#330: The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)

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

#152: Nas - Illmatic (1994)

Zack: Ladies and gentlemen, meet the album that started it all. You see, after we found the list, we were thinking about working out way through it. I wouldn’t say it was set in stone that we’d actually do it, though, and we hadn’t planned any method of recording reactions. At the time, I was on a major Nas kick (I get into that zone every once in a while) and I was thinking about how amazing Illmatic is and how Emily wouldn’t be able to appreciate it. From there, I somehow got into the idea of starting a blog. Basically, I figured that if we were writing about it, she would be forced to really think about what she had heard. Since Nas is so crazy deep, I thought this would make her start to contemplate the music to the point that it would transcend “I don’t like hip-hop.” She agreed and here we are now. And, you’ll never guess this, but I kind of think she may like Illmatic. We’re not listening to it together and I’m a little ahead of her on our mini-list for break, so I don’t know what she’ll think. But my expectations are high. I’ve been really strategic in how I’ve selected hip-hop albums. In order, we’ve gone OutKast. Kanye, Fugees, Beastie Boys, Lupe Fiasco, Snoop Doggy Dogg (her idea, not mine), Common, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, Lauryn Hill, and A Tribe Called Quest. Basically, I’ve tried to focus within an intellectual sub-genre with catchy and smooth producing behind it. I’ve taken a few chances to push the envelope, especially more towards the old school stuff. I’ve also shown her stuff which blurs the lines between hip-hop and other genres, like funk and R&B. And so far, it’s worked pretty well. But now I’ve gone as far as I can go like that. Sure, I could hold off and listen to Jay-Z (a little edgier, but still right around the same land we’ve been inhabiting) or try Grandmaster Flash. But that would just be delaying the inevitable. The swimmies are coming off and she’s getting shoved into the deep end. She should be glad this is all I’m doing too. I’m pushing her off the ledge of the pool, but I could have kicked her from the high dive with something like Wu-Tang. This is manageable. He’s rapping with truly legendary skill that matches, if not exceeds, anything we’ve heard before. The only difference is that he’s rhyming about existing within all the “ghetto life” rather than how Lupe talks about overcoming it. Regardless, I’m anxious to hear/read what her thoughts were on one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. And to see if she was confused why Nas’s N.Y State of Mind didn’t have Alicia Keys.

Favorite Tracks: N.Y. State of Mind; One Love; Life’s a Bitch

Emily: Welcome to the next chapter of 1001 Reviews’ ongoing series, “Zack Strategically Picks Rap Albums from the List so Emily Can Come to Appreciate the Genre.” Okay, so maybe we need a catchier title, but that pretty much encapsulates one of our subsidiary goals for this blog and musical undertaking. For today’s edition, we come to Nas’ 1994 debut album, Illmatic, which Zack has deemed an integral next step in our foray through hip-hop and rap. It certainly piqued my curiosity about Nas and his approach to hip-hop. The production and beats are spare and minimalist, with a few jazz samples. This really allows the lyrics to become the focus of the album, chronicling Nas’ experience as an inner-city teenager in New York. Because the lyrics are so integral, I definitely think I need to re-listen to Illmatic to really understand its style and impact. There is still so much more I don’t know and don’t like about rap and hip-hop, but this stop on the journey is definitely pointing me in a more enlightened direction.

Favorite Tracks: The World is Yours; It Ain’t Hard to Tell; Memory Lane (Sittin’ in Da Park)