Reviews (page 12 of 13)
This was a funny one to gather my thoughts around. Biggie has such a legacy and his skills are clear. Still felt kinda put off by quite a number of tracks and skits, and his reliance on discussing fairly misogynistic content. Great production from Diddy and some staples of classic hip hop, but I couldn’t help but feel a lot of the record was overshadowed by some bars that have not aged well - honestly it’s surprising this aspect would have been well received at the time. Maybe I’m missing something. Two and a half. Fave track: Juicy
The guy’s got great cadence with his rapping and some of the beats are good but it was a bit of a chore to get through. Plus can’t say I’m a fan of the glorification of violence and mysogeny
I like the soul samples
The beats and lyrical flow is good, but the lyrics are so abhorrent, I would never listen to this again.
Meh. As usual, quite cringey.
I’ve never listened to this style of rap before except for big poppa. Not sure what I was going into besides this being a classic I haven’t experienced yet. Some songs really didn’t do it for me but some did. Really surprised with the amount of sounds included.
Alongside other examples of the genre from the same time, this sounds like a parody - the music is repetitive and dull, the lyrics vacuous, and the posturing just designed to appeal to early teenage boys.. As things turned out, the ‘don’t give up the day job’ advice was unnecessary.
Like Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted it has fantastic beats but the lyrics are absolutely not to my taste.
2/5
There are times when all this is ok. It’s kinda typical of rap at the time and nothing really stands out that much. There are also times when it’s excruciatingly painful to get through and I chose to watch the time run down on the track… ‘Another 30 seconds still!?? Waaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!’
Waar was al die fuss over toen Biggie vermoord werd, als hij toch ready to die was? Ik ben overigens niet veel wijzer geworden van deze plaat.
Pretty quickly done with this, some "songs" bring down the whole. Which is a pity as there are some nice ones on it.
I didn't really like this. The songs felt too long and I kept looking thinking it was 5 minutes but it was like 3 minutes. Also, I don't really wanna listen to fake people fucking or getting head. Boring, overall. 2.49/5
Rhymes are really good and I'd give some individual songs higher ratings, but struggled to get through it because of the skits. A lot of the messages didn't age well but can't deny his talent.
Songs missing from Spotify, so only a partial listen. Too explicit for this old man. Biggie could rap though.
Je n'ai pas tellement aimé. Je n'ai pas trouvé ça mélodique, j'avais l'impression que tout était dans la voix et les textes, pas tellement dans les échantillons ni la musique. Les textes plutôt misogynes pour se donner du pouvoir, c'est moyen aussi.
I know Biggie was one of the most influential musicians of the 90s, but man, I really don't like his stuff.
I do find I need to be in a certain mood to listen to old hip hop so perhaps I’m not properly equipped to review this. Left no impact on me, I really do not think this genre warrants an hour and ten minute runtime especially with so little change to the beats. There are singles on this album that I enjoyed like gimme the loot and suicidal thoughts and I’m sure there’s a new appreciation from piercing together the song meanings as it appears to be a very personal record, but I just had no drive to look deeper into this album and found this a real chore to get through. I’ll say a 2 just because I reckon on a different day I would enjoy a lot more.
Ready To Die sadly lacks the deep cuts to justify being remembered as a classic hip hop record. It's pretty shocking that Rolling Stone has this as the number 1 hip hop album of all time. The inability to change subject matter, the awkward flows, the rhymes that occasionally verge on being nursery rhymes and the same damn tempo from tracks 2 to 9 that genuinely make me skip through each song all muddle up into what makes for a really tedious listen. The content of his songs are riddled in excessive violence, homophobia and misogyny. But that's not my issue with Ready to Die. My issue is that the tunes musically and lyrically don't justify the length of this record. An hour and 16 minutes of essentially the same themes being repeated over and over is a complete and utter waste of time. That said, the hits really hit, and completely carry this record to heights that it doesn't really warrant. 'Gimme The Loot', 'Juicy', 'Big Poppa' and 'Who Shot Ya' are era defining tracks of the genre, and are undeniably catchy. They also have the most melodic samples and offer much needed musical diversity in this 19 song track list. 'Suicidal Thoughts' however is the clear highlight of this record. It is a genuine self reflective and extremely dark song that doesn't hold back at all. The almost ad-lib like phone recordings of his friend talking creates this conversational structure that creates a narrative. His friends voice grows from being half-awake, to completely fearful and insistent, as Smalls' rapping continues past each plea to stop and remain calm. An incredible track that I'm glad reached mainstream success. It is still not a good listen overall. 19 tracks is simply too bloated. Every now and then some great tunes pop up that are instantly recognisable and really catchy, but that doesn't occur frequently enough to keep me engaged. I commend Smalls as being a necessary and genre-defining artist, but I don't think he really had the musical prowess to create a truly cohesive and consistent record. I only enjoyed 5 out of 19 tracks, so I can't give it much more than a 2.
This is the first time I've listened to Biggie, somehow it all passed me by. Now all things good and bad lead to the Fabs, somehow, somewhere. Listening to this my mind turned to Revolution No.9, that it is the first real sampling record and my mind turned to what would JL have thought of hip hop living in NY in the 80's. I'd think he and Yoko would have leapt right in. Anyway...number 9...motherfucker..number 9...cocksucker...number 9... Look, like Eminem I get what Biggie is coming from, which explains the hardcore themes and images, but unlike Mr Mathers a lot of these rhymes are kindergarten and silly, man if you going to use the phrase "clean penis" make it work ok motherfucker...cocksucker..? This is an entirely humourless record, its all about Biggie fool and not much reflection beyond that. Respect to Big Poppa though, me and the other 688,0000 likes. My biggest gripe though is the tempo. Please, please some variation in the tempo would go a long way, mate you've got the sampler at your finger tips and yet it's the same beat, I cracked by track 7. It is so constant in its pacing you could use the first half of this for one of those sleep tracks, like sounds from a British pub, it would be drifting off to the sounds of a motherfucker.
