adminNEW YORK. — B.I.G. is the G.O.A.T.
The Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, “Ready to Die,” has been named the greatest hip-hop album of all time by Rolling Stone. The music magazine rolled out its ranking of the best 200 rap albums this week and the rap icon’s honour comes a day before a Lincoln Centre orchestral tribute to the late Brooklynite on Friday.
“‘Ready to Die’ marked the precise moment when hip-hop’s golden age transitioned into its modern age, the height of New York hip-hop, and the sound of the greatest rapper of all time at the absolute top of his powers,” Rolling Stone staff writer Julyssa Lopez wrote about the 1994 opus.
The 17-track set, executive produced by Sean (Puffy) Combs and Mister Cee, featured the chart-topping, platinum-selling singles “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” “One More Chance” and other favourites such as “Unbelievable,” “Gimme the Loot” and “Warning.”
Rounding out Rolling Stone’s top 5 are Outkast’s “Stankonia” (2000) in the No. 2 spot, fellow Brooklyn rap icon Jay-Z’s 2001 “The Blueprint” in the third position, Public Enemy’s seminal 1988 opus “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” at No. 4 and Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” coming in fifth.
“Life After Death” debuted on the Billboard 200 chart weeks after the groundbreaking artist, also known as Biggie Smalls, was fatally shot on the streets of Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. His murder, at age 24, remains unsolved.
“Biggie leavened his raw fatalism with a smooth, subtle sense of humour, perfecting a hard-soft dichotomy that would become a template for decades of artists,” Lopez continued.
The late rapper, who would have turned 50 on May 21, has been feted all month long in his native borough of Brooklyn.
The Empire State Building changed its colours to red, with a crown spinning in its mast for the “Hypnotised” lyricist, while special edition MetroCards featuring the artist — born Christopher Wallace — were sold at three subway stations near his old neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The sale of the MetroCards attracted long lines.
Rhino Records will release a 25th anniversary vinyl boxed set edition of “Life After Death” on Friday, consisting of eight remastered LPs and a booklet with rare photos, liner notes and exclusive reflections from people who worked on the Grammy-nominated sophomore set. — New York Daily News.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter