Notorious B.I.G.

American rapper

• Born: May 21, 1972
• Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
• Died: March 9, 1997
• Place of death: Los Angeles, California

The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls or just Biggie, was one of the leading artists of East Coast rap, creating a hip-hop empire that rivaled that of the West Coast. Though he was murdered in the midst of his rise to superstardom, he is remembered as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

The Life

Christopher George Latore Wallace was the only child of George Latore and Voletta Wallace. His father left when he was two, so his mother raised him alone. He was a good student, and he won several awards in the subject of English at Queen of All Saints Middle School in Brooklyn, New York. He later transferred to the George Westinghouse Information Technology High School alongside fellow future rap stars Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes. At age twelve, Wallace began selling drugs, which led to the first of a series of arrests throughout his life.

Although he had been performing hip-hop music for a number of years, Wallace did not start recording until the 1990s. His first demo, recorded under the name Biggie Smalls, caught the attention of Sean Combs, who signed him to Uptown Records in 1992. His only recording for the label was an appearance on a song by Heavy D and the Boyz. When Combs was fired from Uptown Records, Biggie Smalls signed a contract with Combs's new label, Bad Boy Records. Because another performer was using the name Biggie Smallz, he began recording under the name Notorious B.I.G. in late 1992, although some fans continue to refer to him as Biggie.

Notorious B.I.G. released his first album, Ready to Die, in September, 1994, a month after he married singer Faith Evans. He also began working on the album Conspiracy with a group of friends known as Junior M.A.F.I.A., which was released in 1995. He was also caught up in a bicoastal rap feud involving onetime collaborator Tupac Shakur, which led to rumors that Notorious B.I.G. was involved in Shakur's unsolved murder.

In March, 1997, Notorious B.I.G. traveled to Los Angeles to promote his upcoming album, tentatively called Life After Death…'Til Death Do Us Part. While leaving a party following the eleventh annual Soul Train Music Awards, he was shot and killed. Fifteen days later, his album was released with the title Life After Death. Bad Boy Records released two posthumous collaboration albums, Born Again and Duets: The Final Chapter, featuring previously unreleased material mixed with guest vocalists.

The Music

Notorious B.I.G.'s music is characterized by his skill as a storyteller and his relaxed, flowing style. He frequently made reference to violence and his involvement with drug dealing, making him an icon of so-called gangsta rap, but he also used his songs to showcase his sense of humor and his romantic side. His albums featured a contrast of dark "reality raps" and lighter, fun-oriented dance tracks. Many of his raps begin with utterances like "Uhh, uhh" before the lyrics begin, as if feeling out the groove before beginning to rap, along with additional interjections throughout by Combs (credited under the name Puff Daddy). Structurally, Notorious B.I.G.'s songs typically contrast rapped verses with sung refrains.

"Juicy." The first single from Ready to Die shows Notorious B.I.G. reflecting on how far he had come from being a thug on the street to being a hip-hop star. Throughout the song, he contrasts his life of poverty and crime in his early years with the life of prosperity he lived after he became successful. The accompaniment is sampled from the song "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume. Verses are rapped by Notorious B.I.G., while the chorus is sung by the rhythm-and-blues group Total.

"Big Poppa." The second single from Ready to Die, "Big Poppa," was Notorious B.I.G.'s first Top 10 hit. It features a sample of the song "Between the Sheets" by the Isley Brothers. The lyrics are largely rap-mafioso-style sexual boasting. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance and won a Billboard Award in the same category.

"Hypnotize." The first single from the Life After Death album, "Hypnotize," reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making the Notorious B.I.G. the fifth performer to have a posthumous number-one hit. The lyrics are a combination of gangsta bragging and "dissing" (disrespecting other rappers either by name or in general). He also makes reference to many of his aliases (Poppa, Frank White, Biggie). The accompaniment is simple, consisting largely of a synthesized bass and drum machine, and it is based around a sample of the Herb Alpert song "Rise." The verses are rapped solo by Notorious B.I.G., and the chorus is sung by Pamela Long of the rhythm-and-blues group Total.

"Mo Money, Mo Problems." The second single released posthumously from Life After Death, "Mo Money, Mo Problems," features guest rap vocals from Combs and Mase and a refrain sung by Kelly Price. The lyrics present a mixed message. The rapped verses emphasize success and wealth, while the refrain laments that more problems come from having more money. The accompaniment is sampled from the Diana Ross hit "I'm Coming Out." This single also reached number one, making Notorious B.I.G. the first performer to have two posthumous number-one hits.

Musical Legacy

Notorious B.I.G. is largely credited with saving East Coast rap from being completely overshadowed by West Coast rap in the 1990s. His music has been remixed and sampled by many others since his death, and he has received numerous honors from the hip-hop community and as well as from the music industry as a whole. For example, in 2020 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to his solo career, Notorious B.I.G. promoted the careers of artists such as Lil' Kim, Lil' Cease, and Jay-Z through his collaborations with Junior M.A.F.I.A. and later the Commission.

Notorious B. I.G.'s legacy extends beyond music. His music video for the song "Hypnotize" ushered in the trend of wearing suits made from shiny fabrics. In addition, the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, named in his honor and headed by his mother, sponsored an annual black-tie dinner called B.I.G. Night Out to honor his memory and raise funds for children's school supplies and equipment. In the hip-hop community he is seen as a legend, especially in his native Brooklyn. In 2019 it was announced that a Brooklyn street would be named after him, indicating his status as a cultural icon.

Principal Recordings

albums:Ready to Die, 1994; Life After Death, 1997; Born Again, 1999; Ready to Die: The Remaster, 2004; Duets: The Final Chapter, 2005.

Bibliography

Brown, Jake. Ready to Die: The Story of Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G. Phoenix, Ariz.: Amber Books, 2004. This is the first comprehensive biography of the rapper, and it explores his roots and the contributions he made to the genre of rap.

Coker, Cheo Hodari. Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004. This biography from a journalist's perspective is written in a personal tone, and it focuses more on his life than on his death.

Fitzgerald, Trent. "Biggie to Be Inducted into 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." XXL, 15 Jan. 2020, www.xxlmag.com/news/2020/01/notorious-b-i-g-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2020-induction/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2020.

Lang, Holly. The Notorious B.I.G.: A Biography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. This biography covers the facts of Notorious B.I.G.'s life and offers some speculation regarding the incidents surrounding his death.

Sullivan, Randall. LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records' Suge Knight and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal. New York: Grove Press, 2003. This is an investigation into the deaths of the two rappers and the connections with police officers associated with the record label and street gangs.

Wallace, Voletta. Biggie: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G. New York: Atria, 2005. This memoir written by Notorious B.I.G.'s mother offers memories of her son and perspectives on the people around him.