Never heard this as was fiercely resistant to this generation of hip hop in 1994. Opened my mind later but it does mean I don't have nostalgic memories of thinking this was the greatest record of all time or whatever, I didn't even know who he was when I heard he had been killed. I still can't imagine a time when I want to kick back and listen to someone rap about bitches and guns for over an hour, and however good this is for other stuff, that's what this mostly is. Stuff like Things Done Changed, Everyday Struggle and Juicy are best. But yeah the album feels like it goes on forever, and I don't have any residual fondness for tracks, so not for me.
I might be ready to die, but I sure wasn't ready to listen to this album.
Having heard a lot about The Notorious B.I.G. over the years, I figured I should listen to something from him at some point. Looks like I’m there today. I liked the way he opened the album at birth. Interesting concept. I can appreciate how real and raw this all feels. Uncomfortably so quite often - with some pretty explicit sex and misogyny that turned me off. Not something I expect I’ll ever revisit.
Don't get the love for this. It's all pretty basic gangsta rap, the skits are awful and the lyrics are often unpleasant and misogynistic. And there's nothing anywhere near as good as 'Mo Money.." though Big Poppa is grudgingly the best song.
rap classico, parla di clitoridi e che un suo amico è morto
actually worse than I expected there are more than one instances of gross sex noises a couple hits keeps this afloat 2.5
pallar inte snusk!!
Helt greit. Et par gode sanger.
This one was odd. A track would start, I'd be really digging it then by about the 3/4th mark I'd be bored of it. There was a lot i liked but everything just kinda seemed to overstay its welcome. Probably won't revisit but i can totally see why he was such a big deal in the 90s.
Most of my rap education has come via this project, so I'm pleased to be tackling this important album and listen to this pivotal artist. The cover art combined with the album title is ... distressing. Jumping right in: Things Done Changed is really strong, I like it a lot. Gimme the Loot is less interesting and Machine Gun Funk doesn't do it for me at all. Warning is impressive in its own way but I'm afraid I'm not the audience Biggie is speaking to. Just Playing definitely felt like a bridge too far. I guess I'm much closer to being the audience he is trying to offend then the people he is speaking to. I respect the accomplishment but only enjoyed a few tracks, namely Things Done Changed and One More Chance (because it made me laugh out loud).
Andrew W.K. did it better.
Great rap albums only need a handful of good songs; this falls short.
As per other rap albums previously reviewed, some interesting things going on with the music, some predictable things going on with the lyrics. This just does not appeal to me
I'll start with the positives. Some of the beats are epic, and there's no denying Biggie's vocal dexterity is impressive. However, I just can't get overly excited about and admittedly disadvantaged guy venomously spitting about gratuitous violence, avarice, misogyny and supposed sexual prowess. Glad I've listened to it as it probably is worthy of it's place on the list in terms of it's significance to the development of Rap and Hip-hop, but I won't be listening again. Honourable mention to the reference of pagers making this album somewhat of a time capsule, Biggie's demise coming many years before much more advanced communication technology, his deference to being paged is somewhat sweet if you can overlook all of that other stuff I mentioned.
Yeah nah
Some classic songs on there and nice beats throughout, but as a whole that album didn’t vibe with me. Sounds like Biggie had a lot to work through, but I can’t deal with all the misogyny and talk of murder.
Yeah nah, no thanks. Intro is a great start but it quickly degenerates and then just gets worse. The only highlight along the way was Juicy.
Didn’t like this as much as 2pac & public enemy, in terms of 90s rap
Not for me at all. Highlights: Juicy, Machine Gun Funk
Kolejny czarny album przekradl sie na liste, padlo na ready to die pana Biggiego, ktory jest jego studyjnym debiutem z 94, jest to plyta z zlotej ery czarnej gry i preludium do wielkiego beefu east vs west, jak zaczac to z przytupem, bo jest to potezny 69 minutowy krazek, przepakowany samplami dostarczonymi przez gorno juz w tamtym czasie uznanych producentow, zaczynajac od puffiego konczac na premierze, chociaz warto jeszcze wspomniec o panu easy mo bee, ktory sporo trakow wyprodukowal, pomimo tego ze jest to ultra gangstra hardkorowy material, to jednak sproo beatow ma w sobie funkowe brzmienie co jest zasluga samplowania, czego najlepszym przykladem jest juicy z probkowaniem juicy fruit, lirycznie notoryczny B.I.G jest okresalny jako geniusz opowiesci stapajacych twardo po ziemi, oczywiscie chodzi o gettowa ziemie, bo co jak co background do gloszenia czarnej ewangelii to mial, a dodatkowo otaczanie sie proroczymi wizjami wczesnego zgonowania, jak nawet glosza tytuly krazkow, tylko pomoglo stworzyc legende, jak przystalo na gangsta rap nie moglo zabraknac watkow wygodnego zycia pedzonego na sodomie, co slychac w roznych biczowych lirykach, czy nawet fukowych skitach, ktore nie wnosza nic poza yikesowaniem, ale jak teraz slucham calosci, to sporo trakow wydaje mi sie mocno srednia w porownaniu do tego co pamietam z biggiego jako klasyki, do plusow plyty mozna dodac skormna liczbe featurow, bo rappowo pojawia sie jedynie method man na the what, reszta to refrenowe wokale w klimatach rnb czy reggae jak na respect od pani diany king, wiec utwierdzilem sie w tym, ze nie jestem fanem albumow szerokiego pana, bo tak przyziemnie historie sa dobre dla ludzi ktorzy nimi zyja lub dla ignorantow ktorzy chcieliby nimi zyc, a czy sodoma i dazenie do kolejnych zer na koncie w celu poprawy swojego statusu spolecznego jest rozsadnym celem egzystencji, jeszcze zabawniej to brzmi w ustach kogos kto uwaza system w ktorym zyje za niesprawiedliwy i nieludzo go traktujacy, wiec bedzie gral wedlug jego zasad w celu wygrania jego gierki, bo jak inaczej nazwac szol biznes jakim jest rap w takim wydaniu, na plejke dobrzce wspomniany wczesniej trak juicy, bo najwieksze szlagiery juz wczesniej sie na niej znalazly
Um, so this album didn't really age too well. The lyricism is the problem, a lot of it didn't sit right with me. As for the skits... well, I think they weren't necessary at all. Big Poppa and Juicy are the only songs I like and will continue to listen to.
