel, avec un titre pareil et la photo du bébé sur la pochette (qui rappelle étrangement celle de l'excellent "Illmatic" de Nas sorti la même année, on ne va pas se mentir, les mecs du marketing ne se sont pas foulés), on sentait que ça n'allait pas être une promenade de santé dans les champs de pâquerettes. Alors, moi, le disquaire indé qui triait des imports de post-rock japonais en 1996, qu'est-ce que je fous avec du Bad Boy Records sur ma platine ? Eh bien, figure-toi qu'il faut savoir reconnaître la grandeur, même quand elle ne porte pas un t-shirt de Joy Division. On ne peut pas parler de cet album sans parler de l'autre entité maléfique de l'équation : Sean "Puffy" Combs (Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Brother Love, ou peu importe comment ce type s'appelle cette semaine). C'est lui qui a signé Biggie et c'est là que réside tout le paradoxe de cet album. On a d'un côté Biggie, un conteur de rue incroyable, sombre, dépressif, violent, doté d'un flow technique et lourd comme une enclume. Et de l'autre, on a Puffy, le roi du sample grillé, le mec qui veut que ça brille, que ça passe en radio, que ça se vende par palettes. Et le miracle de "Ready To Die", c'est que cette friction fonctionne. C'est la rencontre entre la crasse du trottoir et le champagne du VIP Room. L'album s'ouvre sur une intro cinématographique qui retrace la vie du protagoniste, de sa naissance à sa vie de criminel. C'est bien foutu, ça met dans l'ambiance et puis, ça déboule, les productions sont massives. On tape dans le funk bien gras (Mtume sur "Juicy", les Isley Brothers sur "Big Poppa") c'est du lourd. "Juicy", c'est l'hymne ultime du "rags to riches" et même si tu es un gothique dépressif qui ne jure que par "Pornography" des Cure, il est physiquement impossible de ne pas hocher la tête sur ce morceau. C'est la définition même du tube. Biggie avait ce truc rare : une voix. Pas juste un timbre, mais une présence. On dirait qu'il rappe avec la bouche pleine de billes, mais chaque mot est articulé avec une précision chirurgicale. Il raconte des histoires de deal, de braquages ("Gimme the Loot", où il rappe deux voix différentes, une prouesse), de paranoïa. C'est sombre, c'est glauque, mais c'est raconté avec un tel panache que ça en devient glorieux. Mais… Et c'est un gros "Mais" qui justifie à lui même la note de 3 sur 5... Il y a des longueurs. L'album dure une plombe (près de 70 minutes dans sa version intégrale). À l'époque du CD, on avait cette manie de vouloir remplir la galette jusqu'à la gueule. Résultat : il y a du gras, des morceaux moins inspirés qui diluent un peu la force de frappe de l'ensemble. Et puis, il y a ce point qui me fait marrer autant qu'il me fait grimacer, les interludes. Ah, les putains d'interludes de rap des années 90… Quelle plaie. Qui a décidé un jour que c'était une bonne idée de couper la dynamique d'un album avec des sketchs pas drôles ou des bruits de couloir ? Mais là où on touche le fond, c'est avec les interludes sexuels. Bon je ne suis pas un militant féministe de la première heure, je ne passe pas mes dimanches à déconstruire mon patriarcat intérieur en buvant du lait de soja, mais bordel, écouter ça aujourd'hui, c'est une épreuve. L'interlude où on entend Biggie recevoir une fellation (avec des bruits de succion qu'on jurerait enregistrés avec un micro placé dans la gorge), c'est juste… gênant. C'est vulgaire sans être drôle, c'est gratuit, et ça vieillit aussi bien qu'un sandwich au thon oublié sur la plage arrière d'une voiture en plein mois d'août. Je pourrais rajouter avec ma poésie habituelle qui sent bon l'humour à deux balles : "Je trouve que certaines interludes sont vraiment limites dans les temps qui courent. Limites à se faire shooter au coin d'une rue par une chienne de garde." Et c'est exactement ça, si tu passes ça à fond la caisse fenêtres ouvertes aujourd'hui, tu risques l'excommunication sociale immédiate, voire un thread Twitter à ton nom pour apologie de la misogynie crasse. C'est le produit de son époque, certes, une époque où le rap jouait la surenchère de la virilité toxique, mais ça casse l'écoute. On passe d'un chef-d'œuvre de storytelling ("Suicidal Thoughts") à des bruits de cul dignes d'un film X bas de gamme sur VHS rayée. Ça fait tache… Ce qui sauve le tout, et qui donne à cet album sa note de 4/5, c'est sa conclusion et sa résonance historique. "Suicidal Thoughts" est un morceau effrayant. Biggie y appelle Puffy en pleine nuit, lui raconte qu'il veut en finir, qu'il est une merde, que le paradis ne veut pas de lui. Et ça se termine par un coup de feu. Quand on sait que l'album suivant s'appellera "Life After Death" et sortira quelques jours après son véritable assassinat à Los Angeles, ça fout les jetons. "Ready To Die" n'était pas qu'un titre pour faire le malin, c'était une prophétie. Il y a une urgence, une fatalité dans cet album qui dépasse le simple cadre du rap game. C'est le son d'un mec qui sait qu'il vit en sursis. Alors, est-ce que c'est un album qu'il faut avoir écouté avant de mourir ? Oui, absolument. C'est la pierre angulaire du rap East Coast des années 90 et c'est l'album qui a remis New York sur la carte face à la domination californienne. C'est la naissance d'une légende qui n'aura pas eu le temps de vieillir. Mais est-ce un album parfait ? Non. Il faut avoir la télécommande à portée de main pour sauter ces foutus interludes qui te donnent l'impression d'être un voyeur pervers coincé dans un vestiaire de lycée. C'est un disque massif, boursouflé, brillant, vulgaire, touchant et terrifiant. C'est l'Amérique de 94, celle de Clinton, des ghettos qui brûlent et du champagne qui coule à flots. Au final 3/5, c'est une note honnête, ça vaut le détour pour la technique incroyable de Biggie, pour ces hymnes qui ont ambiancé nos soirées (même nous, les rockeurs, on a dansé sur "Big Poppa" quand on était bourrés, avouons-le), et pour cette noirceur abyssale qui côtoie le clinquant. Allez, je retourne écouter "Unknown Pleasures" car Ian Curtis aussi avait des idées noires, mais au moins, il nous épargnait les bruits de succion.

