The Notorious B.I.G. Released His Debut Album 'Ready To Die' 20 Years Ago Today

On this day in 1994, Bad Boy Records released its first album, the Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready To Die.

The album was Biggie's debut and would be his only release prior to his shooting death in March 1997.

Upon its release, the album was welcomed with open arms, even in the pop world. The Source called the album an "illiotic bomb," saying "each song is like another scene in his Lifestyles of the Black and Shameless, the Tec and stainless."

"Overall, this package is complete," a journalist, who would later be known as Miss Info, wrote. "Ridiculous beats, harmonizing honeys, ill sound effects, criminal scenarios, familiar hooks (see Mtume's beat on 'Juicy' and the 'I Get Lifted' beat on Big's 'Respect'). Whether the street essence is your reality or whether you just like feeling hard through someone else's stories, Biggie will captivate you with his 'machine gun funk.'"

Even Rolling Stone, which had little to no expertise in terms of rap literacy, gave it four stars.

The album featured classic cuts such as "Juicy," "Big Poppa," "Warning" and "Gimme the Loot."

Ready To Die reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and produced three singles that attained recognition on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which acquired top ten rankings ("One More Chance" and "Big Poppa").

Ready To Die eventually gathered one Grammy nomination for "Big Poppa" as Best Rap Solo Performance. The album went on to go quadruple platinum in sales.

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The Notorious B.I.G.