Not for me but actually fairly fun as it went on
I can hear that this holds together both as an album and a story, but I think I am a bit old for an hour and a quarter of wall-to-wall “guns and b*tches”. The backing generally flows well but I have to say I actually find ol’ Notorious’ voice a bit monotonous and emotionless after a while.
Not exactly Sunday morning listening, not exactly how I like my hop hop either. The Daisy Age this isn't. It's very tight and well crafted, but doesn't speak to me. The life story samples aren't worth a second listen. My ears pricked up with the MTME Juicy sample.
Me da pereza escuchar un disco entero. Alguna canción puede ser buena pero un disco entero es demasiado
An album stuck in 1 the 90's and seen as trashy now. You can see it's influence on modern hip hop.
Yeah, the rhymes may be great, but the beats are not doing any favours for me. I'm gonna have to go 2 or 3 tops - the skill and the flow push it towards 3, but the edgelordy skits and the repetitive beats, themes etc push it back down to two. I wanted to like it, I really did.
Already done this one: "Good rapping, not great subject matter, kinda dull beats, too much sex."
this album actually was like so weird it made me uncomfortable and it was strange like he has good beats but idk man
Excellent album to put on at family dinners. ... ok seriously for a minute putting aside the tough language (which for me does get distracting quickly...and then even more so) this is my first true foray into Biggie and it's pretty good - I love the production and heavy head-bobbing beats. As for Big's actual rapping I like it a lot - he's forceful, very rhythmic (which is definitely my preference). Super tragic, obviously; it would have been great to hear how he progressed because this as a debut was damn impressive. So it's tough for me to give this a good rating because...when I notice lyrics on an album it's usually for a bad reason. I noticed these lyrics. eh, not to be all pearl-clutching but ... they were a lot to take in the best of songs :D and at the worst they're just gross or even worse. The skits are stupid even by stupid standards and it all started to slide further about halfway through. So on a musical level it's definitely fantastic, and again - a damn shame he died early because if he had grown a little lyrically who knows how good he would have been but for this album I gotta think a lot of the praise is too damn apologetic - these lyrics are awful. Could recommend a few songs and again - the music is pretty great everywhere but it all gets dragged down by the misogyny and infantilism. 4/10 2 stars.
I do like some rap, and I do appreciate this, but it's just a little too crass for my everyday tastes.
whatevs
3/10. Ugh, this was so long and so samey and had a ninety-second interlude that was just sex noises. I could sort of see the appeal of it at times, but also it just wasn't for me.
No es mi genero claramente. En cualquier caso, no le pongo más por que no creo que me lo ponga más veces.
Some funny lyrics but all the skits and sound effects really annoy me
Really liked some of these songs but they were buried in so much unfunny bullshit. If I wanted to listen to unfunny bullshit I'd put Radio 4 on.
Simple effective production, and the rap was really easy to listen and flowed well. However the themes/message really didn't resonate with me. I much prefer the 90's hip hop by Guru, the native tongues, etc
Didn't really like this one that much, but can hear some very classic 90s hip-hop elements.
I probably need to revisit this on a different day because I struggled to get through this one. Music keeps this from being a 1, but I don't understand the critical acclaim for what's basically a one-note album filled with threats and gunshots.
First listen. Heard of him before, don't know the songs at all. 2/5. I like the sampling. Need time to know the songs. The language is a huge negative for me.
Good rapping, not great subject matter, kinda dull beats, too much sex.
2.0
BIG has flow. He voice and attitude are great. And though i'm generally okay with the gangster approach, i tired of the misogyny/bitch content quickly, and much of the album wasn't nearly as engaging as i had expected from this seminal release.
Ok rap not a big fan
Joopajoo. Äärimmäisen keskinkertaista ganstarappia muutamilla genrelle ominaisilla välioutouksilla varustettuna. Big Poppa oli ihan hyvä biisi.
Gangsta rap - pretty much what I expected
Some interesting raps but generally repetitive with foul language
This album is a lot to take in. A definitive album for it's time, but really heavy.
Obnoxious motherfucking skits
Meh
In Conclusione: In gran parte per me i problemi sono gli stessi del Wu-Tang anche se qui a tratti ha mantenuto più viva la mia attenzione perché ogni tanto i testi funzionano di più. Comunque continuo veramente a non capire il senso di questo genere, tanto più che Notorious BIG è considerato uno dei più grandi esponenti. Perché c'è sempre d'obbligo la canzone con l'audio del pompino? Sicuramente lui sarà stato il primo eh, però... Mi rimane la sensazione che di tutto quello di cui potrebbero parlare ora che so usciti dallo spaccio e dalla criminalità in gran parte scelgano sempre di parlare delle stesse cose codificate dal genere con qualche eccezione e infatti le eccezioni so sicuramente più interessanti. Poi sto fatto che si so probabilmente ammazzati per le faide aperte con le canzoni mi sembra un epilogo tragicomico. Insomma per carità rispetto la sua popolarità ma probabilmente non me lo risentirò mai.
Music and beats are good. Voice doesn't grate. Don't care much for content.
Met moeite geluisterd naar dit album. Absoluut niet mijn ding. Maar een nummer apart zou ik eventueel wel luisteren. Het volledige album is wat te veel
Rap
Too much sweary potty mouth.
Angry, angry young man...
A much more melodic and enjoyable listen than I'd expected. Point off for track 8, general misogyny and for trying to rhyme 'air' with 'player'.
fehlt ja einiges bei spotify, ordentlich frauenfeindlich auch. brrr.
