Customer Reviews

The Notorious BIG: Ready to Die: The Remaster CD and DVD

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Ready To Die" is arguably one of the hottest debuts in hip-hop history. You can argue whether it is better than "Doggystyle", "Illmatic", or the select few other solo debuts to make such a list but there is no arguing its influence on the rap game. With that being known, it's not much of a surprise that P. Diddy and his Bad Boy label decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the album by re-releasing it in all its glory with a remastered sound, two bonus songs, and a DVD of its hit videos.

"Ready To Die" sounds better than ever. All the hits are here still, from "Big Poppa" to "Juicy". And for those who might be wondering, the controversial "blow up like the World Trade" line that has been edited on the radio since the 9/11 attacks stays intact on "Juicy". Big's influence on the modern MC is noticeable in nearly every line he drops (and there are some hot ones). His superb duet with Method Man, "The What", which has never gotten as much love as it should, really showcases the two soon to be superstars when they were at their most powerful. Biggie touches many different subjects with "Ready" as he is able to swing back and forth from hustling ("Gimme The Loot") to steady-mackin' ("Me & My B*tch", "One More Chance") and still speak on his paranoia of death ("Ready To Die", "Suicidal Thoughts").

"Ready To Die" was a classic album. It's been one for ten years and will continue to be one so the addition of new material really shouldn't hurt it, right? My only problem is including two new songs at the end does somewhat change the format of the album. The first bonus song, "Who Shot Ya?" was already included on Big's poorly-organized posthumous LP, "Born Again". A better choice could have been the remix to "One More Chance". The second added track, "Dreams" works because unlike the previous one it has never been comercially released. The DVD that comes included with this re-issue features four music videos of the singles from the album and some bonus camcorder footage of Biggie performing "Unbelievable" at a concert in Atlanta. If for some reason, you still don't own "Ready To Die", this is as good a reason as any to go pick it up.

I just have to commend the team who actually worked on getting the release for te fans. It's a perfect element to any hip hop follower. The quality on this new release of ready to die is uncany and the DVD make it even better as a bonus. The videos add to the perfection that this modern day street poet gave to the hip hop world. Rest in peace to the greatest MC to do it in such a short time, The Notorious B.I.G.

In my opinion, Ready To Die was the greatest rap album of all time. Maybe it's because i'm a huge Biggie fan, but I favor this over Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Illmatic, and all of the other all time great CDs. If you don't have Ready To Die, then GET THE RE-RELEASE! It's remastered, and includes the classic Who Shot Ya, and Just Playin (Dreams).It also comes with a DVD featuring the music videos from Ready To Die. PICK THIS UP!

1.Intro
2.Things Done Changed-produced by Darnell Scott-5/5-Great production. Definately an impressive song to start off the album. (Samples Dr. Dre-Lil Ghetto Boy)
3.Gimme The Loot-produced by Easy Mo Bee-6/5-Either this, or Slick Rick's Children's Story are my favorite songs of all time. The great production doesn't even matter in this song, because of Biggie's tremendous duel-role playing and storytelling skills shown in this song. Perfect song...
4.Machine Gun Funk-produced by Easy Mo Bee-5/5-Another classic song. Big chose this as the first single, but Puffy thought that it would be a better idea to put out Juicy. More nice production and Biggie's flow is just amazing. (Samples Lords Of The Underground-Chief Rocka)
5.Warning-produced by Easy Mo Bee-5/5-Big keeps coming with the classics, and probably my favorite video of all time. Big's storytelling on this one goes perfect with this beat.
6.Ready To Die-produced by Easy Mo Bee-5/5-Easy Mo Bee's run of 4 amazingly produced songs ends here. Biggie shows off some of his lyrical ability here.
7.One More Chance-produced by Norman & Digga/Bluez Brothers, Carl "Chucky" Thompson & P. Diddy-5/5-Classic, and named one of XXL's 69 most Freek-A-Leekiest songs of all time for a reason. Personally I like the remix better, but still a great song.
8.#!*@ Me-Interlude (Yeah, thats Lil Kim)
9.The What ft. Method Man-produced by Easy Mo Bee-5/5-The only guest apperance on the album is a well-worthy one. Meth and Biggie feed off of eachother perfectly.
10.Juicy-produced by Jean "Poke" Oliver & P. Diddy-5/5-Biggie's first ever single, and most people would agree it's one of the best songs of all time.
11.Everyday Struggles-produced by Norman & Digga/Bluez Brothers-5/5-I love this song, some of the best production I've ever heard and Big's verses are just amazing (its extremely hard to believe that he didn't write his verses, but just recorded them off the top of the head)
12.Me & My B*tch-produced by Norman & Digga/Bluez Brothers, Carl "Chucky" Thompson & P. Diddy-5/5-A little bit of a darker feel (production-wise, and Biggie's verses) but a great song anyway
13.Big Poppa-produced by Carl "Chucky" Thompson & P. Diddy-5/5-Classic song, and feels kind of out of place on this album, but Puff had to find a way to have Biggie appeal to the mainstream.
14.Respect-produced by Jean "Poke" Oliver & P. Diddy-5/5-I have no idea who that is on the chorus, but the Reggae feel goes great with the beat and Biggie drops a life-story type song
15.Friend Of Mine-produced by Easy Mo Bee-5/5-The worst track lyrically on the album, and I was going to give it a 4.5, but I realized that I would give it a 5 if it was on any other album
16.Unbelievable-produced by DJ Premier-5/5-Once again, another classic. This song is truly Unbelievable, just like every time Primo and Biggie got together (Samples R. Kelly-Your Body's Callin)
17.Suicidal Thoughts-produced by Lord Finesse-5/5-This song is genius. A very dark feel (see the title), and is a perfect closing track to a perfect CD, but there are....