Another iconic rap album. This is good. I still dislike interludes. Listening to "Fuck Me" while in the office felt wrong.... (Sorry Madison, WI office). Overall this is a fun album tho. Solid 3.5. Very aggressive, but hype. Liked Songs: "Things Done Changed" , "Warning" , "One More Chance" , "Me and My Bitch" , "Big Poppa" , "

2.75

This is somewhat of a low rating, I know... there are some amazing songs on this, I love Things Done Changed and Ready to Die, but I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't a bit long for me. I think I just get tired of this kinda thing quickly, it has too be a fucking weird rap record for me to really be into it I think. Great vibes tho, I'll be jamming some songs off of this for sure.

3.5 stars “Juicy” might be one of the best rap songs of all time. And this album is generally an amazing debut. But the skits and the unnecessary excess of tracks that don’t really add to the quality hold it back. Biggie clearly has the chops to be considered one of the best of all time, but this album shows the tiring tropes of its time, misogyny, braggadocio, and emphasis on violence, over decent beats. I’ll listen to the good tracks again and again, but the album as a whole? Nah.

I really wanted to like this album. I know it is one of the quintessential defining east coast rap albums. The song "Juicy" has everything you could want in a rap song and reflects the whole story of this album perfectly, a rags to riches story, the underdog, the glitz and glamour. My problem was, that aside from that track and a couple others, I felt like a lot of the rest of the album got in the way of this story. I do really like the way Biggie raps, his relaxed flow ties the genre back to the early spoken word jazz and funk style from the 70's, but the gangster, meanest guy in the room persona gets a little bit tired and feels like it takes up too much room on this otherwise iconic album.

Ha, kul. Od prej poznam dva komada ("Juicy" in "Big Poppa"). Lol, začne se z rojevanjem? In z enim prvih rap komadov ("Rapper's Delight"), čez pa kreganje. A je to kao literal birth & childhood od Biggieja? I guess je bil v zaporu na neki točki (in ja, wiki prav concept album, semi-autobiographical). So far mi je kul, v bistvu drugač kokr sm si predstavljala, glede na to, da so mi od njega poznani sam ta ful znani komadi, ki so bli singli. Razen tretjega singla, do katerga sm glih prišla ("One More Chance"), k je pa so far večinoma komad o tem kok ma oz. je mel super duper kurac (lol ta wiki del: '...and asserting that he has a very large and desirable penis.'). Ok, ta "Fuck Me (Interlude)" z Lil' Kim je ...something. Vsaj kinda funny. Od na novo slišanih mi je "Respect" kul. Razen skit del na konc, lol. Ok, nasledn, " Friend of Mine" je hud. "Unbelievable" isto.

Middle of the road hip-hop with the ingredients for something amazing

He says the word penis too much.

Very nice Good beats Dome songs were a little weird but it was cool

crazy that biggie was only 22 when he put out this album, and would die two years later. a couple all time great tracks here, mixed with absolute garbage skits.

Biggie!

As with some other albums in this genre, I doubt my ability to review it because I can't engage with it. Unfortunately, it's the level of swearing that literally makes me wince, and stops me really hearing what's being written about. And the level of swagger around sex is really off-putting. So all I tend to do is think about whether the backing/sampling and beats are cool, and try not to "tut" at the bad language. Maybe the language should draw me in, I know it's entirely authentic and appropriate, but it doesn't. For what it's worth, though, even I can hear that the album is creative and really expressive. And well-produced. He was clearly really good at what he did. But I'm sorry, I didnt get through it all (so shoot me for rating it anyway - oh, erm, actually please don't). Gosh he was young when he died.

