How is Ready To Die better than Reasonable Doubt? Why is Big supposedly better overall?

[No1]

Ready to Die is a more all around album.

Everyday Struggle is a better reasonable doubt song than most of the songs on reasonable doubt.

 

[CHAIN]

This guy said that 22 twos was a better record than The What.

22 twos is a dope B side.
The What is life.

Brooklyns Finest is Liigghhhhhht compared to Machine Gun Funk.

Jay was more lyrical but fukk your opinion

 

[Pifferry]

This guy said that 22 twos was a better record than The What.

22 twos is a dope B side.
The What is life.

Brooklyns Finest is Liigghhhhhht compared to Machine Gun Funk.

Jay was more lyrical but fukk your opinion

Biggies extra clit licking lines don't compare to Jigga giving is twenty two twos and a petty minds still sleeping imo.
Method Man saves the song.

 

[feelosofer]

I love Reasonable Doubt and I remember having parties at my apt and just spinning that album on repeat back in 96. Jay is a technical marvel on the mic too and that album showcases that.

But

Ready to Die was just too dark for that shyt. Ready to Die is a masterpiece of an album.

It was one of the few albums that really showed the complexities of being a Black man in America and showed it's ups it's downs, living in the slums or from the Penthouse and then to close an album with a song like Suicidal Thoughts ( been done before but Biggie did it the best). It's one of the few albums I can listen to and feel like I'm hearing it for the first time. Also low key the What had maybe the illest verse ever from Method Man on a non wu joint. Biggie didn't just fill you up with bread and salad, he really gave us a four course meal.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

Now let me preface this by saying that Biggie is on my personal top five MC's list (mainly off of his features and work on Life After Death) and that I have a high level of respect for his skill, and being that Jigga is my favorite rapper of all time I have a high level of bias going into this, but going through and listening to both of these albums side by side leaves me baffled as to how i'm supposed to conclude that RTD is in any way shape or form the superior product.
I mean their are a lot of things we could discuss about this project, production is one but i'll leave that alone considering it isn't relevant to their actual skill besides how they flow on a beat.
But if we're talking about comparing the rapping ability of the two, Biggie sounds incredibly rough on this album (compared to his appearance on Life After Death) and even simplistic for a large portion of the time, when if you compare that to Hov, his flow is already at (what could be considered as but probably isn't) it's zenith, there's no choppiness or roughness in the rhymes, and if we're going to compare who's more clever between the two Jay Z ultimately has much better punchlines and metaphors/entendres and other technical measurements.
(This isn't to say Biggie didn't flow his ass off on this album, but compared to LAD?)
And I understand from reading on here, that Biggie's roughness is apart of the appeal of the album, but skill wise between the two there's a clear gulf in my honest opinion.
And when were looking at the albums as pieces on their own, obviously they're both going for two different goals, Biggies is more geared towards basic "street goonery" for the most part, and the struggles the people around him would go through (like with Everyday Struggle) or the "street level" heights of being a dealer/hustler.
While RD alternates between Jay Z's heavy mafioso themes/images like with Politics As Usual, and New York "street" influenced records like 22 Two's, so I could easily see RTD connecting with the every man more especially with the party record.
But I certainly feel like in terms of having a message/theme to get across from beginning to end and how they show it off from beginning to end is at the very least equal (the contrast from Can't Knock The Hustle and Regrets is seriously great).
And when we're talking songs I believe this really comes down to which songs you believe are more powerful/superior out of the well "serious" ones in conjunction with the throwaways or "for fun" tracks.
So if we were to compare them side by side how would this go:
Things Done Changed vs Can't Knock The Hustle (A toss up though I prefer CNTH by far)
Gimme The Loot vs Politics As Usual (One of the best storytelling songs of all time vs another track I prefer which is why I'm also giving this a toss up, either way is fine)
Brooklyn's Finest vs Machine Gun Funk (another toss up, probably the closest so far though i'd go with BK)
Warning vs Dead Presidents (Is their really a question here? Most definitely DP)
Ready To Die vs Feeling It (two very different types of song, though I'd say Feeling It is at minimum as well written as RTD, and is definitely more proficient/skill lyrically in all categories)
One More Chance vs D'Evils (is their really a question once again?)
The What vs 22 Two's (22 Two's is definitely more lyrical and superior in concept/execution and impact)
Juicy vs Can I Live (Juicy is without a doubt the more iconic song but any beyond surface level hip hop listener knows the greatness of Can I Live, but i'll give it a toss up even though I love CIL much more and think it's better)
Everyday Struggle vs Ain't No nikka (Clearly Biggie)
Me & My bytch vs Coming of Age (COA easy)
Cashmere Thoughts vs Big Poppa (BP wins, not to diminish CT's place on the album or Jay's skill)
Respect vs Bring It On (possibly a topic but i'm going to have to go with mixed like a mulatto easily)
Friend Of Mine vs Regrets (Regrets obviously)
And then there's Unbelievable and Suicidal Thought's and Unbelievable is another great song, but doesnt really tip anything but Suicidal Thoughts certainly gives Big an extra point.
If I'm going to compare these two albums from the songs I listed Biggie had a lot more rapping just for the sake of rapping without an actual direction songs or crude or basic songs talking about clits and dikks and techs with simple language compared to Jay.
Can someone explain to me where i'm supposed to see this gulf in quality? Because if there's anything it's probably in the other direction as far as I can see.