Im oftmals hohlen Macker biz des hiphop geht’s nicht ohne sie: Frauen! Als Thema zum Abarbeiten würde hier 2/3 der Tracks jede Grundlage fehlen, im smoothen Refrain ihre sanften Vocals zum Polstern stumpfer Kanten, zuletzt in lobenswerten Collabos („Respect“). Eingedenk dessen und einem teils skizzenhaft-tapey Charakter des Werks: 1.6
Juicy, big poppa, once more Chance much de hip hop
Hip-hop soez.
2/10 Prescindible
Rap coñazo.
this one missed me. a couple of tracks were definitely worth another listen, but i kinda always felt like this particular slice of ny hip hop was just not for me. a whole lot of showboating, but the flow just wasn't there. maybe it was just how it was at the time, but in the end, i didn't love this one.
I don’t hate the music in this, but the content is not my favorite.
meh, I won't remember this album.
Certainly better than I expected. Though there's some decent stuff here, the album is massively let down by a) being way longer than it has any right to be b) a number of very poor songs that do nothing but pad the already excessive runtime c) why the fuck is there a song that's literally just sex noises
old school hiphop. not terrible but not my thing. lyrics might have been great but could not be bothered to actally listen to them
I get pretty tired of the theatrics and f-bombs dropping. Beats are pretty dope.
I don't really like rap, but I know this one is a classic. Still not a fan though.
Wie so oft bei hip hop: geeht so.
Not bad, not really for me. Interesting beats and lyrics. Maybe a bit too "Thug" for my mood
old rap . nothing note worthy .
I recognize that this album objectively pretty great, but it didn't really do it for me. It's not one I would listen to again by choice. 2 stars.
okay echt nice & chilled und sogar zum Arbeiten gut aaabeeeer: diese Sounds am Ende??! Bree das klingt total komisch und wenn jemand reinkommt würde er denken, ich A) spiele ein egoshoot Game B) schaue Pornos C) höre mir random Konversationen zum Spaß an
No es lo mío
Not my genre so hard to gauge but the overall beats, samples, and lyrics didn't really grab me.
If this is "Ready to Die" ... does that mean we made it to the end of the list?
I really can't get into rap. A shame because the rhythms and beats are so innovative. Just get shut off by the lyrics.
Not a fan
hmm
Not my cup of tea. Too sweary and crass.
Not my genre
Got through 3 tracks. Not for me.
Se un album inizia con un bambino che piange, riceve automaticamente una stella. I don't care
Call me culturally snob (although I listen to quite a lot of punk stuff) but I will never get this shit
Flows for sure, but the lyrics are appalling and repetitive.
rap? ... rap doorgespoeld ja...
If you, or a loved one is feeling suicidal, call the suicide hotline.
0.7/5 I've seen the biopic and that was ok but I don't like his music. I've never liked rap and this didn't do anything to change my mind.
The link is wrong. use this - https://open.spotify.com/album/2HTbQ0RHwukKVXAlTmCZP2?si=wvjD_G_wTJ-WxnLDKOV7KQ
this is not for me.
Even worse than Arrested Developement in terms of lyrics. What's up with all that *insert insult of your choice here, but make sure it hurts* making rap music? I know there are good rappers with good lyrics out there. Would give this dumb piece of an album -1001stars if I could.
I really didn't need to hear about how much sex this fat asshole was supposedly getting.
This is garbage
Bro, odio el rap. Es que no es mi movida, lo siento.
no me gusto nada
The music's not bad, but for lyrics I give it a zero. I really do not appreciate the misogyny in this kind of music.
No.
I think one of my least favorite things, musically, is the skits/interludes in the middle of an album. This timeframe saw this get used way too much if you ask me. At any rate, I've never been a biggie fan and this did nothing to change my mind. 3-4 minute skits, seriously? No thanks.
Live by the sword....
why did porn come on while i was studying japanese
This is not for me at all. Did not enjoy any of it.
Nope
Got halfway through before I couldn't take any more.
The closest I've come to a DNF. Terrible but I made it through
Terrible
No es mi onda
Not my thing, pero puedo entender por qué es bueno dentro del género.
Overrated
Why?
Nope
ew
I don’t love it, I don’t like how rappers talk about women Fav song: everyday struggle
Overall this album was long and the topic content repetitive. A product of its time that doesn't look as good in the light of the modern day. BIG had skill as a lyricist but like a chef that has only one really good dish a steady diet of the same thing doesn't taste nearly as good. Assuming the autobiography of the work no doubt he had it hard and made choices to get by. It doesn't strike me as strongly as other hip hop albums and won't likely ever revisit it.
overall rap sound may be bearable even quite enjoyable at times. There is some talent here but very clear glorification of tough guy gang robbery, violence, shooting, murder and offensive language is hard to swallow. If there is a positive message in there its buried in blood and bullets. I would not waste my time or money supporting this album. What is scary is all 5 star elevation it is recieving regardless. It does very little to boost my confidence in humanity. We need to rise above this mentality.
A lot of folks revere him, a lot hate him. I'm not interested.
I'm not a prude, but I don't think I really knew what "explicit" was before listening to this. Wow. There's a whole song about the size of his dick. A bunch of really explicit sex stuff. A bunch of drug selling stuff. The hit single is still good but more because of its like Isley Brothers sample and what they added to it that makes the original almost sound empty without it. I didn't enjoy this album.
Great rapper, no doubt. The lyrical content is explicit and usually violent and sexist and you might excuse that with the genre and a realistic image of the times and the scene he describes. What I really can't abide is "Just playing (Dreams)". That's absolutely disgusting misogyny and in no way excusable as being just a joke or whatever. F* this toxic sh*!
Yeah no. Its interesting, but... not of this time. Intro starts with a birth, then an argument, then a train robbery? What?
Legend. Or so they say. This was literally nothing but recorded sex acts, drug sales, and crime. Shorties and forties. This ain't even hardcore. No message, no flow. The album is a series of songs WITH THE EXACT SAME BEAT. Utterly disconnected from my reality. I'm glad that the fellows in UK who thought I needed to hear this before I die got me to listen. I won't waste my time on the next Biggie album.