I've bopp'd to the bops - but some tracks just felt lacking

Pretty good. I have low tolerance for the 90's gangsta lyrics, though.

Very few songs did I enjoy, but rap really isn't my thing. Still, solid 3.

IT’S ENOUGH SKITS

Like his second album more

I am definitly not a hip-hop guy. There are some records that resonate with me. There were a few tracks here that I could listen to again.

Slapping the meat, brotha

3.31

goddamn it's big, 19 tracks i listened to 7 of them and i feel i'm ready to die without listening to the others but i listened without skips and it means i liked it more than other rap albums. the lyrics still suck the big one but i like the sound here and i'll even give it three stars to distinguish it from the others.

Before listening I felt more pressure to like it than to not like it. Honestly I was struck by how dark it was, I'm familiar with Biggie but more as a funny rapper. I know about his story so it doesn't ultimately surprise me, but this is not easy listening. Could be a good one when I'm depressed and working out in the gym.

Wow. I used to live by Compton and Inglewood. Brought back many memories.

I've been stun locked on what I was going to rate this album all weekend. I may circle back to this one and update my review at a later date, but I don't think I know enough about biggie as an artist to rate this higher than a 3 atm. I feel like the album wants to say something and I'm too stupid and ignorant of the artists life to have any sort take away. Which is unfortunate because I like his flow and the tracks themselves. without any context it feels like a 50/50 split of fuckin and killing lot of men moaning on the mic on this list, but biggie took it to the next level with these interludes

Many of the best samples, flows, and lines in hip hop. Also, some of the straight up weirdest lines and moves in the genre. Plenty of verses here didn’t age well, but I don’t think that’s completely damning because being raw and provocative was kind of the point. I mean it’s 31 years old, it’s rap from the 1900s. Came out a month after I was born. It’s a testament to the early-ish days of hip hop, as MCs were earning celebrity status and escaping (or trying to escape) some nasty alternatives. Lmao I’m not going to keep writing like I can relate to 90% of Biggie’s story. The only looting I do is on Facebook Marketplace where I meet up at a local coffee shop’s parking lot to sell an old Nintendo DS game. The only guns I’ve owned are Nerf, airsoft, and soldering. Champagne is too carbonated for me; I can’t burp. I just listen to this and think “wow that’s crazy”

Det er igjen dette med at det er fett, men ensformg som album. Åpenbart stort for sin tid, men ikke like treffende og godt som helhet i dag. Jeg tror det primært dreier seg om at jeg personlig trenger mer variasjon

Listening to this album for the first time in 2025 makes me so sad for young Biggie. Overt sexual assault and violence are themes woven throughout the album. He was such a wildly talented artist and it's sad that he died so young. I was really excited to listen to this album, but I found myself cringing a lot due to the subject matter.... or maybe i just don't get it.

Some classic rap/hip hop.

an extra star is always awarded when there's a Curtis sample (not really) Obviously classic, extremely well constructed beats. Musically a 4/5, easily. Vocal flow is super clean. The power-struggling, violent, fragile male ego, misogynistic content of (all) of the lyrics is tired and ages pretty poorly. I like some gangsta rap, usually of the Wu-Tang ilk that acknowledges the darkness and has an element of self-reflection. Ready to Die is mostly just a celebration of small minded behavior and big egos (except for one or two tracks, not enough to convince you that there's really any regret or maturity there.) 1.5/5 on that front. (RIP, tho)

If you can get past the swearing, gun violence, misogyny, sexual references then you might enjoy the raps and beats of this album. Just a bit too much with the sexual references for my taste some of which were a bit gross. I don’t want to listen to that whilst eating my croissant. Best song Juicy.

The rapper is taking us through the life of an anonymous person. The actual story telling might be starting with the release of the protagonist from prison, where he reflects on his life. Starting with his childhood "back in the day". He doesn't recognize his own neighborhood as people lived their lives and grew up. This confusion and anger for this particular passing of time is very common for incarcerated individuals. He has to reintroduced to the society and to the streets where he makes the exact same mistakes that got him sentenced in the first placed. Hard beats, pleasant to listen to, consistent rhythm, a fair bit of screaming from the rapper. Perhaps a bit repetitive, the tracks melt into each other. There is nothing eccentric or special about any of them. No experimentation, which is a welcome feature but not necessary. Pleasant listening experience, but not anything really worth your listening time, but I do like the concept behind the album as successful writing is part of the success but without good tracks it is not enough.

some all time great songs in here but in between he just talks about his dick a bit too much

