Posted on 05.19.2003
Notorious
B.I.G
Name: Christopher G. L. Wallace
Alias: Biggie Smalls, Frank White
Birth: May 21, 1972 Brooklyn, New York
Death: March 9th, 1997 Los Angeles, Ca
--- The Notorious B.I.G Biography:
Notorious BIG grew up in the tough district of Bedford-Stuyvesant, in Brooklyn, New York. He soon graduated to a life modelled on the activities of those around him, selling drugs and acting as a teenage lookout. He first rapped, under the name Biggie Smalls, as part of the neighbourhood group the Old Gold Brothers.
Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G., was the only one who lived up to the
predictions of a comeback for the East Coast hardcore sound. With the help of
Bad Boy producer Sean "Puffy" Combs and R&B collaborators like
Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and Total, Biggie snatched public attention away
from the G-funk sound of the West Coast.
Notorious BIG first made a name for himself with a remix of Mary J. Blige’s "What’s the 411?" . His first solo effort was "Party And Bullshit", included on the soundtrack to the movie Who’s The Man. His debut album followed in 1994. Ready To Die became a major hit thanks to the inclusion of singles such as "Juicy", "One More Chance" and "Big Poppa’, the latter a US Top 10 hit which was voted Billboard’s rap single of the year. The record quickly went platinum, and the Notorious B.I.G. was named Rapper of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Awards.
His success reached beyond the tri-state area, bridging regional gaps and unifying
hip hop audiences across the country. Because B.I.G. had been influenced by
everyone from Kool G Rap to NWA, Too Short to Slick Rick, he had national appeal.
Notorious B.I.G. never left the ghetto behind. He formed Junior M.A.F.I.A. with some
of his former hustler colleagues, releasing an album, Conspiracy, in 1995.
He
was also involved in a running feud with rapper 2Pac, who was convinced of B.I.G.’s
involvement in a 1994 robbery in which he was injured. Their disagreement soon
festered into a bitter feud between the east and west coast American rap scenes.
When 2Pac was murdered, B.I.G.’s non-attendance at a rap peace summit in Harlem was widely criticized. Instead he began work on a second album, entitled, prophetically, Life After Death, a 24-song, double disc collection that was breathtaking in its scope. Featuring lush production by Sean "Puffy" Combs, RZA and DJ Premier among others.
On March 9 1997, he attended the Soul Train Music Awards and the party that followed. After the bash, Notorious BIG was sitting in a G.M.C. Suburban on the street when he was shot several times by an unknown assailant. He died almost instantly.
Theories abound about Notorious BIG’s death, the most popular being that the incident
was part of the East Coast-West Coast feud between rappers, and that Notorious BIG’s
murder was payback for the September killing of Tupac Shakur.
There had been a buzz around L.A. that the local rap community was unhappy with the high profile presence Notorious BIG had taken on while on their turf, and that the Soul Train Awards appearance was the capper.
The deaths of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., just six months apart, are without a doubt related. But the question remains: Who killed them? And why?
The untimely deaths of both artists sealed their status as legends.
--- The Notorious B.I.G Discography:
| The
Notorious B.I.G Albums |
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Notorious B.I.G Singles Party and Bullshyt |
Notorious BIG Gallery
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