album #6

ready to die (the notorious b.i.g.)

Biggie's voice is one of his greatest assets. Just a great, husky, low voice, and an incredible flow. I'm not really a connoisseur of hip hop (one of my goals this year was to acquaint myself with the classics of the genre, this is step one) so I don't know how to compare his talents with other artists, except to say that my impressions ended up matching the reviews I pre-read.

The album is constructed really well, in terms of tonal shifts. There are very interesting transitions- the album begins as track after track of relentlessly violent, blustery, hardcore crime stories; shifts into smug sexual prowess with dapples of humor; opens into some more vulnerable, introspective perspectives on crime and sex; mixes in a couple 'Godfather' tracks where he's at the zenith of material power and confidence; and closes with some dramatic swings- intensely dark, vulnerable, and depressed, followed by a return to the angry, cocky criminal vibe, and finally an epilogue of goofy, smug misogyny.

Altogether I found the themes a little redundant after a while, but a lot of brilliant beats and countless brilliant, powerful lines. I don't think I'd listen to the entire album for fun, but a few tracks are truly astonishing.

Some of my favorites… the Intro itself sets an incredible tone, tells the story from his birth to this moment with just a few samples and scenes- very, very cool and exciting track. "Things Done Changed" is my absolute favorite of his crime story songs- it's a mile better than his others, in my opinion. Brutal, candid, terrifying, tragic, with a great beat and memorable lyrics. It serves as both a lament and a declaration- Biggie is on the scene. "Everyday Struggle" is another favorite- it captures the sadness and anxiety of the criminal lifestyle, with a great beat. "Juicy" and "Big Poppa" are both classics, and I liked them. Those are the tracks I would probably go out of my way to listen to again. The rest of the album varied from pretty good to meh.

You can definitely tell though, listening to it, that this was a breakthrough album. It definitely feels like it captures, and even introduces a cultural moment. Good stuff, good stuff. I'm excited to listen to a Tupac album or two and start forming an opinion on that old debate.