A classic. The skits and interludes wreck the flow of an otherwise pretty great album. Like many other reviews, those are gonna cost this album a full star. The misogyny (all over this album) doesn’t age well, but we’d go a long way towards cleaning that up if we just threw out those skits/interludes. I’d like to believe Biggie would have grown up and done better if he lived longer, but the recent Sean Combs (Puff Daddy, Puffy, P-Ditty, et al.) court case suggests he probably wouldn’t have. Subject matter aside, Biggie’s flow is silky smooth and the production is impeccable. This is on a similar level to Nas’s Illmatic in the pantheon of great hiphop debuts, but I only have one of them on vinyl (and I have two copies of that one).

not bad, interesting relationship with women, there's definitely sexism, but also borderline sexual adoration? interesting

Too depressing but has juicy and big pappa

Fun listen. Certified hood classic

не впечатляюсь большими реп альбомами, видимо ностальгия / забавный голос / поп-продакшн максимально пересиливают всякие вот эти лирические путешееествия, противостояние берегоов

Better and much funnier than The Chrinic, but it’s still over an hour of “look at me, I got the biggest dick”. Diminishing returns.

I miss when you actually had to be able to rap to be a rapper

Big Poppa loses it luster when you hear Diddy chime in …. Anyone got a remix without him in it yet?

It was fine

Been a while since I listened to this one, but I was really feeling it overall. It was fine.

Skits are bad. His cadence is still one of the greatest even after all these years. The hit songs are great, but much of the album is overly misogynistic and crass. 3/5 Might listen again

Some good raps but honestly not something Id listen to all the time. Also heard a couple remixes that are way better than the originals on here.

Mostly the gangbanging, woman-banging stuff that is to be expected of the genre/era, but Suicidal Thoughts hits hard and seems like it's more of a real window into his head.

It was good, but after a while I just didn’t care that much.

3.4 2x fun and good tracks

Good raps good beats bad skits

Great beats and rapping. Not loving the gansta/misogyny stuff.

Too much penis

Also not my speed

Was kinda nodding off until Juicy hit and this long album picks up way more after that. Plenty of tracks I would cut, but overall it’s bumpin. Minus one star for making me hear head or an imitation of head. Don’t know which would be worse.

I love buggie's sense of rhythm in his line delivery. The beats he chooses and the way he interacts with them are awesome. Some of the lyrics are witty too. I want so much to put rank it higher. The skits and the flow of this album are painful though. Over an hour and it feels like half of it is cartoonish sex or violence things.

A classic to many, I didn’t vibe with it as much

ok, a classic one.

enjoyed it more than I thought I would

Good but rap doesn't sit right with me - I'll never be able to sing along!

This album is probably great for someone who is really into rap, but for me it's just OK. It's definitely iconic though. 3/5

14-year-old boys would love this album

First time listen. Enjoyed although a bit long and feels dated at times. Not my vibe but might have loved it back when it was first released.

A couple of bangers, but too long and of course misogynistic, in my opinion.

East coast 90’s hip hop.

3.5

Pretty good rap album. I expect it to grow on me potentially but i'm usually a greatest hits guy with biggie.

Mér finnst ég vera töff að hlusta á þetta.

I do not fuck enough for this

too many sex sounds lol

I’m blushing ……

he’s too cool for me tbh

Quite long

I do not like literal fucking in my fucking ear when I'm listening to music. Why do I have to hear this big fat nigga fucking and getting sucked off just to also hear "You look so good I'd suck on your daddy dick?" BIG NIGGA PAAAAUUUUUSSSSEEEEEE GODDAMN! Anyway other than that this album is good, I definitely hear, feel, and understand the influence it holds.

13/09/2025 Didn't really blow my mind, but better than we have in today's standards. Spotify listeners: 22.6 million

Der er nogle enkelte kæmpe bangers på den her, men generelt lidt overrated imo. Meget god rapper

For lang men Biggie er en fed rapper og der er mange gode beats!

A bit much sucking of the dick, otherwise fine!

Idk not my thing

Highlights: Things Done Changed, Warning. In a nutshell: a softer kind of gangsta. On Ready To Die, Biggie proved that a rappers don't need to be brash on a hip-hop album. You can still connect with listeners by the songwriting, the flow and the beat. Lines like "There's gonna be some slow-singing and flower-bringing if my burglar start ringing" (Warning) are genius! Tracks could have used some trimming (cringed at the intro of One More Chance). But that's my only complaint. Overall: 5/10

Can appreciate what a rapping talent B.I.G. was although couldn’t necessarily resonate with the subject matter. And could have done with a few less of the ‘interludes’. Might not be sticking this one on for the fam!

Not a big fan of the content. Catchy tunes.

Good but all the songs sound the same to me

Wanted to rate this higher, as I like a lot of Biggie Smalls, including several tracks on this album, but almost all of the lyrics are about having sex (including a gross soundbite of a BJ), killing people, and finally, killing yourself.