I do think I need to be in a certain mood to listen to 90s hip hop so perhaps I’m not in the right mindset to review this. Left no impact on me, I really do not think this genre warrants an hour and ten minute runtime especially with so little change to the beats. It seems to me the biggest thing to gripe about is the skits, which for the most part fit the theme of the album. Usually when I don't like skits are when they’re needless sections between song. Most of them fit the theme of hyper violence and street life. But I’m glad I didn’t listen to this in a public space. Anyways, I’ll say a 1 just because on a different day I might enjoy a lot more. Did I need to hear this before I die? No
I know this is supposed to be a legend but these lyrics could come from a 13 year old hormone monster...damn stupid bitch hoe my big dick crap...
Ghetto rhymes. Live for the Funk? Hardly. Simple noise for simple minds. No thanks.
Yuck! Cannot tolerate the lyrics
Het is wel een prestatie om mij in de eerste 60 seconden te laten afhaken. Weer van dat doodsaaie, boze geouwehoer. Het leven is te kort om hier mijn humeur door te laten verpesten. En een kort leven, daar wist deze meneer dan helaas weer alles van.
I could not finish this album. Gun fire, pervasive n-word. I did not enjoy the underlying music like I did with dr. Dre one star
Five stars for artistic merit, minus four stars for Diddy.
Ready To Die (1994) ist das Debütalbum des US-amerikanischen Rappers The Notorious B.I.G. und gilt als prägend für den East Coast Hip-Hop und Hardcore Hip-Hop der 1990er Jahre. Die Aufnahmen entstanden 1993 und 1994 in den D&D Studios, The Hit Factory und Chung King Studios in New York City. Inhaltlich verbindet das Album autobiografische Elemente mit einer nüchternen, teils schonungslosen Darstellung des Lebens in Brooklyn. Die Produktionen setzen auf markante Beats und soulige Samples, ohne die erzählerische Stimme in den Hintergrund zu drängen. Zu den bekanntesten Songs zählen „Juicy“, „Big Poppa“, „One More Chance“ und „Gimme the Loot“. Sie zeigen sowohl die radiotaugliche Seite als auch die rohe Straßenperspektive des Albums. Für mich wirkt das Werk geschlossen und konsequent umgesetzt; es dokumentiert einen Wendepunkt im New Yorker Rap und besitzt bis heute Gewicht innerhalb seines Genres und es ist halt mal wieder Hip-Hop-Gedudel das nach einer gewissen Zeit den Puls in die Höhe treibt.
p743. 1994. 1 star. (C)rap. Sample "lyrics": motherfucker bitch nigga motherfucker dick fuck shit motherfucker bitch nigga fuck motherfucker nigga You, too, can be a best selling rap artist. Hard pass.
Musically, the production is top-notch and Biggie's flow is undeniable (great use of funk samples). 'Suicidal Thoughts' is the perfect example of what this album should have been: concise, atmospheric, with sound effects that actually serve a narrative purpose. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience is completely ruined by the unnecessary length and, above all, the trashy skits. The explicit sexual noises at the end of 'Respect' add absolutely nothing artistic; they are just gross and childish. You can be 'real' without being cheap. It could have been a solid 3 based on the beats alone, but those 'fillers' are a dealbreaker. 1/5.
boring and juvenile.
Vile.
Niet mijn ding
Could not finish it. Too vulgar.
nope
Awful gangsta rap
Not for me. I tried, but it’s relentlessly passing me by. 1
Was originally going to give this a 2 but after reflection overnight there really isn’t anything on this album that I’d want to listen to again.
there are maybe 2 or 3 songs on here that I’d actually listen to. I cannot stand Biggie for the very things he raps about. Be constantly objectifies women, only raps about shooting himself or other and adds unnecessary sex to his songs. Biggie is a predator who had sex with an underage Lil Kim’, cheated on his wife and was abusive. I cannot listen to a known predator rap about young girls being ho’s.
1/10 Gangsta rap. Don't like it
Yeah, this sucks.
More angry gangsta rap bravado. Bored after one song. I think rap albums need to be turned into drinking bingo. Mother F, N word, female dog, and assorted shooting phrases - gets you very drunk. Maybe you can then enjoy the music?
I have no further interest in listening to this again.
No mi estilo :P
One-dimensional misogynistic posturing, replete with obscenities. And musically, it's of no interest to me.
not for me
Every song is some combination of the following themes: drugs, guns, and sex. Very generic beat and awful vulgar lyrics. What a waste of an hour of my life. Can’t stand this style of rap.
Has some good musicality with the beats and melodies and (at times) lyricism - way too much of the album is just: 'i pull them bitches with mah big ol DICK'. Thoroughly unenjoyable excepting a handful of tracks
So apparently Biggie wasn't doing a skit and actually sexually assaulted a woman on tape and then put it in his album. That's neat. Overall, more listenable than Cee-lo in terms of pure musicality, but, like, ugh.
1. Big Poppa 2. Juicy 3. One More Chance I think the key thing to enjoying music is that you relate to it - this doesn’t have to me because you have experienced an identical thing. But, you need to be able to attach a memory, emotion or similar experience to music. I have nothing to attach to this, and so it’s not something I enjoy. That’s not to say it’s a bad album, however for rating purposes I rate based on how much I enjoyed listening and would be likely to listen again. I really did not enjoy listening to this. It’s angry and swears a lot and I have nothing to relate to it. Hence, this has 1 star.
I’ll never get that hour plus back. Tried, but just not my style of music.
