Favorite Albums of All Time: Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)

Favorite Song: "Gimme the Loot"

Favorite Lyric: "If I wasn't in the rap game, I'd probably have a key knee deep in the crack game. Because the streets is a short stop, either your slingin crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot."

Why? I don't listen to much rap these days, its such a bloated over saturated market of people trying to imitate the genre's for fathers, but in doing so never paying any homage or respect, and rather are just jerkin themselves off as the next latest and greatest. The thing about Notorious BIG that I've always respected is that you actually believe him, his songs are honest, humble, and a true portrait of rags to riches success. BIG isn't some rapper who claims he was from the ghetto and actually grew up in the suburbs, he lived a tough life, and he's one of the few rappers who could actually convey this without sounding like a total tool. That said the songs on "Ready to Die" are about a lot of the same things other rappers of the era were singing about: big booty hoes, smoking grass, violence and drug dealing, stuff that when coming out of most others mouths can come across misogynistic, asinine and just plain laughable. BIG actually had a sense of humor about these things and his songs are more of a celebration of life. He was just a happy dude who was thrilled he didn't have to sell drugs to feed his daughter anymore. I still love the look on peoples faces when I can out of no where recite word for word "Gimme the Loot" and "Juicy," fairly priceless. See also Nas-Illmatic, one of the only other 90's Rap Albums I can call a favorite.