Monday, March 5, 2012

Ready to Die (Bad Boy, 1994) by The Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie Smalls is still the illest.  The introduction on this album is the best intro ever, and the first time I listened to "Gimme the Loot" I thought it was two different emcees.  His flow on Ready to Die is absolutely ridiculous and the beats perfectly accentuate his grim lyrics.  Culturally, this album, along with Illmatic and Enter the Wu-Tang, helps shift attention back to New York hip-hop after years of West Coast dominance.  And even though Biggie is not the first emcee to die at the end of their album (see Scarface's debut), "Suicidal Thoughts" is the first time that I hear someone take his or her own life.


No comments:

Post a Comment