Rewind: Notorious B.I.G. 'Ready to Die' (Part 2)

The track that introduced much of the world to B.I.G. was the album's lead smash single 'Juicy', which would go gold by the end of 1994. For one of Biggie's trademark songs, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Jean Oliver looped segments of Mtume's 80s hit 'Juicy Fruit'. More than a decade after its release as a single, 'Juicy' is still one of the necessary tracks in every DJ's arsenal: it is an essential party mover.

The Bluez Brothers produced 'Everyday Struggle' samples smooth jazz icon Dave Grusin's 1979 song 'Either Way' from his album 'Mountain Dance'. 'Ready to Die''s second single was another smash hit, the Sean "Puffy" Combs / Chucky Thompson produced 'Big Poppa' launched into the Billboard top 10 in 1995. The track famously mines 'Between the Sheets' by the Isley Brothers to fantastic results. Combs and Oliver dissect George McCrae's 'I Get Lifted' for Biggie's 'Respect'. 'Respect' features guest vocals from Diana King, who would receive a record deal due to this appearance and go on to have a solo hit with 'Shy Guy'.

Check back for part 3 of 'Ready to Die'.

The Lowdown:
Notorious B.I.G. 'Juicy', 'Everyday Struggle', 'Big Poppa', and 'Respect'
from 'Ready to Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Juicy', 'Everyday Struggle', 'Big Poppa', and 'Respect'
Mtume 'Juicy Fruit'
from 'Juicy Fruit' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Dave Grusin 'Either Way'
from 'Mountain Dance' (1979) (MP3/CD)
The Isley Brothers 'Between the Sheets'
from 'Between the Sheets' (1982) (MP3/CD)
George McCrae 'I Get Lifted
from 'Rock Your Baby' (1974) (MP3 unavailable/CD)

BONUS CUT:
Of course, Biggie was not the only one to use 'Juicy Fruit' as a sample. Warren G's self-produced singles 'Do You See' and 'This D.J.' both pluck 'Juicy Fruit' (and both slightly pre-date 'Ready to Die', although both albums were probably produced around the same time). Several B.I.G. referencing tracks also use 'Juicy Fruit', like the Faith Evans' 2001 album title track 'Faithfully and the 2007 hit 'Let it Go' by Keyshia Cole produced by Missy Elliott who also appears along with Lil' Kim.