Ready to Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
1994
Ready to Die is less a scene-by-scene retelling of Biggie’s life and more of a crystal-clear explanation of why an album that begins with his birth bears such a depressing title. If you don’t believe him at the start, you sure will by the end.
Ready to Die’s intro serves as a brief summary of Biggie Small’s journey up until the recording of the project. Biggie draws a fine line between music and reality, as most of this intro is based on true events.
In the final track off of The Notorious B.I.G.’s classic debut album, Biggie calls up Puff Daddy in the middle of the night to explain that he’s about to commit suicide. In one, long verse, he describes how he feels unloved and expresses guilt for all the crimes he’s committed, while Puff tries to talk him out of killing himself in the song’s ad-libs.
B.I.G. also says later that Ready To Die means putting his old life behind him … and that Life After Death means his new life of success after his life of struggle.
Stand-Out Tracks
Gimme the Loot
Everyday Struggle
Juicy
Big Poppa