Ett till rapalbum från tidigt 90-tal. Ok, det är sköna beats och BIG har en skön röst/flow. En del låtar riktigt najs. Men fy fan vad tröttsamt det är med "skitarna" och tyvärr omöjligt att inte höra de sunkiga texterna. Det sexuella innehållet är så satans cringe.

to be fair he was in his early 20s

GTA Momento

lots of swearing...

didnt listen, have heard before

I wasn't much of a fan of the content of the songs, or the parts of the songs that weren't rap. However, the music was good, and more often than not a bop.

Great to follow along with the story of a recovery from prison but back into the criminal world. Then the rest of the album comes and it's tough lyrically. The flow is top tier.

This album is honestly mind-blowing. I’ve always loved rap, but the 90s weren’t my cup of tea — maybe because I grew up in Serbia during a time when NATO was bombing the country, and that era just felt heavy in a very different way. Still, listening to Ready to Die feels like stepping into the peak of hip-hop. Biggie isn’t just a name — he’s a legend who left an impossible footprint in only 24 years of life. What really strikes me is his presence. The way he breathes through verses, how the words roll off his tongue with perfect clarity — smooth, but sharp. Most fans would call him one of the greatest lyricists, and while “lyricist” can mean different things to different people, I think Biggie’s power was in how real he sounded. He wasn’t ahead of his time; he was right on time for the 90s, embodying the voice of that generation. But as an individual, he was an old soul — someone with weight and wisdom beyond his years. He had two kids, two women, a marriage, a reputation as a straight-A student, still fearful of his mom, yet carrying the complexity of an entire era. And then there’s the title: Ready to Die. His most iconic album, named almost prophetically, because he died so young. You can’t separate the music from the tragedy — it makes his legacy echo even louder. Biggie didn’t just shape 90s rap; he made it timeless, leaving behind something raw, human, and unforgettable.

Neat

I found this difficult to listen to at times. Too much mysogony for my liking. Although musically and the cadence of rapping was quality. Mixed thoughts about this so 3 stars.

Good authentic stories, but a little self-indulgent.

Not my personal taste but i like the mix of funk/disco backing added into certain tracks

The talent is evident, the flow and beats impeccable. Less enthused by the stereotypical 90s lyrics and skits, but still a good album.

Pretty good, but definitely feels dated now. Understood how this is foundational for a lot of rap that followed

Super Nintendo

Great

Not really my vibe, but I still enjoyed it a little. Some vocals were disturbing though, I really didn't need to hear a blowjob.

Not my favorite genre, but a good example of it

Good

I was quite excited to give this a spin again. Things done changed and Gimme the loot are absolutely superb. But man, the album is way too long and extremely, uncomfortably sexist. Tricky innit: a legendary flow and inimitable voice - but a lot of fairly wack productions and some very questionable material.

Had some trouble getting into this one and it's hard to pin down why. I'm hoping I can get another change with Biggie.

yet another iconic song that i was not ready to hear bc i never knew the name omg “i said a hip hop a hippy…” maybe that was just a sample lol… some cool flows and samples/interpolation, definitely feels like the blueprint for a lot of later hip hop really like The What ft. Method Man and Juicy Respect is good too Album is dragging a little for me. usually i like longer songs/albums but i feel like i’m reaching my limit for one sitting/hip hop album some VERY questionable (read: misogynistic) lyrics and some skits didn’t hit

I really enjoyed this album, but the skits brought the rating down by 1 star- they were gross and did not age well.

I can see this being more shocking for the time when it was released. Some of the transitions/interludes took me out of it, but I think they were added to make the tracks a story about life? Maybe it was a Diddy addition... I thought it was a decent old school rap album.

bla

Wayyyyy more sounds of sex than I expected. Great rap. Good beats, funny lyrics, really bigs himself up a lot. Lol, get it. Very good, except for the really specific sounds of sex. Felt a bit much. Yo but the track Suicidal Thoughts is really good. And Big Poppa is famous for a reason. Juicy is great, too.

Me gustó pero las letras mhhh mucho lo mismo, mucho putear, etc. Nota: 2.8

B I G

Mmmhmmm juice! 🧃 Me and my brother grew up listening to hiphop together, but I’ve always been more of a west coast girlie while he’s all about east coast rappers. Maybe I just can’t handle the cold?!

⭐️Juicy

Felt like a biography. Enjoyed a few of the songs. The intro was fun conceptually but not to listen to. The noises at the end of Respect were atrocious I hated that. Best song: Things Done Changed Notable(s): Me and My Bitch, Big Poppa

Amazing listen. Too much sex. To be played under very specific scenarios. 3/5

Pretty good, not my typical cup of tea but decent enough.

3 or maybe a 3.5? I already liked a lot of these before, but never listened all the way through. Not really a lyrical analyst kind of person so some of the stuff less tasteful stuff doesn’t bother me if the vibes are good enough. The last 4 or 5 really had me nodding my head.

Sick flow. Love the old school beats

I get it, I've just never vibed with it.

