Biggie Smalls Is the Illest

Can you remember the first album that you listened to that made you a fan of a certain genre of music? Like the first time you listened to Sgt. Pepper's or Nevermind and understanding that this was the type of music that would follow you for the rest of your life. I had listened to plenty of rap songs when I was in high school and I thought they were cool enough, but the first rap album I ever truly listened to made me understand the awesomeness that was hip hop.



Ready To Die was the first real hip hop album I had ever listened to and I was instantly sucked in. People talk all the time about the best debut albums and I think that Ready To Die should be mentioned more in the conversation. From start to finish Ready To Die takes you on a hip hop journey that holds your speakers hostage for over an hour. It was enough to make me understand that there was more to rap then just listening to songs, that the albums could totally rock.

I like that Ready To Die is the title track of the album but it's song six. It probably sounds kind of silly but I hate when the title track is the first song on the album. I'm not really sure how to explain I just feel that we should work our way to the song that was the basis of the album. Don't just hand it out at the start. Let's build up to it so when it does play it packs the impact that it deserves. The listener should be like "damn this song is totally worth naming the album after".

Biggie's slow, deliberate delivery here is excellent. Each phrase, each word just rolls through you speaker and into your ears. There's a fierceness to the way he rapped and the stories that he told that just captivates you. Biggie is one of best story tellers in hip hop and when I'm listening I'm instantly pulled into his world. It doesn't sound ridiculous or forced (like some of 50 cent's stuff), it's authentic and real. It almost makes me want to have grown up on the street... almost.

Listening to Ready To Die (the song not the entire album- I was too busy listening to O.A.R.'s King all day) brought me back to high school. I kept thinking about track meets and listening to rap mixes on my walkmen to get myself pumped up for the race. Yes I said walkmen. What was better than making a mix tape? That's right... nothing.

Favorite Line From Song: I got techniques drippin out my buttcheeks/Sleep on my stomach so I don't fuck up my sheets (awesomely hysterical)