This is awful. I don't like hip-hop, to start with. It gets very boring and, honestly, if the beats changed a bit or something... If the lyrics were a bit more interesting... But, instead, what you get are soulless songs with basic beats and insipid and stupid lyrics that rely on violence, curse, and sex just to be less... tasteless? Well, it gets even worse. It's not that I'm opposed to using violence or sex as topics, I don't get that offended, surely, but... those lyrics? I mean, there are things that should embarrass everyone. And, when it's about making something disruptive, there are ways and ways. And it's neither disruptive but a way to reinforce very odd and dated images. And the music, again, what's the point on a so long album if there is nothing interesting on here? Well, I guess the ego. Then, I'm sorry, you may be notorious, but not big, for sure.
The opening track hooked me in, but after that it got a tad samey...and the mysogyny just sealed this album's gate for me. No thank you.
This is not quite my jam.
Don't like rap.
No thanks
Not my kind of music. Probably a masterpiece.
A notoriously BIG waste of time.
I cannot deal with the misogyny.
This thing takes all of the elements of 90s rap, turns it up to 11, and concentrates into one hour plus long package. On the plus side, it's technically brilliant. On the other hand,it concentrates and amplifies the worst morally repugnant elements of it. And masterful skill to abominable ends does not make for great craft. (Plus there's the f-slur and you know my rule.)
not my thing 1/5
Ages terribly
Gave it a go, listened to about 5 tracks, needed to make a phone call, and now I can’t be arsed to go back. I think I got the gist. He can shoot people and rhyme about it. It’s probably a 2 because of the catchy-ish beats, but ultimately even they are basic and repetitive. Not in the mood for this today.
Where do I start with this review? Hell, I won't bother because quite frankly, the lyrics alone don't deserve any further airtime. Lazy, boring, misogynistic, tripe. It's a waste of a single star
Not into gansta rap I'm afraid, so did absolutely nothing for me.
1001 Albums to listen to before you die, if I get many more like this death won’t come quickly enough. Absolute shite.
No.
Sadly Biggie was taken from us in 1997, just a couple of years earlier and he wouldn't have been able to inflict this vile nonsense on the music world.
I dunno will I ever like this kind of thing.
Yeah... this isn't for me. It's.. kinda gross. So... ... .. no. The longer it goes on the more I hate it.
I paused listening to the album between errands and couldn’t find myself to come back afterwards
N.O.P.E.
not for me
I remember now why I never got into gangsta rap. Too many guns, bitches, casual homophobia drops, etc. Not for me. Can't separate the beats and rhymes from the content.
I had never listened to this before, and I think the only song I knew going in was Juicy. This gets constantly referenced as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time though, so I guess it's finally time to see what the fuss is about. Overall, if I could just rate this on production and rapping skills, this would probably be a 5. I really like some of the songs, mainly Juicy and some of the storytelling ones near the beginning, but wow so many of these lyrics are just gross. Casual homophobia, misogyny, and passing references to domestic abuse being presented as ok. Don't even get me started on the porn sketches (the blow job one at the end of Respect completely ruins an otherwise great song). I couldn't listen to this album on anything other than headphones without being horrifically embarrassed, and I proudly listen to a lot of weird stuff on my stereo and in the car. I much prefer Illmatic, which came out around the same time, and deals with a lot of similar themes, without being absolutely disgusting in the delivery.
I did not enjoy this record, pretty much at all. The only true redeeming quality is Biggie's flow, and thats only if you don't really pay attention to what he's rapping about. Gangster rap is a product of its time, and unfortunately, I don't think it holds up at all. I couldn't imagine pulling this out at a social function and trying to convince my friends and family that the sex noises at the end of "Respect" are actually some deep introspective look at gangster culture. Its just a fat man getting some sloppy toppy from a prostitute. 1/5.
Another confirmation I'm not into classic hiphop
One of the few albums I didn't force myself to listen to every track. I try not to consider myself a prude or a puritan, but I can not handle lyrics this explicit
Déjà vu... or I suppose in this case, déjà entendu... Here we have yet ANOTHER debut rap album that runs too long and is littered with superfluous skits. Could someone please explain the obsession with this formula? And the obsession with avocado appliances in the 70s? I've never understood that one, either. I don't want to fail this, but I'm struggling to find a reason not to... I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't listen to it again, it's too long, the skits are an unnecessary distraction, the lyrics are one-dimensional (and base)... Biggie may have flow; it's just too bad he couldn't use his talent for something more... wholesome.
*No music on this album. Merely RAP and foul language
Nisam mogla slušati ovo, jbg. 1/5, 1/10
So it seems now I have become my parent. Just as my parents could not understand my rock and roll, I don’t get this music. While some of the messaging may be the same as it relates to sex and drugs, my music was a bit more discreet on the topics. The huge disconnect for me though is the obscene glorification of violence and the degradation of women. I get it, it’s real and raw, but that doesn’t make it acceptable. Sorry.
Nope, couldn't get through it. I don't think I'll ever enjoy this genre of music.
American dog shit!!!!
I turned it on. Skipped through it. Its as bad now as before. Turned it off
I couldn't listen to all that. I listened to the first song but that was all I could take
Not my bag at all, tried listening to it, but rap and opera are the only two genres I struggle with. It’s a no star for me.
So passé. Why are we still idolizing people like him?
Nop, odeio isto. Next
Pucha, íbamos bien igual al principio, luego escuché las letras, los gemidos, los tracks de transición entre canciones y luego ya no pude más. Meh.
Just could not get into it. Some cool music and beats but lyrically ugh
Too long … and really not my thing.
Silleen musiikillisesti olo yllättävän monipuolista ja vaihtelevaa mutta sanotukset oli aivan kauheita. Ja miksi yhtäkkiä jotain seksiääniä😥 En nyt muutenkaan vibaillu tätä.
Gangsta-rap. På en mandag. Suk.
ew
Not my thing
Can't really listed to this after the P Diddy diddling revelations
yeah another hip-hop album that’s not really my thing
Jeez, this album is a struggle on every level!
Not my kind of music.
I hated it.
1 - Porquería total
Nem pensar!!!!