Bonus Tracks
18.Who Shot Ya-produced by Nasheim Myrick & P. Diddy-5/5-As if this album needed more amazing songs. Definately a classic, and started the infamous 2Pac-Biggie beef. This song was obviously not directed to Pac, as most people except for ignorant 2Pac fans know. If you have the original version, then at least download this song if you dont have it.
19.Just Playing (Dreams)-produced by Rashaad Smith-4.5/5-This song was going to be on the original Ready To Die, but it mentioned artists on the label, and the label didnt think it should be released. If you havent heard this song, the chorus (Dreeeaaams, of f***in an R&B b*tch) might help you figure out why they left it off

Also, check out Biggie's biography, Unbelievable by Cheo Hodari Coker, which i would reccomend to any Biggie fans

Biggie truly put Puffy on the Map&bad Boy Records make no mistake about it you just feel Biggies pressence&vibe. now aside from a couple of tracks there isn't really anything new to speak of here.but the DVD makes up for matters.it's always to go back&Catch a Hungry Artist on the way up&this truly Highlights one of Music's Best Story-Tellers ever.

If a rapper is lucky, or any musician for that matter, they leave the world with one classic album. This is that album from "The Notorious B.I.G.". It's less bloated and commercial than "Life After Death" was, and is just track after track of top shelf rap. The hits on here are just slightly better than the rest, those are "One More Chance", "Big Poppa", and the infamous "Juicy". I also like "Machine Gun Funk" and "Unbelievable". The bonus here is a couple more sweet tracks, and a DVD of the videos and extras. Well worth buying again if you're a fanatic. I'd say until he has a proper collection out, this is definitely the best of "B.I.G.".

Almost a decade ago rap legend The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) dropped a Hip Hop classic with "Ready to Die". Biggie was a very talented, versatile Rapper who brought the East back into the limelight with this release and whos influence still exists today (Just look at the rappers who have followed in his footsteps). The remastered version (2004) features two first class bonus tracks in "Who Shot Ya" and "Just Playing" (Dreams). The DVD contains the Notorious music videos for this album (Big Poppa, Juicy, Warning, One More Chance) and a live performance of "Unbelievable". This album is a masterpiece that should be in every Rap collection, full of tracks that became anthems to a whole generation. I have listened to thousands and thousands of songs and have many favourites but "Juicy" is without a doubt my all time favourite Rap track. One thing I like about this being rereleased, is that hopefully a whole new generation of Rap fans will pick this up and appreciate. One Love

Earlier this month, Bad Boy, the once powerhouse hip-hop label now struggling to reclaim its heyday, re-released the Notorious B.I.G.'s debut CD, "Ready to Die," nearly a decade after it originally appeared. It's an opportunistic moment for P. Diddy's Bad Boy to cash in on B.I.G's fame. But, commerce aside, it's time for B.I.G. to receive the acclaim he deserves.

Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, came into the rap game in the early 1990s, as hip-hop was still making the transition from an off-the-radar subculture to the mainstream.

West Coast acts like Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were beginning to dominate hip-hop. New York City rap acts, despite hip-hop's Gotham City origins, were being dwarfed by Los Angeles-based rappers, both in popularity and in record sales. The West Coast rappers were putting down an in-your-face, take-no- prisoners rap style that was equal parts raw, street and rooted in gang life.

Arriving in September 1994, "Ready to Die" was the East Coast version of that style. "If I wasn't in the rap game," B.I.G. rapped on "Things Done Changed," "I'd probably have a ki knee-deep in the crack game." What was happening out West to hip-hop kids via gang-banging and the war on drugs was happening on the East Coast via crews and posses, Rudolph Giuliani's zero-tolerance-styled policing and more. "I'm seeing body after body and my mayor Giuliani ain't trying to see a black man turn to John Gotti," B.I.G. laments on "Everyday Struggle."

B.I.G.'s arrival to the rap game helped raise New York hip-hop from obscurity and earned him the moniker King of New York.

