Notorious B.I.G

From Rap Dictionary

Biggie Smalls Biography

Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (after a stylish gangster in 1975's Let's Do it Again) and Frank White (from the film King of New York), but best known as The Notorious B.I.G. (Business Instead of Game and, since his death, Books Instead of Guns), was a popular Brooklyn-born rapper of the mid-1990s. Following his untimely death in 1997, he has been immortalized as a hip hop legend.

Childhood and drug career The 6'3", 300 pound (136 kg) rapper, was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. B.I.G.'s mother Voletta Wallace was a preschool teacher who claimed that Christopher lived a comfortable life.His father left the family when Biggie was two years old, leaving his mother to work two jobs while raising him. At the Queen of All Saints Middle School, Biggie was a good student, winning several awards as an English student. He was nicknamed "Big" because of his size before he turned ten years old.[9] From the age of twelve, he sold drugs, unbeknownst to his mother.[10]

Biggie transferred out of the private Roman Catholic school that he attended, at his request, to attend the state-funded George Westinghouse Information Technology High School, where Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes were also students. According to his mother, he was still a good student, but developed a "smart-ass" attitude. At 17, Biggie dropped out of high school and became further involved in crime. In 1989, he was arrested on weapons charges in Brooklyn and sentenced to five years' probation. In 1990, he was arrested on a violation of his probation. A year later, Biggie was arrested in North Carolina for dealing crack cocaine. He spent nine months in jail until he made bail. He would later traffic the drug into Virginia where it could be sold at a higher price. Even as a drug dealer, young Wallace was known for his charisma.

Rap Career Biggie started rapping from a young age, performing with local groups, the Old Gold Brothers and the Techniques. After leaving prison, he made a demo tape under the name of Biggie Smalls, a reference to his childhood nickname and to his stature; he stood at 6'3" (1.90 m) and weighed between 300 and 380 pounds (between 136 and 172 kg) by differing accounts. The tape was reportedly made with no serious intent on getting a recording deal, but was promoted by New York-based DJ Mister Cee, who had previously worked with Big Daddy Kane, and was heard by the editor of The Source magazine.

In March 1992, Biggie featured in The Source's Unsigned Hype column, dedicated to aspiring rappers and was invited to produce a recording with other unsigned artists, in a move that was reportedly uncommon at the time.[13] The demo tape was heard by Uptown Records A&R and producer, Sean "Puffy" Combs, who arranged for a meeting with Biggie. He was signed to Uptown immediately and made an appearance on label mates, Heavy D & the Boyz' "A Buncha Niggas" (from Blue Funk).

Soon after signing his recording contract, Combs was fired from Uptown and started a new label.[15] Biggie followed and in the summer of 1992, signed to Combs' new imprint label, Bad Boy Records. On August 10, 1992 Biggie's long-term partner gave birth to his first child, T-yanna.[16] Biggie continued selling drugs after the birth to support his daughter financially. Once this was discovered by Combs, he was made to quit.[3]

Biggie gained exposure later in the year on a remix to Mary J. Blige's single "Real Love", under the pseudonym The Notorious B.I.G.; the name he would record under for the remainder of his career after finding his original moniker was in use.[17] "Real Love" peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was followed by a remix of Blige's "What's the 411".

He continued this success, to a lesser extent, on remixes with Neneh Cherry ("Buddy X") and reggae artist Supercat ("Dolly My Baby", also featuring Combs) in 1993. In April 1993, his solo track, "Party and Bullshit", appeared on the Who's the Man? soundtrack.[16] In July 1994, he appeared alongside LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes on a remix to label mate Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear", reaching #9 on the Hot 100. In the same year, Biggie collaborated on "Runnin'" and other songs with rapper Tupac Shakur, a New York City native who he met in Los Angeles.

Biggie first gained notice with "Party and Bullshit," his first single. He appeared on "One Million Strong" on a song called "RUNNIN'" with 2Pac & Dramacydal. He also made an appearance on a Trapp album called "Stop The Gunfight" on a track called "Be The Realist" with 2Pac & Trapp. This album also contained a remix of "RUNNIN'" called "Stop The Gunfight".

On August 4, 1994, Biggie married R&B singer Faith Evans ten days after they met at a Bad Boy photoshoot.[18][16] Four days later, Biggie had his first pop chart success as a solo artist with double A-side, "Juicy/Unbelievable", which reached #27 as the lead single to his debut album.

Ready to Die was released on September 14, 1994 and reached #15 on the Billboard 200 chart,[19] eventually being certified four times platinum. The album, released at a time when West Coast hip hop was prominent in the U.S. charts, according to Rolling Stone "almost single-handedly... shifted the focus back to East Coast rap". It gained strong reviews on release and has received much praise in retrospect. In addition to "Juicy", the album produced two hit singles; the platinum-selling "Big Poppa", which reached #1 on the U.S. rap chart,[5] and "One More Chance" featuring Faith Evans, a loosely related remix of an album track and its best selling single.