I mean I think it's just not for me, but trying to listen objectively. Couple songs with good rhythm and melodies, some good bass lines. I liked Juicy, Big Poppa, and Respect. But overall, I was just bored for most of this album. I am definitely not a fan of all the random conversations and sex sounds? mixed in throughout the album. Not everything is for everyone and that's okay, this album just wasn't for me.
Not really my thing, but gave it a try anyway.
1.5
Just way too foul for my taste
Biggie was a skilled rapper in terms of how he flowed and put together rhymes, but his vocabulary was apparently limited to profanities, epithets, and guns. Every song is about killing, stealing, or pimping, and without anything else on his mind, and no particularly great beats or hooks outside of maybe “Juicy”, over an hour of this is enough to drive me up the wall. And it ends with the rapper fictionally killing himself. I liked the movie-like progression of the album sequencing but otherwise, this was a tough, tough listen. Plus, the P. Diddy of it all makes it really hard to go back to this. I tried, I really did, but this was simply NOT for me.
Monotonous and low minded
1 ⭐️. Not my style. Too dirty.
This music hates me for being female.
Not a fan
This album reminds me why I hate rap music.
Oldschool Rap. Didn't hit my taste though.
Inspirationsloses Gestammel ohne musikalischen Wert.
100% not my genre. Too me “me me me me me”
A few fun songs, not for me.
I understand why this is on the list since it represents Gansta Rap. But this is not for me. Same tempo to each song, same drum track, lyrics are either about killing with guns or victimizing women.
No va
This album wasn't for me. I'm sure there was a better context for listening to it but none of the tracks really stood out to me.
Not my favorite type of music
I mean ... The intro was hard to get through.
I don't see what's supposed to be so valuable about this. from the intro, I though it might be an interesting concept album but it really isn't. it's just like every other gangsta rap album out there, bragging about the loot, fucking bitches, and dropping motherfuckers. the beats are boring too. the flow is ok, but overall, nah
Not my cup of tea but I did listen throughout!
More aggressive obscenity laced rap, I miss the point, not a thing of beauty.
No, musically, it works sometimes but some of the lyrics are just unacceptable... Won't come back here...
Couldn’t get through the first song. Repetition expletives.
Misogynistic, juvenile, and a slog to sit through. And, of course, there is Diddy. Fuck that guy!
Заслуженный 1 из 10 за антикультурную недо музыку.
No thank you.
Of course ‘Ready to Die’ is a fatalistic title for a pantomime tough man performance, but I was struck by how pinched and unhealthy Mr Smalls’ voice is. He raps at the top of his register, through what sounds like a narrow windpipe, with a desperate little gasp for air between every line. He does sound like he’s ready to die. And there’s the faint gurgle of saliva, somewhere between a death rattle and vestigial lisp. If his flow is preternaturally good, as I read it is - GOAT standard - I’m completely lost. His voice isn’t pleasant to listen to, his delivery isn’t clear - neither is a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan patter, for that matter, so it’s not about genre particularly or vernacular; it’s just hard to clatter out a bunch of words and be heard. You really have to enunciate. What I did hear were the obvious clangers: birthdays were the worst days; the bizarre stresses of Genesis in Juicy; the convoluted “cancer in the breast” instead of breast cancer. Their clumsiness makes them standout of course and I’m sure the things I couldn’t decipher were top class. “I’ve been robbing since the slave ships” was pretty funny actually. I liked that he was born to the sound of Superfly, but the rest of the skits are unpleasant and there’s a low-volume babble panned to the side of each track. I think it’s Diddy. Even if Diddy wasn’t a monster, his artless slabbering does nothing to help. 1 We are less than a hundred albums in and we have done at least half a dozen rap albums and I have run out of ways to express my puzzlement that a large number of people in western society regard two bars of elevator music on a loop with someone talking over the top to be the music that they prefer. Here is, apparently, the greatest rapper there has ever been. Really? Is the trip in this sticky little elevator really better than, or even much distinct from, Eminem’s or 50 cent’s? This is sad. None of the aficionados of this genre come here for musical edification; no one really wants to hear those two bars over and over again. They pretend there is a substantive technical element called ‘flow’ that dresses up rapping as if it is akin to the way Hendrix plays the guitar or the way Stravinsky uses woodwinds. It’s all bullshit. What they show up to hear is the bubbling of the open sewer of some poor creature’s mind. They won’t have been disappointed with ‘Ready to Die’. This bubbles horribly for over an hour. 0/5
One 1 star because no stars is not an option. Makes Mariah’s album look like a 5!
Tried, failed. Couldn't listen to it
Toliko monotono da sam zaboravila da slušam album u nekoliko navrata. Očekivala sam više. Ovo je baš loše.
Sorry, I Just don't see the appeal
I genuinely, sincerely cannot tolerate the hip hop genre: I am not a racist, nor am I a music snob. In all honesty, the album is so absurd I cannot listen to it without shaking my head and scowling ("You look so good / I'll suck on your daddy's dick"). However, as a women, I find the misogynist lyrics incredibly nauseating (i.e. "Me and My Bitch"), and I'm surprised my generation bops their head up-and-down albums that glorify sexual violence. I love provocative music but I'm going to have to draw the line at Big Black's "Songs About Fucking" 😛 Oh, and, there are more slurs in the album than times Steven Patrick Morrissey made the headlines for something controversial he said.
distracting noise
Most of this was just uncomfortable to listen to.
Puerile. Utterly crap.
I didn’t like this album. Some of the “sound effects” were a bit much 1001 album worthy: no - 64/120
Just NO
I managed 1/2 a song. I certainly have been known to swear, but, wow...
I'm just not a fan of Gangsta Rap. It felt like a regressive step after the big hiphop acts of the 80s/early 90s. You can hear he is incredibly smart with words but the subject matter gets old quickly. I don't think the production is up to much either.
Uneventful HipHop.
Disgusting lyrics
Nope, just no.
Not a fan. Very 90's, very gangsta and very misogynist. The beats are general, the album doesn't have much musical aspects outside plain hip-hop stylings and Biggies style of _spittin' verses_ is not something l like. The verses are fine, albeit with a very narrow set of subjects they cover (violence, misogyny, ego tripping). Too much focus on the rapping and verses, which don't carry, while the backing stuff is too monotonous and uninteresting to keep the momentum going.
