Short answers, pulled from the story.
Ready to Die was released on the 13th of September 1994 by Bad Boy Records, distributed by Arista Records. It was recorded between 1993 and 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City.
Ready to Die was certified six-times Platinum by the RIAA in April 2018. It reached Gold certification in November 1994, just two months after its release, and was certified double Platinum by October 1995.
"Juicy" peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on Hot Rap Singles. "Big Poppa" reached number six on the Hot 100 and number one on Hot Rap Singles. "One More Chance" peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and number one on both Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Hot Rap Singles.
Ready to Die was ranked 22nd on Rolling Stone's updated 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020, up from 133rd in 2003 and 134th in 2012. Rolling Stone also ranked it first on their list of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.
On the 24th of March 2006, Bridgeport Music and Westbound Records won a federal lawsuit against Bad Boy Records for illegally sampling tracks used in "Ready to Die", "Machine Gun Funk", and "Gimme the Loot". A jury awarded $4.2 million in damages, though an appeals court found the amount unconstitutionally high and it was reduced by $2.8 million.
The Library of Congress added Ready to Die to the National Recording Registry in 2024, designating it as "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant." The album is credited with revitalizing East Coast hip-hop during a period of West Coast commercial dominance.