It sold over a million copies and the RIAA certified it Platinum on July 31, 1995. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and Hot Rap Singles. It was produced by Combs and featured a sample from DeBarge's 'Stay With Me'.

The single was a remix of the album track. 'One More Chance' was released as the third single on June 9, 1995. Rock explained this in an interview with Wax Poetics: It document the star's transition from Brooklyn knucklehead to magazine cover story.' Producer Pete Rock, who was commissioned to remix the track, alleged that Puffy stole the idea for the original song's beat after hearing it from him during a visit. Andrew Kameka, of, stated that the song was one of his 'greatest and most-revealing songs' and went on to say it was a 'Part-autobiography, part-declaration-of-success. AllMusic's Steve Huey stated that, along with the other singles, it was an 'upbeat, commercial moment', calling it a 'rags-to-riches chronicle'. Produced by Combs, it features a prominent sample of 'Juicy Fruit' as performed by James Mtume. It shipped 500,000 copies in the United States and the RIAA certified it Gold on November 16, 1994. It peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 14 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and reached number 3 on the Hot Rap Singles. 'Juicy' was released as the lead single on August 8, 1994. 'Things Done Changed' was also one of the few hip hop songs in The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. In the original Rolling Stone review, Cheo H Coker declared that he 'maintains a consistent level of tension by juxtaposing emotional highs and lows'. The album is also noted for its dark tone and sinister sense of depression.

Touré, writing for The New York Times, referred to The Notorious B.I.G., proclaiming that he stood out from other rappers because 'his lyrics mix autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty, telling how he felt while making a living as a drug dealer'. He also went on to mention that his lyrics are 'firmly rooted in reality, but play like scene from a movie'. Many critics applauded his story-telling ability such as AllMusic writer Steve Huey, who stated 'His raps are easy to understand, but his skills are hardly lacking-he has a loose, easy flow and a talent for piling multiple rhymes on top of one another in quick succession'. The Notorious B.I.G.'s lyrics on the album were generally praised by critics. Not everything is so dark, though Combs' production collaborations result in some upbeat, commercial moments, and typically cop from recognizable hits: the Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' on the graphic sex rap 'One More Chance,' Mtume's 'Juicy Fruit' on the rags-to-riches chronicle 'Juicy,' and the Isley Brothers' 'Between the Sheets' on the overweight-lover anthem 'Big Poppa.' Producer Easy Mo Bee's deliberate beats do get a little samey, but it hardly matters: this is Biggie's show, and by the time 'Suicidal Thoughts' closes the album on a heartbreaking note, it's clear why he was so revered even prior to his death. The album is also sprinkled with reflections on the soul-draining bleakness of the streets - 'Things Done Changed,' 'Ready to Die,' and 'Everyday Struggle' are powerfully affecting in their confusion and despair. A sense of doom pervades his most involved stories: fierce bandits ('Gimme the Loot'), a hustler's beloved girlfriend ('Me & My Bitch'), and robbers out for Biggie's newfound riches ('Warning') all die in hails of gunfire. Yet, no matter how much he heightens things for effect, it's always easy to see elements of Biggie in his narrators and of his own experience in the details everything is firmly rooted in reality, but plays like scenes from a movie.

He's blessed with a flair for the dramatic, and slips in and out of different contradictory characters with ease. His raps are easy to understand, but his skills are hardly lacking - he has a loose, easy flow and a talent for piling multiple rhymes on top of one another in quick succession. Today it's recognized as one of the greatest hardcore rap albums ever recorded, and that's mostly due to Biggie's skill as a storyteller. a star, and vaulted Sean 'Puffy' Combs' Bad Boy label into the spotlight as well. The album that reinvented East Coast rap for the gangsta age, Ready to Die made the Notorious B.I.G.

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