The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper's experiences as a young criminal, and was the only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second album Life After Death in 1997. Ready to Die peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and was subject to widespread critical acclaim and soon a commercial success. Three singles were released from the album: " Juicy", " Big Poppa", " One More Chance" and a promotional track of Biggie: "Warning". "Juicy", the lead single, 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. "Big Poppa" was a hit on multiple charts, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and also being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards. The Notorious B.I.G.'s lyrics on the album were generally praised by critics, with many praising his story-telling ability. In April 2018, Ready to Die was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was significant for revitalizing the East Coast hip hop scene, amid West Coast hip hop's commercial dominance. It has been ranked by many critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2020, the album was ranked 22nd on Rolling Stone's updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was recorded in New York City (mainly at The Hit Factory) in two stages during 19. In 1994, Biggie was 21 years old when he recorded the album. In 1992, Biggie was signed to the Uptown Records label by A&R Sean "Puffy" Combs. Biggie started recording his debut album in 1993 in New York, after making numerous guest appearances among his label-mates' singles around that time. Although a issue, Combs and Bad Boy never raised the legal concept of the fair use doctrine in their defense.The first tracks recorded include the album's darker, less radio-friendly content (including "Ready to Die," "Gimme the Loot" and "Things Done Changed"). All versions of the album released since the lawsuit are without the disputed samples. On appeal, the found the damages unconstitutionally high and in violation of and remanded the case, at which point Campbell reduced them by $2.8 million however, the verdict was upheld. The jury awarded $4.2 million in punitive and direct damages to the two plaintiffs, and federal judge enacted an immediate sales ban on the album and tracks in question. Lawsuits and sample removal On March 24, 2006, and won a federal lawsuit against for copyright infringement, with a jury deciding that Combs and Bad Boy had illegally used samples for the production of the songs 'Ready to Die', 'Machine Gun Funk', and 'Gimme the Loot'. It has been listed as among the best album covers in hip hop. The album was released with a cover depicting an infant resembling the artist, though sporting an, which pertains to the album's concept of the artist's life from birth to his death.