In 1995, Biggie's clique Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes) released the album Conspiracy. That same year saw Biggie introduce to the mainstream his crewmates Lil' Kim and Lil' Caesar. That same year, B.I.G.'s single "One More Chance" debuted at #5 on the Pop Charts, at the time, tying Scream/Childhood by Michael Jackson as the highest debut single in music history, although this record has since been surpased by Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone which debuted at number one. "One More Chance," which sampled the R&B song "Stay With Me," was a remix of the song by the same name that originally appeared on Ready to Die. On August 4, 1994, Biggie married R&B singer Faith Evans ten days after they met at a Bad Boy photoshoot.[18][16] Four days later, Biggie had his first pop chart success as a solo artist with double A-side, "Juicy/Unbelievable", which reached #27 as the lead single to his debut album.

By the end of 1995, The Notorious B.I.G. had become one of the most famous and popular rappers in the world. He was named Lyricist Of The Year by The Source, and many dubbed him the "King Of New York" (a play on his "Frank White" nickname, which stems from the movie with the same name).

East Coast vs. West Coast Fued

Although Ready to Die brought massive fame to Biggie, he is most famed for his alleged involvement in rap's most infamous feud between the East and West Coast scenes. Before Ready to Die was released, Biggie began to associate with rap superstar Tupac Shakur, a Brooklyn native who moved to Los Angeles, California. The two recorded a number of songs together, and Biggie even performed alongside Tupac in a now-famous Madison Square Garden freestyle in 1994. However, their friendship ended when Shakur was shot in November of 1994 and suspected Biggie and Puff Daddy of culpability. Shakur subsequently joined Death Row Records after his release from prison in late 1995. Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment were the two most successful labels of the 1990's, and with the two biggest stars in rap now associated with different labels, the feud escalated. When Tupac was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, where he had been watching a Mike Tyson boxing match, rumors of Biggie's possible involvement in the murder cropped up almost immediately. Biggie denied the allegations. Also around this time, Biggie was involved in a car accident that shattered his leg and would force him to use a cane for the rest of his life.

On March 9, 1997, the events came full circle when Biggie was shot and killed in Los Angeles, where he had been attending a party by VIBE Magazine near the Peterson Automotive Museum. Neither murder has been conclusively solved, though theories abound as to the motives and identities of the murderers. Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight and the Mob Piru Bloods gang with whom he associated are among the prime suspects for involvement. In his book, LAbyrinth, LAPD officer Randall Sullivan probes the circumstances and figures involved in the shootings.

Additionally, Director Nick Broomfield has released an investigative documentary called Biggie & Tupac which implicates the LAPD and Suge Knight.

The Los Angeles Times ran an almost universally discredited article entitled "Who Shot Tupac Shakur?" by reporter Chuck Phillips, which concludes that Biggie Smalls was ultimately behind the Las Vegas shooting of Tupac. Evidence to the contrary, most notably a dated and timed excerpt from a recording that Biggie made in a studio in New York when he was supposedly providing the murder weapon to hitmen in Las Vegas has since surfaced. The fact that the article claims that Biggie checked in and out of a hotel without being noticed by a single individual, despite being a 6'3", 300 pound national celebrity also damages the credibility of the article. Arrests, death and birth Biggie started recording his second album in September 1995. The album, recorded in New York, Trinidad and Los Angeles, was interrupted during its 18 months of creation by injury, legal wranglings and the highly publicized feud in which he was involved.[28]

On March 23, 1996, Biggie was arrested outside a Manhattan nightclub for chasing and threatening to kill two autograph seekers, smashing the windows of their taxicab and then pulling one of the fans out and punching them.[11] He pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and was sentenced to 100 hours community service. In the summer of 1996, he was arrested at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey for drug and weapons possession charges.[11]

In June 1996, Shakur released "Hit 'Em Up"; a diss song in which he explicitly claimed to have had sex with Biggie's at-the-time estranged wife Faith Evans, and that Biggie copied his style and image. Biggie acknowledged the former, referring to it in regards to his wife's pregnancy on Jay-Z's "Brooklyn's Finest" ("If Fay' had twins, she'd probably have two-Pac's/Get it? .. Tu-pac's") but did not directly respond to the record, stating in a 1997 radio interview it is "not [his] style" to respond.[26]

Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996; rumors of Biggie's involvement in the murder were reported almost immediately, and notably in a two-part article by Chuck Philips in the Los Angeles Times in 2002.[29] He denied the allegation claiming he was in a New York recording studio at the time.[25] Following his death, an anti-violence hip-hop summit was held; Biggie did not attend and received criticism.[3]

On October 29, 1996, Faith Evans gave birth to Biggie's first son, Christopher "CJ" Wallace, Jr.[16] The following month Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Kim released her debut album, Hard Core, under Biggie's direction while the two were involved in an apparent love affair.[3]

Life After Death During the recording sessions for his second album, tentatively named Life After Death... 'Til Death Do Us Part, Biggie was involved in a car crash that shattered his left leg and temporarily confined him to a wheelchair. The injury forced him to use a cane for the rest of his life.