The record was surprisingly good!! While some of the interludes were ridiculously sexual and very uncomfortable, the rest of the songs held up very well. And I LOVE 90’s hip hop. This is a good record!

Not really my style; gunshots, babies crying, sex, etc. Important narratives on the state of society but wasn't especially enjoyable to listen to. It does include some iconic and great songs like Juicy and Big Poppa, which don't seem to align well with the rest of the album - which is perhaps why they're so great.

I can appreciate it, but this isn't really my kind of music

Cool

3 or maybe a 3.5? I already liked a lot of these before, but never listened all the way through. Not really a lyrical analyst kind of person so some of the stuff less tasteful stuff doesn’t bother me if the vibes are good enough. The last 4 or 5 really had me nodding my head.

Strange that other than the big hitters, uicy and Big poppa, this didn’t move me either way. A solid album but few highlights outside those two tracks. Largely forgettable and as a result slightly disappointing

Some classics on here, but in light of everything going on with Diddy...maybe we let this one go by the wayside.

Dug it. Like a holding area between music eras, little bit of 70’s rock melding with what would become 80’s mid.

God, this was tough because the music is easy to love, but its truly a horrific account of someone who has lost the ability to give a fuck. Especially on Suicidal Thoughts. Overall, im glad I listened all the way through and gave the album its deserved attention. That said, ill never look at this the same way again.

This album is so long, but I like Biggie's flow on most of the songs. The interludes, and some of the lyrics, are real gross though. And Diddy in the background casts a very unfortunate shadow over everything. However, Juicy and Big Poppa are still absolute bangers!

A good rap album that is very of its time. You can clearly tell where and when it was recorded.

Great songs / Bad album. The story skits & audible sex / blowjob were awful to listen to.

Great beats and lyricism but the sex skits ruined it for me, I simply do not want to listen to that

I enjoyed this both less and more than I thought I would. Interestingly just listened to the second half coming back from rhy Navy Yard of Brooklyn next to where Biggie grew up. Suicidal Thoughts was a really interesting, honest song to end on.

It's good, and some really great songs, but full album not for me

Elements of soul. Stereotypical gangster rap. A bit boring with every second word being motherf...er or bi..h. Extensive use of the n-word. Maybe inspiring for 90's rappers, but has not stood up as well over time. Will I give ut another listen? Not the whole record (1h 16min are too much for me), but maybe a couple of tracks.

Indulgent. In a word. Just my opinion, but there is a lot of fat that could be cut from this ambitious work. Front loaded excellence. The pacing and flow of the album starts off promising with the insane near perfect flow of Things Done Changed // Gimme The Loot // Machine Gun Funk (with its awesome LoTU sample). Sadly after this point much of the work's lyrical content becomes extremely repetitive in a way that dulls the album and drives home a handful of over-spoken points that are honestly just not that interesting to hear over and over again. These recurring lyrical themes—violence, hustling, paranoia—are quintessential 90s NY meditations, but they do repeat to the point of diminishing returns.The titular track is appropriate as I feel that it knows deep down what this album is trying to be - the epitome of the NY sound over a framework of west-coast influence which can be really interesting and delicately balanced at times, not so much at others Other highlights were 'Everyday Struggle' on which the snare-work is insane and 'Suicidal Thoughts' is a haunting and relentless finisher for this overindulgent and confused masterpiece. Cutting 30-40% of the tracks would create a more concise and meaningful work for me and raises an interesting "what if"—how would 'Ready to Die' feel as a 10 track, 40-minute LP? This would be my alternate running order: 1. Things Done Changed 2. Gimme The Loot 3. Machine Gun Funk 4. One More Chance 5. The What 6. Everyday Struggle 7. Respect 8. Unbelievable 9. Suicidal Thoughts 10. Who Shot Ya?

I don’t feel like I have the history or perspective enough to adequately review this album. I’m glad I listened.

Crispy Clean Beats. Flow always on Point. But for me it’s way to long.

Good Album , for the Rap Fans

Listened

A great album that unfortunately needs to be docked an entire point because of the annoying ass skits. Biggie may very well deservingly be one of the best rappers of all time, and when he's dropping bars on this album, they absolutely hit each and every time. However, there are a LOT of skits here, and after the first listen (Or in some instances, during the first listen, looking at you "Fuck Me (Interlude)"), I have to end up skipping them. This wouldn't be that big of an issue if they didn't have skits at the beginning and ending of some good songs as well. If you've heard the album, you'll know what I'm talking about, so I won't elaborate, because they all have to do with one of three things; Getting shot, shooting someone, or having sex with someone. Picking a favorite song is easy at least, it's "Big Poppa", an absolute classic. The other songs that aren't skits are all bangers as well, but every single last one of them is about the 3 aforementioned skits and are pretty hard to distinguish from each other. This is an album I kind of want to give a 5, but there's a LOT, and I mean a LOT of annoying shit here that as a whole, brings my actual enjoyment down to a 3.

