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ready to die
READY TO DIE

In 1994, Hip Hop artist Notorious B.I.G released his debut album Ready to Die under the Bad Boy Records label. This was marked as the first release on their label. Ready to Die made the Notorious B.I.G. a star and vaulted Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy label into the spotlight as well. It’s recognized as one of the greatest hardcore rap albums ever recorded. The album reached quadruple platinum with infamous tracks Juicy, Big Poppa and One More Chance. In June of 1995, the single "One More Chance" debuted at number five in the pop singles chart, tying Michael Jackson's "Scream / Childhood" as the highest-debuting single of all time. Ready to Die continued to gain popularity throughout 1995, eventually selling two million copies. Producers who took part of the album were DJ Premier, Easy Mo Bee, Puffy etc. The album cover is an infant with similarities of the artist sporting an afro. B.I.G. had been influenced by everyone from Kool G Rap to NWA, Too Short to Slick Rick. The concept behind it is the artist's life from birth to death. This album cover is considered one of the best Hip Hop covers of all time. It’s always easy to see elements of Biggie in his narrators and of his own experience in the details; everything is firmly rooted in reality, but plays like scenes from a movie.

His storytelling skills brought a huge impact to the future of rap music. He made the things that he said so clear and vivid. "The stakes were raised," says Wu-Tang founder and producer RZA. "Before B.I.G., you might put out anything, now you knew, okay, it's real out there, you gotta come correct, 'cause this cat is spending time on his shit." Even other producers and MC’s knew that Biggie was very talented.

SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OF BIGGIE: Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born in Brooklyn, New York, May 21, 1972. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn

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