In January 1997, Biggie was ordered to pay $41,000 in damages following an incident involving a friend of a concert promoter who claimed to have been beaten and robbed following a dispute by Biggie and his entourage in May 1995.[30] He faced criminal assault charges for the incident which remain unresolved, but all robbery charges were dropped.[11] Following the events of the previous year, Biggie spoke of a desire to focus on his "peace of mind". "My mom... my son... my daughter... my family are what matters to me now".

Death

In March 1997, Biggie traveled to California to promote his upcoming album and record a music video for its lead single, "Hypnotize". Life After Death was scheduled for release on March 25, 1997. On March 8, 1997, he presented an award at the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles and was booed by some of the audience. After the ceremony, Biggie attended an after party hosted by Vibe magazine and Qwest Records at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Other guests included Faith Evans, Combs and members of the Bloods and Crips gangs.

On March 9, 1997, at 12:30 a.m., Biggie left with his entourage in two GMC Suburbans to return to his hotel after an announcement was made that the party would finish early. Biggie traveled in the front passenger seat alongside his associates, Damion "D-Rock" Butler, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease and driver, Gregory "G-Money" Young. Combs traveled in the other vehicle with three bodyguards. The two trucks were trailed by a Chevrolet Blazer carrying Bad Boy's director of security.[9]

By 12:45 a.m. the streets were crowded with people leaving the event. Biggie's truck stopped at a red light 50 yards from the museum. While waiting for the light to change, a white Toyota Land Cruiser made a U-turn and cut in-between Biggie's vehicle and the Chevrolet Blazer behind. Simultaneously, a black Chevrolet Impala pulled up alongside Biggie's truck. The driver of the Impala (an African-American male neatly dressed in a blue suit and bow tie) rolled down his window, drew a 9mm blue-steel pistol and shot numerous rounds into the GMC Suburban; four bullets hit Biggie in the chest.

Biggie was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by his entourage but was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m

Posthumous career

Life After Death, Biggie's second album, debuted at #1 on the charts. The album was released only two weeks after Biggie's murder. Its lead single was "Hypnotize", which was also the last video Biggie would take part in. Life After Death hit number one on the Billboard charts and spawned several hit singles in the United States. The album sold 18 million copies (worldwide), and, as of 2005, is the best selling hip-hop album of all time. Biggie's biggest chart hit was with the song "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems," an upbeat number featuring rappers Mase and Puff Daddy, and sampling the disco song "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross for the beat. The video is noted for having started the "Shiny Suit" era in hip hop. The last video single from Life After Death was "Sky's The Limit" featuring 112. The video for this song, directed by Spike Jonze, was noted for the use of children portraying a day in the life of Biggie.

During the summer of 1997, Puff Daddy released his debut album "No Way Out," which featured Biggie on a number of songs, notably in the chorus of the single "Been Around the World" over David Bowie's sample ("Let's Dance"). However, the single that carried this album to the top was "I'll Be Missing You", a tribute and a massively successful single dedicated to Biggie. The song featured Puff Daddy, Wallace's widow Faith Evans and R&B group 112. The song sampled the melody of The Police's hit song "Every Breath You Take." All these artists performed the song with (former Police vocalist) Sting during the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.

The year 1999 saw another release of a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. album. Puff Daddy released Biggie's third album, Born Again. It had two hit singles called "N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S." featuring Puff Daddy and Lil' Kim (interpolation to the Duran Duran's song of the same name), and "Dead Wrong" a single that later was remixed with a verse from Eminem. The video for "N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S." also featured appearances by 98 Degrees and Fat Joe, and is also the last Notorious B.I.G. solo video to date (as of 2005).

In 2002, Puff Daddy gave 50 Cent rights to sample Biggie's verses from "Niggas" (a song from the Born Again album) into a song called "The Realest Niggas". It got out as a single and hit New York radio stations as a big hit. Many have attributed that song as a major key to the rise of 50 Cent, who is now one of hip-hop's biggest superstars. The song (which also featured and was produced by Eminem) was later put on the soundtrack for the 2003 hit movie Bad Boys 2 with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Later on in 2003, Biggie appeared on "Runnin' (Dying To Live)" along with 2Pac. The song was produced by Eminem.