nie moje klimaty

It's been a really long time since I first listened to Ready To Die, and I've been anxiously waiting for it to come up for me to review. Yesterday, I reviewed Liquid Swords, and today, I finally get The Notorious B.I.G. (still no 2Pac though). I remember being blown away by this album the first time I listened to it. It was one of the first rap albums I'd listened to from start to finish, and I remember being shocked by the sexual content in some of the skits. It's probably been about 16 years or so since then, so I'm really excited to fire this up today! I don't know if it's that I've been exposed to more hip-hop music over the last 16 years, or maybe being fresh off the heels of Liquid Swords, but listening to Ready To Die today did not live up to the expectations I had for it. Biggie still has one of the best voices in all of hip-hop, and his ability to spit rhymes is still incredibly impressive almost three decades after his death, but this was a bit of a chore to get through today. The biggest shock to my ears upon relistening to this album was just how bland I found most of the beats. Yes, "Juicy" and "Big Poppa" are great, but the rest of the album sounded pretty bland to me when it comes to the musical aspects. The album did get better as it went along, but after over half an hour of not being impressed, the last half of the album wasn’t enough to move it from good to great for me. As vulgar and crass as “One More Chance” is, I thought the lyrics were genius, and the rhyming and word play were outstanding. “I got the meanest, cleanest penis” is better than 75% of anything Shakespeare ever wrote. While we’re on the subject of the crude elements on this album, the blowjob foley work on “Fuck Me” was excellent. While this album wasn’t completely my jam, it still has some great songs, and it’s a showcase of some of the best rhyming and flow I’ve ever heard on a hip-hop album.

First off, fuck Puffy. If you can ignore the misogyny, this is very good. If you can’t, it’s still pretty good, but super uncomfortable.

Not bad for a rap album. I like the music and the rhythms. I would give it a higher rating if it was something I could play in public.

An undisputable classic of the genre. I listened to this album semi-ironically at uni and it definitely has some decent tunes. I think my tastes have changed with age and maybe also this type of toxic misogyny is now less entertaining and a bit of a relic. Still a couple of points that made me smile but actually found I was a bit tired of the hyper violent, hyper sexualised lyrics and repetitive beats by the end. One to relegated to the archive and not for active listening as far as I'm concerned.

intro- did not expect the intro to be a birth 💀 5 things done changed- 6 gimme the loot- 5 machine gun funk- 6 warning- 5 ready to die- 5 one more chance- 3 fuck me- racist dirty talk is crazy. 4 the what- 5 juicy- 5 or 6 everyday struggle- 6 me and my bitch- HUH? crazy bar big poppa- 7 respect- 7 friend of mine- 3 unbelievable- 5 suicidal thoughts- 8 who shot ya- 5 just playing- 3

Pretty great album. Ironic that he talked so much about being killed throughout the album. Fun listen, dragged a bit toward the end and had some... interesting sound scapes.

The beats sound good, relaxed and uses plenty of '70s samples. Probably my favourite part of this because I don't care for the lyrics, rap choruses and the uncomfortable interlude things. Biggie has as good flow though, Method Man sounded good too. Of course, they filled the CD with 17 songs.

3.5

Too long, too repetitive. 3 stars

I think this is a pretty good album. Biggie's flow is one of the best of all time, and the production is generally solid from Easy Mo Bee, Bluez Brothers, P. Diddy and others. I think what probably keeps it from a higher score is: 1) the skits/interludes are pretty terrible, and much like Eminem, I don't care for a lot of the lyrical content. But, still pretty enjoyable overall. 3.5 stars.

This was good. Some of the beats and lyrics were hard hitting and real in regards to how it was growing up for Biggy. I enjoyed it

As I make my way through this list I’m consistently proven right that hip hop just isn’t my thing. That being said there are some rhymes in this that are excellent. Witty and perfect. But as always it goes on far too long. The genre prefers beats over melodies and I’m just wired to enjoy the inverse. But I can’t deny the talent. 3/5

Hip-Hop isn't really my style, and this album doesn't change my opinion of it. It wasn't as bad as I had expected, but it still isn't my thing. I definitely could have gone without the slurpy blowjob in the middle of the album.

Fav song: Gimme the Loot I feel like Biggie deserved better than Diddy. I have never found his production interesting. This album is over long and to pack on an additional juvenile skits is baffling. And they have not aged well. I'm sure it was hilarious at 21y or 22y old but it's embarrassing now. Biggie was a clear talent. He deserved better.

17 songs, two topics. Rhymes are great though. Imagine what could have been if puffy didn’t kill him.

Never listened to Biggie Smalls, but I understand why he is one of the greats. I don't typically like rap, but this goes hard.

Great beats and funny lyrics (though the second might not be intentional).

I do like Big Poppa. 3.5 Stars

Sexnoises.mp3

Great rapping skills and production. The misogyny and skits make it so juvenile. Some songs were saved. But this is mostly not for me

glad bro was ready i wish he would stop playing audio of him getting his biggie wet.

