Ready to Die is the debut studio album by American rapper; it was released on September 13, 1994,. The label's first release, the album features production by Bad Boy founder,,, and, among others. Recording for the album took place during 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of B.I.G.' S experiences as a young criminal. Ready to Die is his only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered just days prior to the release of his second album, Life After Death (1997). On March 24, 2006, Bridgeport Music and Westbound Records won a federal lawsuit against Bad Boy Records for copyright infringement, with a jury deciding that Combs and Bad Boy had illegally used samples for the production of the songs 'Ready to Die', 'Machine Gun Funk', and 'Gimme the Loot'.

The album that reinvented East Coast rap for the gangsta age, Ready to Die made the Notorious B.I.G. A star, and vaulted Sean 'Puffy' Combs' Bad Boy label into the spotlight as well. Today it's recognized as one of the greatest hardcore rap albums ever recorded.

The jury awarded $4.2 million in punitive and direct damages to the two plaintiffs, and federal judge Todd Campbell enacted an immediate sales ban on the album and tracks in question. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit found the damages unconstitutionally high and in violation of due process and remanded the case, at which point Campbell reduced them by $2.8 million; however, the verdict was upheld.

All versions of the album released since the lawsuit are without the disputed samples. Hi, I bought a vinyl pressing like this ('old' layout and just 9 tracks) on ebay.

I was pretty sure that it's original as ebay usually removes all bootlegs, anyway now that I got it I doubt that this is a legit pressing. First of all it looks pretty new and not like from the 90s besides that it has no barcode at all. It has a runout - which is unusual for bootlegs I think - but it is stamped not etched and a little different from the one listed here on discogs for the original pressings: 78612 - 73000 - 1 HFM 94(Side 1) 78612 - 73000 -2 SBSP DMM (Side 2) any of you has an idea if this is a legit pressing or not? Thank you Max.

The album that reinvented East Coast rap for the gangsta age, made a star, and vaulted ' Bad Boy label into the spotlight as well. Today it's recognized as one of the greatest hardcore rap albums ever recorded, and that's mostly due to 's skill as a storyteller. 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.

He's blessed with a flair for the dramatic, and slips in and out of different contradictory characters with ease. Yet, no matter how much he heightens things for effect, it's always easy to see elements of in his narrators and of his own experience in the details; everything is firmly rooted in reality, but plays like scenes from a movie. A sense of doom pervades his most involved stories: fierce bandits ('Gimme the Loot'), a hustler's beloved girlfriend ('Me & My Bitch'), and robbers out for 's newfound riches ('Warning') all die in hails of gunfire. Obrazec komandirovochnogo udostovereniya v kazahstane. The album is also sprinkled with reflections on the soul-draining bleakness of the streets -- 'Things Done Changed,' 'Ready to Die,' and 'Everyday Struggle' are powerfully affecting in their confusion and despair.

Not everything is so dark, though; ' production collaborations result in some upbeat, commercial moments, and typically cop from recognizable hits: 's 'I Want You Back' on the graphic sex rap 'One More Chance,' 's 'Juicy Fruit' on the rags-to-riches chronicle 'Juicy,' and ' 'Between the Sheets' on the overweight-lover anthem 'Big Poppa.' Producer 's deliberate beats do get a little samey, but it hardly matters: this is 's show, and by the time 'Suicidal Thoughts' closes the album on a heartbreaking note, it's clear why he was so revered even prior to his death.