Ready To Die has become a classic so canonized that all praise can’t help but feel empty. No adjective or second-hand color scheme can capture the shadowplay of dark and light that Biggie creates line-by-line, a sociopathic threat followed by a Louis XIV boast or a novelistic detail that freezes your backbone. There’s nothing Teflon about this album. Everything sticks to Big, every snaking fear and cancerous reality. He absorbs and internalizes it, spitting it back with fatalistic precision.

What’s included in this VMP Exclusive:

• 2LP, Red with White/Black Splatter + White with Red/Black Splatter Vinyl
• 'Baby’ Cover w/ Red Metallic Foil + Embossed Text
• Mastered for Vinyl
• Deluxe wide-spine single pocket jacket
• 12x12 Art Print by Bráulio Amado

Learn more about "Ready To Die"

Read our new Liner Notes for Ready to Die here.

How Ready To Die Tells Rap History

Biggie's debut serves as a timeline for hip-hop as a culture leading up to it. Read how here.

Listen To A Mix Of Songs Sampled On Ready To Die

Our Stax of Wax show this week is devoted to the artists sampled on Ready to Die. Listen here.

The History Of The Baby On The Cover Of Ready To Die

The story of the iconic cover of Ready to Die.