Not really my thing compounded with some of the album tracks not available on Spotify. The F*** Me (Interlude) was disturbing to me.
This one’s tough. While I really enjoyed some of the music and samples on the album, the lyrics are just dreadful — misogynistic, violent, and ultimately pointless. It makes for a difficult listen. The intro is a perfect example: the samples and musical flow are impressive, but the lyrics completely ruin it. Honestly, I’m not sure this album should even be played anymore. This is the easiest 1/5 I’ve ever given. There really should be an option to give no score at all. Favourite song: Juicy is a great track. Things Done Changed was okay — but even then, it’s about robbery, violence, and identifying a body. Lovely stuff. Out of 19 tracks, only two are really worth a listen. Least favourite: Fuck Me is particularly awful. Album artwork: He was innocent once!!
Decided to just skip a track at the first mention of "Mutha F'er". Album probably lasted <20mins! I know I'm not the target audience for this, but even at that, this is just utter dross!
Из-за подобного люди и не любят ганста рэп, я в том числе
I didn't enjoy this at all. I can't pretend to relate. Horribly depressing.
From the start rap was competitive, bigging up as the best on the mic, just as reggae DJs and sound systems competed. But that was focussed on the music. Somehow the competiton, arrogance and egos turned to misogyny and gang culture. It all went wrong and ended up with stuff like this. If his aim was to reinforce negative stereotypes he succeeded. Maybe this was just aiming to reflect reality while making money, and maybe it did, but did it do anything to improve things? Or did it just glorify terrible attitudes and lifestyles, and perpetuate a bad situation? He died but does that give this any more value or significance? I think not.
I don’t think I’ve ever related to music less.
It's hard for me not to judge the lifestyle that these lyrics represent. In all cases I try hard to empathize with people born into different circumstances than me but I'm so "anti-" almost everything being espoused here that it makes me ill. It's bad enough that someone feels this is the life they have to live, but other people who DON'T live that life who CELEBRATE it are even worse, almost. I frankly don't CARE about your "flow" if you're so psychically messed up that "Because the nigga play pussy, that's the nigga that's getting screwed / And bruised up from the pistol whipping" is the way you think the world is supposed to be. Today almost half of black children in the US live without their father. Is that something to be proud of? What kind of a legacy is Biggie leaving behind him, what good did he do on this earth? He had "techniques dripping out his butt cheeks" and now he's dead. You're still alive. How cool are you now?
Just reading previous reviews was enough for me and I didn’t listen to one track. I find this stuff totally obnoxious and I don’t even want one second of this crap polluting my home. This isn’t music but one man’s putile attempt at using the music industry to glorify all that’s wrong with the world and promoting it so that others follow in his footsteps regardless of the fact that he paid the ultimate price for living in his grimy rancid world. 0/5 24/2/25
Not enjoyable
I've listened to this album before. And I don't like it anymore now than I did the first time I tried to listen to it. I just don't enjoy any part of it and found myself reaching for the skip button entirely too often.
Inte nog med att det är dåligt, han var ju ful också. Det är ju jävligt tufft att blanda pistolskott och porrfilmstön i låtarna. Eller inte....
Despite the irony of this being his last album before he died, I just can't figure out how it is here on this list. It took me 3 drives home from work to finally finish it, and each tim I thought "well I probably am just going to skip the rest" I really wanted to like this a bit more. Usually fat guys are a little more light hearted and fun, but this was pretty gross, disrespectful and violent. Crime isn't cool. Murder isn't cool. Cheating isn't cool. Biggie is a terrible role model and I can't think of anything good that came from this album. There were a couple funny rhymes like " life token" and some interesting background sound effects, but my ADHD just was over stimulated by the wind chimes and keeping an ear open for rhymes. I have a similar problem with Ice Cube in that there is only so far one can go with violence before you have to call bullshit or else they'd be in jail. Maybe the fantasy/fiction is more understood by others, but I am under the impression that authenticity is implied for there to be any 'cred' or 'rep' from artists work. I didn't quite finish the whole thing, Suicidal thoughts was the last straw. Favorite track? "Juicy" I guess.... 1/5
I have tried repeatedly over the past thirty years to get into this genre of rap, but I still find it more akin to poetry than music. While this album has some very interesting bed tracks, the repetitive subject matter that feels so relentlessly negative and frankly, cliched. I respect the effort, but I would not listen to this at home or in my car.
Hip hop again. I always thought this was about music and not lifestyle. As usual, I played a few tracks from the album, found them immediately off-putting or boring and chose the next one. Then I followed the crowd and listened to Big Poppa or watched the video. Is this the representation of a certain kind of big city life? Clubs, (white) wine, gambling (at best :-)), money, pretty girls? The sound was quite cool, but very repetitive. No, I can't do anything with this genre. 1/5
Gave up halfwqay through and went back to Fatboy Slim! Traditional rap really isn't for me.
Dragged out a lot. Wasn't super engaging to me.
First album I couldn't bring myself to finish. Just really not my thing. The interludes consisting of weird noises was also uncomfortable.
No thanks.
Misogynistic
Not for me
Album 636 of 1001 The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die (1994) Rating : 1 / 5 No offense to anybody who enjoys this album but my IQ feels like it drops by half while listening to this crap. It is sad that it ever shared space on a shelf with real music. No surprise somebody took him at his word.
Shite
Неприятная рэпчина
THEY'RE COMING THEY'RE COMING THEY'RE COMING RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN
I can’t listen to music filled with “N” words
More trash. When so call singers have to use swear words every second words, you know it's absolute garbage.
You know, I really just don't need sex audio interspersed throughout the album I'm listening to. Really don't.
It's a "no" from me on this one. Musically, it's pretty good, but nothing in the lyrics here appeals to me.
1/5
Not for me
I can't listen to this shit