Time To Get Manly 49: The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die

I randomly ran across a list of what Esquire magazine claims are "The 75 Albums Every Man Should Own." In this series of posts, I'll explore these manly, manly sounds.

The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die

How to become a hip-hop conspiracy of legendary proportions in seven easy steps:

1. Call your first record Ready to Die. 2. Pepper the record with eerie foreshadowing about your inevitable demise. 3. Watch that shit blow up and make you world famous. 4. A few short years later, "die" in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. 5. Fifteen days after that, posthumously release a second album called Life After Death. 6. Thumb your nose at the haters. 7. Enjoy your anonymous life of luxury in New Zealand with your secret best friend Tupac Shakur - you've earned it!