Notorius B.I.G’s 1st Album ‘Ready To Die’ Marks 20 Years!

It’s hard to believe that on this day, two decades ago, Bad Boy Records released the premiere album of the late-great Notorious B.I.G, “Ready To Die”. The album succeeded to introduce this charismatic, raunchy, highly talented, lyrical genius born in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn.

Besides being recognized in his neighborhood for some of his infamous street battles, the rap icon was first put on in the industry via Dream Hampton, a writer who had receive B.I.G’s demo tape and had voted him to be a part of hip-hop magazine, The Source’s Unsigned Hype column. The Source’s Unsigned Hype was a premiere launching pad for many legendary rap artist. From then on B.I.G became a rap industry leader once Sean “P.Diddy” Combs signed him to Bad Boy Records and released the album that will be imprinted in rap history forever.

On Sunday, September 20th, Microphone Check, will host a panel of some of B.I.Gs working associates including Hampton, Ali Shaheed Muhammad from a Tribe Called Quest, Frannie Kelley and more to discuss B.I.G’s work and the culture of hip-hop in 1994 when “Ready To Die” first came out.
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On NPR – Microphone Check, Hampton gives one of her accounts with the late rapper that inspired the song, “Gimmie The Loot” on the album.

“He shared something with me early on, and it really made me sad. It was that, ‘People expect me to be a certain way, so sometimes I just give that person to them.’ We were trying to catch a cab once — I used to have to go out to get the cab. This was late at night after studio sessions. I went to almost all of the sessions for Ready to Die. And I’d go out in the street to get the cab, and Biggie would wait in the shadows. I remember one cab driver seeing him approach the cab, and he took off! With my legs dragging. Biggie kind of had to grab me up from the car and almost saved my life. It was this visceral response that people had to him as a physical person in the world that informed a lot of how he turned around and acted towards them. I mean, at his core he was a kind, funny, generous, sensitive person. But he was seen in the world through this lens of anti-blackness, as a predator,” says hampton. “‘Gimme the Loot’ is a perfect example of that, of him basically internalizing people’s ideas about who he is in the world.”

The panel discussion begins at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm) and will also be recorded for BRIC, Brooklyn Independent Media public access television station.