first off.... why would anyone ever compare these two albums AT THE TIME


RTD dropped in 1994

RD dropped in 1996


so by the time jay was dropping his first joint, biggie had already been placed as ny savior and was cranking out hit after hit, remix after remix, junior mafia album, lil kim album, and was getting ready to drop his second album in 97


so if anything RD was going to be compared to LAD which dropped MONTHS later and not 2 years later


and as everyone can see LAD was light years ahead of RD and they were about 8-9 months apart

 

[Pifferry]

first off.... why would anyone ever compare these two albums AT THE TIME


RTD dropped in 1994

RD dropped in 1996


so by the time jay was dropping his first joint, biggie had already been placed as ny savior and was cranking out hit after hit, remix after remix, junior mafia album, lil kim album, and was getting ready to drop his second album in 97


so if anything RD was going to be compared to LAD which dropped MONTHS later and not 2 years later


and as everyone can see LAD was light years ahead of RD and they were about 8-9 months apart

Because people always compare those two album, especially because they're the artists respective debuts.
Comparing it to LAD would be weird.
I'm not talking about what people thought or did at the time.

 

[Mac Casper]

Reasonable Doubt is the much better album. All of you who voted otherwise are suckas who lack your own perspective and instead live off paradigms

 

[Randoug]

RTD is a much better album..more cohesive, better story telling, better flow and delivery..Reasonable doubt has slightly better lyricism but is much less of a complete package than RTD.

 

[Pifferry]

Ready to Die is a more all around album.

Everyday Struggle is a better reasonable doubt song than most of the songs on reasonable doubt.

Elaborate.

RTD is a much better album..more cohesive, better story telling, better flow and delivery..Reasonable doubt has slightly better lyricism but is much less of a complete package than RTD.

It being more cohesive doesn't make much sense.
RD is much more streamlined.

 

[The Ruler 09]

To me Biggie is a better MC and artist than Jay but Jay got to do a lot more....

 

[Zero]

Not even gonna lie to you, I respect Ready to Die but as the years go on, I find myself listening to it less and less


I could put on Doubt right now and just let it ride

 

[Zero]

Real shyt. RTD was a classic organically...it seems like it's taken years of people trying to beat you over the head that RD is a classic...and that's the strongest evidence that it never was.

"organically"...nikkas took shots at Big for that album

Ya'll just paying respect to the dead is all it is

 

[Zero]

Reasonable Doubt is the much better album. All of you who voted otherwise are suckas who lack your own perspective and instead live off paradigms

Got nikkas quotin what another rapper said to plead their case

 

[Nick Barnes]

Both albums are certified classics but I always liked RTD better.

BIG is my favorite rapper tho

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

Because people always compare those two album, especially because they're the artists respective debuts.
Comparing it to LAD would be weird.
I'm not talking about what people thought or did at the time.

yea but music changes... jay had an extra 2 years to see what biggie did and what east coast artists were doing and build off that... as you see in his features, getting who was hot at the time with producers, sound, singers, etc

while biggie putting his album together in 93-94 was a totally different era.. and most the people he got his beats and music from, wasn't even hot like that by 96..


comparing 96 and 97 albums is much closer in sound, production, features, etc




that's why RD and RTD sound so damn different... with RTD sounding much more dated and rugged like the early 90s albums and RD sounding more crisp and updated as we was moving into the 00s





that being said... i still give it to RTD.. felt more like a complete album where RD was hot.. but it was all over the place.. jay didn't know what sound he wanted and just went with a little of everything... both 10/10 albums tho