Hear A Mix Of Songs Sampled On 'Ready To Die'

Today on the all-vinyl Stax of Wax we are celebrating the September 2017 Vinyl Me, Please record of the month release, Ready to Die by the Notorious B.I.G.

Released in September of 1994 on Bad Boy Records, this album included cutting, dense, insightful, and masterfully poetic lyrics over a bed of perfectly selected samples. These samples are what we will focus on in this episode. We chose 12 songs out of the nearly 40 tracks sampled on this record for you to hear front to back. In those 12 songs we will hear from the 1960s to the 1980s, 11 different record labels, 9 different songs from Ready to Die, and from four different and insanely talented producers who created and helped to hand pick the samples used in this genre-defining record.

Track list

"Superfly" by Curtis Mayfield, 1972 - Curtom Records

Sampled for "Intro" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs for The Hitmen

"Something Extra" by Black Heat, 1975 - Atlantic Records

Sampled for "Machine Gun Funk" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Easy Mo Bee

"Up for the Down Stroke" by Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns, 1977- Atlantic Records

Sampled for "Machine Gun Funk" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Easy Mo Bee

"Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes, 1969 - Enterprise Records

Sampled for "Warning" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Easy Mo Bee

"Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers, 1973 - Alaga Records

Sampled for "Ready to Die" & "Unbelievable" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Easy Mo Bee

"Hydra" by Grover Washington Jr., 1975 - Kudu Records

Sampled for "One More Chance" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen & The Bluez Brothers

"Who"s Makin" Love?" by Lou Donaldson, 1969 - Blue Note Records

Sampled for "One More Chance" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs, Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen & The Bluez Brothers

"Either Way" by Dave Grusin, 1980 - Arista Records

Sampled for "Everyday Struggle" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by The Bluez Brothers

"I Get Lifted" by George McCrae, 1974 - T.K. Records

Sampled for "Respect" by The Notorious B.I.G

Produced by Sean “Puffy” Combs for The Hitmen & Poke

"Vicious" by Black Mamba, 1984 - Garage Records

Sampled for "Friend of Mine" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Easy Mo Bee

"The Jam" by Graham Central Station, 1975 - Warner Bros. Records

Sampled for "Friend of Mine" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Easy Mo Bee

"Spirit of the Boogie" by Kool & The Gang, 1975 - De-Lite Records

Sampled for "Friend of Mine" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Produced by Easy Mo Bee