Hip Hop Appreciation Week Day 5

Yup yup! It's his Birthday and theres no denying that he deserves the respect. Here we gooooo!!

Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die

Released: September 13, 1994

1. Intro

2. Things Done Changed

3. Gimmie the Loot

4. Machine Gun Funk

5. Warning

6. Ready to Die

7. One More Change

8. Fuck Me

9. The What

10. Juicy

11. Everyday Struggle

12. Me & My BItch

13. Big Poppa

14. Respect

15. Friend of Mine

16. Unbelievable

17. Suicidal Thoughts

18 Who Shot Ya?

19. Just Playing (Dreams)

First things first, I Poppa, freaks all the honeys....

With the blow up in technology, everybody & their momma puttin out a mixtape (trust, I'm putting one out too, WITH my momma) and every single album released being "leaked" out a bit too early, theres not much left to be said about the anticipation of new music. However, my infatuation with this album came mostly from the NEED to run out and get it, as well as it being a lyrical masterpiece, of course.

In '94, I was barely pushin 10 years old. My mom worked the graveyard shift and wouldn't make it home til after my dad, brother, & I had left for work/school in the mornings. The day this album dropped, I forged my mom's signature in an absent note, sent my lil bro off to school and walked the mile up Sepulveda Blvd. to Tower Records to get this CD. It was that serious.

Just from radio play alone, I knew this man was a genius. Being from the West Coast, there was of course the whole "we don't respect East Coast artists" at one time but this album always stayed true to me. Biggie had this sense of ease about him, you felt comfortable listening to him and inclined to sing along. He rapped as if it was easy for him; like spittin out "Straight at your dome homes, I wanna see cabbage, Biggie Smalls the savage, doin your brain cells much damage..." was nothin to him.

But that feeling I had; that want, that NEED for this album, you don't get that anymore. Theres not one Hip-Hop artist out today that I can truly say "I'm not gonna be right if I don't go run out & get this the day it drops". I miss that feeling, I want it back. And I thank BIG for giving me that.

Happy Birthday B.I.G.!