2: The Notorious B.I.G
Born Christopher George Latore Wallace on May 21, 1972, best known as The Notorious B.I.G, also commonly referred to as Biggie Smalls, Biggie, Big, Big Poppa and Frank White. “Biggie” was raised in the streets of Brooklyn, New York City, like many influential and memorable rap game changers in the era. Biggie’s debut album release of “Ready to Die” (1994) propelled him into transforming into a central figure in the East Coast hip hop scene, resulting in an increase of New York’s recognition in the predominantly West Coast dominated genre. The successive year, Biggie, along with his entrusted childhood circle of friends, reached chart success as a group in the form of, ‘Junior M.A.F.I.A‘. During the recording of Biggie’s second album, he was the forerunner in the East Coast/West Coast feud, mostly led charge by himself and Tupac Shakur.
On March 9, 1997, Biggie was assassinated by an unknown shooter in a drive-by in Los Angeles. His next album, “Life After Death” was released posthumously only 16 days after his death, later rising to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts and being certified ‘Diamond’ in 2000, becoming one of few hip hop albums to receive this high praise. This larger than life figure was noted for his ‘”loose, easy flow”, dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Since his passing, two further albums have been released, amounting to an amount of 17 million units in the U.S in certified sales.
Biggie did not set out to become a musician in any form. He always excelled in school but once the drug market got a hold of him, he found it hard to resist. Upon being arrested and sentenced to nine months in jail, he turned to music. Once released, he created his own cover with no intention of being signed but it received amazing reception and that changed things forever..
‘Ready to Die‘ was released in 1994, reaching to the height of No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart and eventually certified four times Platinum. At the time, West Coast hip hop was the prominent force in music lead by none other than close friend turned arch enemy, Tupac Shakur. This album, according to Rolling Stones, “single-handedly shifted the focus back to East Coast rap.”
REVIEW: Ready to Die
West Coast hip hop is buzzing out of the speakers of all. Death Row Records, led by Dr. Dre’s unique brand of g-funk, is a leading force in the industry. The East Coast are reclining in their chairs and seeing their dominance of the rap game fade. Enter The Notorious B.I.G. This was the climate Biggie faced upon entry and unleashing of his ‘Ready to Die‘ album. This album is Biggie’s defining art, filled with painful recollections as oppose to fond memories. It was the album that brought the East Coast back into the thoughts of everyone and redefined the mid-90’s sound to which many of us grew up to. Still, only one description is fitting – classic.
Using well-placed changes in tonality and vocal inflections, Biggie manifests stellar works of art in songs like “Gimme the Loot“, a schizophrenic gesture and admiration to armed robbery. By reflecting the thought process of two identities looking to prosper the ski-mask way on this ultimate stick-up anthem, he exudes creativity and a knack for dramatic storytelling. It is this talent that remains constant throughout the album, in that it is usually standard for emcees to talk about violence, but Biggie took it to a whole new level. The seamless transition between moods and characters take the listener on a journey where they believe they are sitting down with a friend that recalls a story about past exploits, a skill that the majority of artists lack.
Biggie begins by delivering chilling lyrics in which he wishes for death in “Everyday Struggle” and then poetically moves onto further into that desire in “Suicidal Thoughts“. Despite his persistent depression, this remarkable artist brushes off the dirt on his shoulder and reveals a softer and vulnerable side. The celebratory “Juicy” remains as one of Biggie’s most notable, greatest and most-revealing songs. Part-autobigoraphy, part-decleration of success, it rekindles the kind hearted and innocent nature most people experience in life. These feelings can be summed-up with great ease in his following lyrics, “Birthdays was the worst days/Now we sip champagne when we thirsty/Uh, damn right I like the life I live/’Cause I went from negative to positive and it’s all… (It’s all good).”
To conclude, the tracks “Juicy” and lady-enticing, panty-dropper “Big Poppa” help humanise the gun-toting-crazy artist. It is this, despite the album displaying Biggie’s deeply-rooted uncaring attitude towards life and violence, that takes away from the Bad Boy image. This is the reason that innumerable emcees have tried in vain to reignite the ability of The Notorious B.I.G in simultaneously holding the respect of peers whilst swaying over the general public too. Most of all, this is the reason why this redeeming quality cements ‘Ready to Die’ in the category of must-have for any music enthusiast as the album was part of a major shift in power and change in direction in the genre of rap and hip hop. This album is easily a classic and in my opinion, on-par, if not better, than Nas’ “Illmatic”.
ALBUM RATING: 5/5
The Sound of Silence 