Ready to Die

Product Information

In these sessions, XXL magazine describe an "inexperienced, higher-pitched" Biggie sounding "hungry and paranoid". Overall, this package is complete: ridiculous beats, harmonizing honeys, ill sound effects, criminal scenarios, and familiar hooks". Coker stated " Ready to Die is the strongest solo rap debut since Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted.

It has been ranked by many critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. proclaiming that he stood out from other rappers because "his lyrics mix autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty, telling how he felt while making a living as a drug dealer". This x2LP re-issue featuring the iconic artwork of an infant bearing a resemblance to the rapper has been out of the marketplace for over a decade and also features all 19 tracks from the Ready to Die Sessions.

Ready to Die peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and was subject to widespread critical acclaim and soon a commercial success.

s lyrics on the album were generally praised by critics, with many praising his story-telling ability. Kilian Murphy from Stylus Magazine wrote favorably of the album in a retrospective review, and concluded "Sweet, hypocritical, sensitive, violent, depressed and jubilant; these words could all fittingly describe Big at various points on Ready to Die. The album contains a loose concept starting out with an intro that details his birth, his early childhood, his adolescence and his life at the point of the album's release.

Comprised of various labels we know and love at Rough Trade (Bella Union, ATO, Speedy Wunderground, Phantasy, Heavenly, Mute and more) PIAS [Recordings] filter through some of the most diverse artistry to our racks, which we greatly enjoy digging into.