Referral code for up to $80 off applied at checkout

Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die

№57 - September 2017

On August 22, 2017

Ready To Die has become a classic so canonized that all praise can’t help but feel empty. No adjective or second-hand color scheme can capture the shadowplay of dark and light that Biggie creates line-by-line, a sociopathic threat followed by a Louis XIV boast or a novelistic detail that freezes your backbone. There’s nothing Teflon about this album. Everything sticks to Big, every snaking fear and cancerous reality. He absorbs and internalizes it, spitting it back with fatalistic precision.


What’s included in this VMP Exclusive:

  • 2LP, Red with White/Black Splatter + White with Red/Black Splatter Vinyl
  • 'Baby’ Cover w/ Red Metallic Foil + Embossed Text
  • Mastered for Vinyl
  • Deluxe wide-spine single pocket jacket
  • 12x12 Art Print by Bráulio Amado


Learn more about "Ready To Die"


We remember this album for the indelible hits and B-Side anthems, but consumed in a totality, it’s a document of pain and rage, a ferocious reprisal at a calloused world as angst ridden as anything Nirvana ever did.
Jeff Weiss

Read our new Liner Notes for Ready to Die here.


How Ready To Die Tells Rap History

Biggie's debut serves as a timeline for hip-hop as a culture leading up to it. Read how here.


Listen To A Mix Of Songs Sampled On Ready To Die

Our Stax of Wax show this week is devoted to the artists sampled on Ready to Die. Listen here.


The History Of The Baby On The Cover Of Ready To Die

The story of the iconic cover of Ready to Die.

Share this article email icon

Join the Club!

Join Now, Starting at $44
Shopping Cart

Your cart is currently empty.

Continue Browsing
Similar Records
Other Customers Bought

Free shipping for members Icon Free shipping for members
Safe & secure checkout Icon Safe & secure checkout
International shipping Icon International shipping
Quality guarantee Icon Quality guarantee