Warning
Biggie remains a hero of rap to many of us, and Ready To Die a certified, undoubted classic of hip-hop or any other genre. But while the LP marks the emergence of perhaps the greatest rapper of all time, I wanted to take a moment to pay homage to the other central force in this tale of the creation of a masterpiece. Not the Diddy-man, although let's give credit where it is due to the creativity and commercial sensitivity that Puffy (as was) brought to the project, as well as the talents of Chucky Thompson and The Hitmen production team who helped him mould these elements. Nor even to cameo beat-making from Lord Finesse and DJ Premier, the latter simply killing it on the aptly titled "Unbelievable", and the former providing the suitably chilling backdrop to Big's suicidal endnote.
While all of these people are crucial to the album's success, I think that if anybody is going to be credited with significance aside from the rapper himself it has to be producer Easy Mo Bee. Mo Bee may have only produced 6 out of the 15 full tracks on the album, but the run of tunes ("Things Done Changed" aside) which begin the album are all his, and it is this which arguably sets the tone for Biggie's greatness. From "Gimme The Loot", through "Machine Gun Funk" and "Warning", to "Ready To Die" Big unleashes the lyrical brilliance and storytelling gift that defines his presence in rap forever more.
The mix of street stories, hardcore imagery, humour and amazing sonic picture-painting is never better displayed than here, and I believe is crucial in understanding just why Biggie Smalls became so big and such a well-regarded rapper. The album is brilliant from start to finish. Indeed you could argue that it gets stronger as you progress through it, but that is to miss the point I am making slightly, which is that those four tracks, the mixture of Biggie's unique vocal tones, never-bettered delivery and lyrical invention, and Mo Bee's bluesy, understated funk beats, laced with heavy bass and jazz inflections, make the rest of the album possible. They have you believing in everything he says and does from the off, and establish an optimum level of perfection which is never allowed to be dropped throughout. And let's face it, if there is a greater rap than the one Big' spits in "Warning" I am yet to hear it. Two verses of perfection, and as sinister a use of Isaac Hayes' "Walk On By" as anyone could ever conceive.
These tunes are also amongst the first that Biggie dropped for the album, and so show in some ways the emergence of his own confidence in the booth, his own mastery of his vocal techniques, and thus the birth of what is rightly now credited as genius. Mo Bee played no small part in this process, and because of that I for one will be eternally grateful. Ready To Die is far from Mo Bee's only accomplishment, and props have to go to him also for his full body of work, from early Big Daddy Kane through his Bad Boy production tasks (including the incredible Craig Mack "Flava In Ya Ear" joint), to production of Miles Davis's last studio recording and recent work with artists such as Alicia Keys. It is also worth noting that Easy Mo Bee was responsible for pre-Wu desk duties on The Genius' "Words From The Genius" LP, in my mind a slept on record swallowed up by the monster of what came next for the GZA and his Staten Island lyrical troupe. Let's not forget that it was also Mo Bee who produced Biggie's first release "Party & Bullshit", thus again preparing the world for what was soon to come.
However, even that record, and the growing hype around the rapper could not have truly prepared anyone for the long-player that followed. The east coast was back, hip-hop had a new hero, and the music that we love had taken another giant leap forward, with Mo Bee the first to fire a warning.
While all of these people are crucial to the album's success, I think that if anybody is going to be credited with significance aside from the rapper himself it has to be producer Easy Mo Bee. Mo Bee may have only produced 6 out of the 15 full tracks on the album, but the run of tunes ("Things Done Changed" aside) which begin the album are all his, and it is this which arguably sets the tone for Biggie's greatness. From "Gimme The Loot", through "Machine Gun Funk" and "Warning", to "Ready To Die" Big unleashes the lyrical brilliance and storytelling gift that defines his presence in rap forever more.
The mix of street stories, hardcore imagery, humour and amazing sonic picture-painting is never better displayed than here, and I believe is crucial in understanding just why Biggie Smalls became so big and such a well-regarded rapper. The album is brilliant from start to finish. Indeed you could argue that it gets stronger as you progress through it, but that is to miss the point I am making slightly, which is that those four tracks, the mixture of Biggie's unique vocal tones, never-bettered delivery and lyrical invention, and Mo Bee's bluesy, understated funk beats, laced with heavy bass and jazz inflections, make the rest of the album possible. They have you believing in everything he says and does from the off, and establish an optimum level of perfection which is never allowed to be dropped throughout. And let's face it, if there is a greater rap than the one Big' spits in "Warning" I am yet to hear it. Two verses of perfection, and as sinister a use of Isaac Hayes' "Walk On By" as anyone could ever conceive.
These tunes are also amongst the first that Biggie dropped for the album, and so show in some ways the emergence of his own confidence in the booth, his own mastery of his vocal techniques, and thus the birth of what is rightly now credited as genius. Mo Bee played no small part in this process, and because of that I for one will be eternally grateful. Ready To Die is far from Mo Bee's only accomplishment, and props have to go to him also for his full body of work, from early Big Daddy Kane through his Bad Boy production tasks (including the incredible Craig Mack "Flava In Ya Ear" joint), to production of Miles Davis's last studio recording and recent work with artists such as Alicia Keys. It is also worth noting that Easy Mo Bee was responsible for pre-Wu desk duties on The Genius' "Words From The Genius" LP, in my mind a slept on record swallowed up by the monster of what came next for the GZA and his Staten Island lyrical troupe. Let's not forget that it was also Mo Bee who produced Biggie's first release "Party & Bullshit", thus again preparing the world for what was soon to come.
However, even that record, and the growing hype around the rapper could not have truly prepared anyone for the long-player that followed. The east coast was back, hip-hop had a new hero, and the music that we love had taken another giant leap forward, with Mo Bee the first to fire a warning.
posted by Twelve Bar at 12:46 AM
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