Never actually listened to this album in full and there’s a lot of tracks I don’t know. Unfortunately not many are on the level of the hits off this album - and some follow the exact same themes of some of the others and it can get a bit same-y, especially the tracks towards the beginning of the album. Some questionable topics from today’s viewpoint and some of the seedier songs and skits feel even seedier now in retrospect. Some incredible rap flow from Biggie though and the lyrics and storytelling are amazing for the most part, as well as having a concept, that is mightily impressive for a debut album. The samples used are great too, Mtume, Diana King and Isaac Hayes to name a few. No doubt a huge album for the hip hop scene and warrants its inclusion on this list. I would’ve given this a 5 back in the day - now though i think it’s about a 3.5. I’ll probably mark it down as a 3 as I can’t see too many times when I would think its a good time to play this one in modern times, maybe through headphones down the gym, but I’ll probably just stick to the hits. Standout tracks; Things Done Changed Juicy (obviously) Big Poppa

Pretty good, not overhyped which is pretty impressive. Some of the interlude bits got a little annoying after a while though.

Solid album

Whew, this is a hard one for me. His relationship with Puff Daddy (who is currently in jail for allegedly raping women) plus the lyrics about raping women...it's always been hard for me to stomach. Even back in the 90's when the boys had this blaring out their windows in the suburban streets of Ohio. But beneath it all that there is a an artistry that is top notch, some great beats and poetic lyrics that expose the dark side of growing up in the projects of New York.

It's good, but most of it doesn't stick out to me. Top listen 'Gimme the Loot'.

cool

Rap isn’t my vibe but I liked this

Got some classics on here but not an album I would normally reach for

good album, not sure about repeatability for me

Very good, but I can't really do anything else while it's playing (as with most rap). The violence that turned me off back in high school is quite prominent, but his skill is undeniable.

Classic, iconic stuff. No one else was like Biggie. But, to be fair, I'm not a big gangster rap guy, and if I was, I'm more a Tupac guy - Despite B.I.G. reppin' BK. Sorry, folks! But I am giving it three stars for its undeniable quality, star power, and influence.

Ok I listened to it all. Not my fave album ever but it was interesting to listen to it all. Overall it was hard to work and listen bc I kept wanting to read the lyrics. Thought provoking, good beats. occasionally I can hear Puff Daddy's voice on it and I hate that lol

I am definitely Team Tupac in the Tupac vs. Biggie feud. The giving birth sketch is not a good start. Things Done Changed has a very chill beat. Machine Funk might be my favorite Notorious B.I.G. song now. Warning is a good song too. Maybe I never gave Biggie a fair shake. With everything going on right now with him, it's strange to hear Diddy's voice on the album. How many Diddy parties do you think Biggie went to and how much lube do you think he used? I think I just chose sides and never really listened to this album. The album cuts are better than the singles. Another simulated sex interlude on a rap album, so stupid, although I can get behind the Jodeci on in the background. Meth>Biggie Smalls. Juicy might be my problem with Notorious B.I.G. I think his album is better than his singles. And Puffy's voice in the background is really annoying. He's the worst hype man in the history of rap. This is a long album. Why is Puffy on every...single...song...doing nothing but saying "right" or "yeah"? This is the start of all these stupid producers saying their catch phrase on every song they produce. And now he's doing the intro sketches. It's so distracting it's hard to focus on anything else. The sample from Break Ups 2 Make Ups! The word bitch was thrown around a lot in the 90s....I never would have even thought about it until now. Big Poppa is the other hit and it is much better than Juicy, although another instance of Puffy inserting himself into the song ad nauseam. The 90s was also the era of the simulated blow job audio on rap albums...so stupid. The album tracks are getting worse...or maybe this album is just going on for too long. Too much Puffy, stupid skits, too long....I'm ready for this to be over. Obligatory simulated shooting...gangsta rap seems very dated. And he closes it out my name dropping famous women he wants to have sex with...this album got worse as it went along and definitely feels like it was of its time and place.

he died

I've never listened to much biggie. This is from a time in my life where I thought hip hop was shit. He's alright, though a lot of it didn't age well - like a lot of hip hop. The remastered version on spotify has all the tracks.

I’ll admit, some of the songs were really vibey and fun- However, and I sound like a conservative little bitch saying this, but I don’t particularly need porn in my ears when listening to my music- I can go elsewhere for that x

Vissa bra, kan tänka mig att höra mer

Ready to Die is a solid example of early '90s rap, and I get why it’s considered a classic. But personally, I’ve never been a huge Biggie fan. Some of the tracks hit hard, but the album as a whole just feels a little too long. The skits especially drag things down — they’re more distracting than entertaining. There are definitely some strong moments, but for me, it doesn’t quite live up to the hype from start to finish. Favorite song: Big Poppa