Zack: I’m on record as being more of a 2Pac fan,
despite my East Coast upbringing. But most of that preference is derived from
an emphasis on consistency. Pac has more releases to his name, with like 2.5
classics included. Biggie has the undeniable classic that is Ready to Die, and
another classic contained somewhere in the bloated double album of Life After
Death. I don’t think any Pac album really competes with Ready to Die. That
said, how crazy is it that I think this is somehow only the third best rap album
of 1994?
Seriously, that post doesn’t even have Ill Communication in it and that chart
still has way too many mind-melting albums on it (Illmatic and
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, for the record). Moving on, what I’ve always
loved about Ready to Die is that is blends two very different types of
personalities in a way that feels seamless. It’s almost like there are two
different characters rapping. On one hand is the blustering Mafioso talking
about dealing drugs, killing would-be thieves, and loving women with incredible
fervor. On the other is a vulnerable human who feels pressure from his
lifestyle and the world around him, feels like the armor of invincibility he
has had to don is close to shattering, and really struggles. In a lot of ways,
I see Biggie’s identity on this album as practically a rough outline of the TV
anti-heroes that have dominated pop culture for over a decade. At a first
glimpse, it seems like his motivation is pure immorality. But if you take the
time to dig deeper, you find something anyone can relate to. This could come
off as contrived, or the juxtaposition could be too jarring (Eminem is prone to
this when flipping between the hyper-violence of Slim Shady to the emotionally
vulnerable, soul-baring of Marshall Mathers). But it never does. It always
feels to me like Biggie found a way to take the watchful eye that Nas turns
outward to his surroundings on Illmatic back around onto himself. He depicts a
certain image. Celebrates it even. But he’s very much aware of the
repercussions that image is having on his psyche. I’ll still take a Makaveli
playlist over a Biggie one on most days, but that shouldn’t be taken to mean
anything about my level of respect for the masterpiece that is Ready to Die.
Favorite Tracks: Suicidal Thoughts; The What; Big Poppa
Emily: Ayo Big! Ayo, ayo Big! That line closes out the final track of Ready to Die, entitled Suicidal Thoughts. A friend in high school had that song on her iPod, amid all the pop-punk and ska and alternative we listened to back in the day. She would play it in the car and we'd yell "Ayo Big!" along with the track in loud, ridiculous voices. I have no idea why she liked the song, how she found out about it, and how it made its way onto her iPod. But that song is the only real impression I had going in to listening to this album, since the only other Biggie songs I really know are Hypnotize and Mo Money Mo Problems (which came on his posthumous second album). Now that I've listened to Ready to Die once, I don't really know what my opinion is on it. There is so much context that goes into the music that I don't know much about, and I really think that context is necessary for an album with as much cultural significance as this one has in the evolution of rap music. I'll have to listen to it again with Zack, who knows so much more about this than I do, so that I can get a fuller understanding of what this album is and what it means. Until then, I'll reserve my judgment.
Favorite Tracks: Big Poppa; Suicidal Thoughts; Juicy
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