In the original Rolling Stone review, Cheo H Coker declared that he 'maintains a consistent level of tension by juxtaposing emotional highs and lows'. The album is also noted for its dark tone and sinister sense of depression. Touré, writing for The New York Times, referred to The Notorious B.I.G., proclaiming that he stood out from other rappers because 'his lyrics mix autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty, telling how he felt while making a living as a drug dealer'. He also went on to mention that his lyrics are 'firmly rooted in reality, but play like scene from a movie'. Many critics applauded his story-telling ability such as AllMusic writer Steve Huey, who stated 'His raps are easy to understand, but his skills are hardly lacking-he has a loose, easy flow and a talent for piling multiple rhymes on top of one another in quick succession'. In The Source magazine’s October 1994 issue, Ready to Die was given a rating of 4½ mics out of five.The Notorious B.I.G.'s lyrics on the album were generally praised by critics. The record was certified gold by the RIAA two months after its release, and went double platinum in 1995. The album also made Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, landing at #133. “Big Poppa” was nominated for “Best Rap Solo Performance” at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards, losing out to LL Cool J’s “Hey Lover”-but it earned a Billboard Music Award later that year.
According to several sources, he recorded the latter half by freestyling from memory. Biggie resumed production the following year under the auspices of the newly-founded Bad Boy Records. After Puffy was fired from Uptown Records in 1993, the project was only half finished. Production of the album took place in two waves. The project is Biggie’s only album to be released during his lifetime his sophomore project, Life After Death, dropped just days after his murder in March 1997. It was also Bad Boy Records' first release, produced by founder Sean “Puffy” Combs. Ready to Die, The Notorious B.I.G.’s debut studio album, was released on September 13, 1994.
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