Notorious BIG ‘Ready to Die’ 25th Aniversary
Release date: 13th September 1994
Label: Bad Boy
Producers: Bluez Brothers, Puff Daddy, DJ Premier, Easy Mo Bee, Rashad Smith, Lord Finesse, Poke, Darnell Scott, Chucky Thompson
Profile (courtesy of Wikipedia):
“Ready to Die is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy and Arista Records. The album features production by Bad Boy founder Sean “Puffy” Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper’s experiences as a young criminal, and was the only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second album Life After Death in 1997.
Ready to Die was released to critical acclaim and became a commercial success, achieving Gold certification. In 1995, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has since reached a certified 6x platinum with sales. It was significant for revitalizing the East Coast hip hop scene, amid West Coast hip hop’s commercial dominance. The album’s second single “Big Poppa” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Ready to Die has been regarded by many critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums, as well as one of the best albums of all time.”
Additional info:
- Listen to Chris Read’s 20th Anniversary Mixtape.
- The album comes in at #2 on Ego Trip’s Top 25 Rap Albums of 1994.
- The singles ‘Juicy / Unbelievable’ comes in at #4 on Ego Trip’s Top 40 Rap Singles of 1994.
- The track ‘Machine Gun Funk (DJ Premier Remix)’ appears on our Classic Material 1994 Mixtape.
- Listen to samples used in the making of the album on WhoSampled.
Purchase: Discogs