The Making of Ready to Die:
Family Business

Notorious+BIG

1 ”Intro”

Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs
Easy Mo Bee The whole story line for the album—starting in the beginning when you hear the robbery happening on the train and “Rapper’s Delight” in the background and everything—that was Puff’s concept: to create a story line for the album. He just gave me a list of records that he wanted and I brought them back to him. He said he wanted “Rapper’s Delight,” Audio Two’s “Top Billin’,” “Superfly.” We had “Got To Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye, [but it got changed] probably for sampling reasons. Songs that explain their era.
“Prince” Charles Alexander First of all, I’m the father on the intro. There are all these voices on the intro. That “Wilona, what the fuck you doing? You can’t control that goddamn boy!” That was me. And the guy at the end, the guard that lets them out of jail and says, “You’ll be back,” that’s me also. And the reason that they used me is because three guys had gone in and tried, I forgot who. I was there, Puffy was there, Biggie was there. I was engineering and a couple of guys who were just hanging around went in and tried to do that part. And they’re like very stiff-sounding: “God damn it, Wilona.” And I’m like, “Yo Puff, I am an angry Black man. You should let me try that.” I went in there and I screamed. I mean, Goddammit, Wilona! What the fuck you doing?! I was way, way up in it. They fucking rolled. They loved it. They kept it. That was one of the things that kind of helped me to bond with the whole project. ’Cause I’m about 10 years older than Puffy, so I was really professional. I had a really professional vibe. So when I went in and did that, that really broke a whole lot of ice.

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  • london’s Finest

    Ready To Die was a fucking classic, up there with the likes of Nas’s Illmatic and Jigga’s Reasonable Doubt. Biggie was ill and appreciated over these shores. In my opinion the greatest to hold a mic.

  • kmax25

    im a biggie fan but im a realist at the same time. ready to die aint a classic album…..life after death is though. a classic album should both change hip hop and if listened to 10 yrs later, should sound just as good as when it first came out. the tracks on ready to die are very sub par with the exception of 3 or 4. life after death sounds like new music when i put it in. the production is still hot. look at jay-z with reasonable doubt, its the same thing…….great lyrics and sub par production. southernplayalistic, makaveli, all eyes on me, blueprint one, 400 degreez, both chronic albums, straight outta compton, gods son, or doggystyle are classics in my opinion.

  • kmax25

    people think since its an artists firsrt album that its a classic and it cant get no better. we didnt even hear about reasonable doubt on the west coast until the buzz had almost dried up. an artist can evolve and get better with time people. look at t.i. for instance. his first album wasnt a classic, trap music was hot then urban legend was crazy now word is “The King” album is better than that. the jay-z in 2003 is 10x nicer than the jay-z in 1995. my bad i forgot outkast’s aquemini album. now thats a classic

  • EnglandRepresent

    Big Poppa – The best to ever do this rap shit, niggas had better recognise that.

  • Dime loc

    B.I.G fan fa life even though junior mafia ain’t did or doin shit or represented B.I.G like suppose 2 we gotta him goin strong cuz them niggas ain’t……..oh yeah Kim got some fat ass booty and tits.

  • WATKINS

    still play the album from time 2 time.big 4 ever

  • stonyisland

    To all the honeys in the place with style and grace, allow me to lace these lyrical douches in yo bushes..Nuff said the fat bastard was the best to do it. Unlike pac or even rakim, big could flip different styles and sound different, Rakim sounded the same on all of his joint, so did pac. No disrespect to the God Rakim or Kane but biggie you the shit my nigga, I know Puffy is fucking up your legacy with the last bullshit release, but try to rest in peace playboy. Save me seat. One love.

  • http://chick.nl marvin

    what jodeci number is under the porn scene on this album?

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  • bier

    what is the sample in the track “one more chance original version & og edition” in the minute 1:14?????????????????????????????????

  • ONE MORE CHANCE SAMPLE???

    what is the sample in the track “one more chance original version & og edition” in the minute 1:14?????????????????????????????????

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  • Knowbody

    For me, Ready To Die beats Life After Death but they were both exceptional albums. It just sucks that Big couldn’t have stayed around, Hip Hop would be a lot better off.

  • JF

    shouldnt there be a pete rock mention on the juicy rundown? pretty common knowledge he really did that beat initially.

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