Ready to Die (1994)

By The Notorious B.I.G.

Part autobiography, part street narrative, this 1994 debut traces a young Brooklyn criminal's rise, with beats from Sean Combs, Easy Mo Bee and DJ Premier behind one of rap's sharpest storytellers. It produced the singles "Juicy" and "Big Poppa," the latter nominated for a Grammy, and Rolling Stone later ranked it the greatest hip-hop album ever made.