B.I.G. is best known by those outside the hip-hop world for his role in the infamous, so-called rap war, the East Coast-West Coast lyrical battle that turned violent, ultimately claiming the life of rapper Tupac Shakur in September 1996 and B.I.G's life six months later at age 24.

The statesmanlike funeral B.I.G. received, replete with a procession through Brooklyn, only hinted at a celebrity often overshadowed by the more popular Shakur.

But within hip-hop circles, B.I.G.'s claim to fame went beyond the bicoastal rap war. Fans applauded him for his complex, narrative rhyme style. But what most distinguished him was his sense of language, both his ability to make his words work and his skill at chopping and stretching them.

This lyrical talent and his signature voice still enables B.I.G. to run circles around chart-topping rap acts today. B.I.G. spoke with a lisp, something that in a medium that depends on speech should have been a hindrance to success. B.I.G made it a strength. Big, black and beautiful, he even broke the glass ceiling on acceptable physical appearance with an anti-Abercrombie & Fitch image, endearing him to hip-hop fans.

The re-released "Ready To Die" has been digitally re-mastered, includes several singles not on the original CD and comes with a DVD that includes footage of a previously unreleased outdoor concert performance. It's time for scholars to explore the impact both of his art as a literary testament and his impact on American youth. B.I.G.'s short life offers endless possibilities for understanding what it was like to come of age at the dawn of the millennium.

The re-released CD reveals his significance to hip-hop kids. Is B.I.G. the greatest lyricist of all time? If I had to choose, pound for pound, rhyme for rhyme, whether the opponent be Tupac or Jay-Z, I'd pick Biggie every time.

Everything that has been written so far is true... this was indeed Biggie's finest hour. What you should know is that aside from the bonus DVD and the inclusion of "Who Shot Ya" and "Just Playin' (Dreams)", there is no additional material compared to the original. The sticker on the front says "Remixed and Remastered", and the description on Amazon.com says "(Rmx)", but none of the key remixes that originated from "Ready to Die" are included. What a shame! Over the years, we have come to know and love the smooth remix of "One More Chance" featuring Faith on vocals, as well as the bangin' club remix, aka "One More Chance (Hip Hop Mix)". "Big Poppa" also received an excellent remix treatment when it was released as a single. These are the versions that we remember as classics - not the original versions. How hard would it have been to include these remixes as part of this package??!?! There's PLENTY of space left on the bonus disc!

For the reason listed above, the album retains it's 5 star rating in my books, but this particular 'remastered' release gets a 2 star rating from me. If you have the original "Ready to Die", there is little reason to get this.

My favorite Biggie album by far. Less commercial than Life After Death, and containing no filler whatsoever in my opinion, this album is above and beyond what many rappers today can even dream of doing. (Not to knock any modern rappers, but I'm not into a few of the current artists who seem to be selling so well).

My favorite songs off this album have to be Gimme that Loot, Big Poppa, and of course, Juicy, one of the most well known rap songs ever, even sampled as half of the first song on Jay-Z's Blueprint 2. Even if you aren't a rap/hip-hop fan and have no idea about ANYTHING regarding rap, chances are you've heard at least one of these songs without even realizing it.

This album is just classic. Biggie Smalls is the Billy Joel of rap. His untimely death was a shame, as I'm sure he would have had a lot more to offer to fans of rap, and even casual listeners of the genre.

I loved this album. I will always believe 2Pac is the G.O.A.T. but Biggie is a close second. He tells hood tales, obviously inspired by the film "New Jack City" and "King of New York". Biggie mentions events, quotes, and characters from that film on a few tracks. After the intro, we are blessed with "Things Done Changed". As Murda Inc. does a lot, this song was remade by Ja Rule on his album, "Blood In My Eye". But this song is great, talking about how life has changed. Next comes one of my favorites, "Gimme the Loot". Biggie uses two voices for this song, the laid back professional voice and the gun-crazy high voice. Though it is disturbing, the song is entertaining sometimes. After an average song(in my opinion) "Machine Gun Funk", we have "Warning". Basically, Biggie finds out that some guys are planning on robbing his house and he raps about how he'll stop them and then finally does. Afterwards is the title track, which is another average song in my opinion. "The What" comes next, which lyrically is great, but the beat isn't nothing special. Method Man and Biggie trade verses together interestingly. Next comes the classic Hip-Hop song "Juicy". Biggie shows a softer side on this song, telling about him growing up in a one room shack and talking about his dreams as a child. It is simply great. "Everyday Struggles" follows, and is almost as great as "Juicy". Biggie lives out "New Jack City" basically. "Big Poppa" is another classic and a catchy song. That's all the standouts until "Suicidal Thoughts" comes on. This is by far one of the most creative album endings of all time. The intro is Biggie's birth and the ending is him killing himself. It's like a story. Plus, we get two bonus songs which are also tight.

Basically, if you're a fan of Hip-Hop cop this if you don't have it yet.