On August 28, 2005, at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Biggie was paid tribute to by host Diddy, and Snoop Dogg. The setup had an orchestra playing while the lyrics from "Juicy" and "Warning" played on the arena speakers. It was a well-received tribute for that evening. In September 2005, VH1 had its second annual hip hop honors, with a tribute to Biggie headlining the show. The long awaited The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter album was released December 20, 2005.

Fans will still have one last chance to hear unreleased Biggie material, as he will be featured on Busta Rhymes highly anticipated Aftermath debut; "The Big Bang".

Legacy

In mainstream and inner-city hip hop circles, The Notorious B.I.G. is celebrated as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Biggie's lyrics have been sampled by many of today's rappers, such as Jay-Z, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Fabolous, Foxy Brown and Busta Rhymes. In 2001, hip hop magazine The Source crowned Biggie as the greatest MC (Master of Ceremony) of all time. In 2003, XXL Magazine asked many hip hop artists, including Nelly, 50 Cent, Memphis Bleek, Jadakiss and others, who they believed were 5 best rappers of all time, and Biggie's name appeared on more rappers' lists than any other MC. During Canibus's 1998 feud with LL Cool J, Canibus responded to LL Cool J's claim to be the greatest rapper of all time on the song Second Round K.O. by saying "the greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.", which was the day Biggie died. Biggie's lyrics have been sampled in many songs, including Akon's "Ghetto", Jay-Z's "A Dream" and Ashanti's "Foolish".

Movie

There is a movie in the works about the life of The Notorious B.I.G. Antoine Fuqua, the director of Training Day, will direct the film. The film is being produced by Wallace's mother, Voletta Wallace, and by his former managers, Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts.

Facts

Biggie had the ability to write songs in his head and then freestyle them to make tracks right on the spot. Biggie used this ability especially on his debut album "Ready To Die" and was later emulated by successful artists such as Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Ja Rule and Common. According to people close to him, Biggie had five songs worth of lyrics in his head around the time he was killed. Biggie is also one of the best (yet uncredited) scouters in rap. Among the people who he discovered, or in some way helped further their rap careers, were Jay-Z, Cam'ron, Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Lil Kim, Mase, N.O.R.E. and Charli Baltimore Biggie attended the same high school in downtown Brooklyn as Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes. His album "Life After Death" is certified Diamond, meaning it sold more than 10 million copies. Biggie was one of the first MC's ever to successfully bridge the gap between commercial and underground success. He first signed with Uptown Records in 1993, his first recording deal.

READY TO DIE

Intro Things Done Changed Gimme The Loot Machine Gun Funk Warning Ready To Die One More Chance

1. !*@ Me

The What Juicy Everyday Stuggle Me & My Bitch Big Poppa Respect Friend Of Mine Unbelievable Suicidal Thoughts

LIFE AFTER DEATH

disc 1 Life After Death Intro Somebody's Gotta Die - The Notorious B.I.G. Hypnotize - The Notorious B.I.G. Kick in the Door

1. ! *@ You Tonight - The Notorious B.I.G.

Last Day I Love the Dough What's Beef? B.I.G. Interlude Mo Money Mo Problems - The Notorious B.I.G. Niggas Bleed I Got a Story to Tell

disc 2 Notorious Thugs - The Notorious B.I.G. Miss U Another Going Back to Cali - The Notorious B.I.G. Ten Crack Commandments Playa Hater - The Notorious B.I.G. Nasty Boy Sky's the Limit - The Notorious B.I.G. World Is Filled... My Downfall Long Kiss Goodnight - The Notorious B.I.G. You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You) - The Notorious B.I.G.

BORN AGAIN

Born Again (Intro) Notorious B.I.G. [Featuring Lil' Kim/Puff Daddy] Dead Wrong [Featuring Eminem] Hope You Niggas Sleep [Featuring Hot Boys/Big Timer] Dangerous MC's [Featuring Mark Curry/Snoop Dog/Busta Rhymes] Biggie [Featuring Junior M.A.F.I.A.] Niggas Big Booty Hoes [(Featuring Too $hort)] Would You Die for Me [Featuring Lil' Kim/Puff Daddy] Come On Rap Phenomenon [Featuring Redman/Method Man] Let Me Get Down Tonight [Featuring Mobb Deep/Joe Hooker] If I Should Die Before I Wake Who Shot Ya Can I Get Witcha [Featuring Lil' Cease] I Really Want to Show You [Featuring K-Ci & Jo-jo/Nas] Ms. Wallace (Outro)

FINAL CHAPTER: DUETS

Release Year: 2005 B.I.G. Live in Jamaica (Intro) [Live] It Has Been Said (featuring Eminem, Obie Trice) Spit Your Game (featuring Bone Thugs N Harmony) Whatchu Want (featuring Jay-Z) Get Your Grind On (featuring Big Punisher) Living The Life (featuring Faith Evans, Ludacris, Bobby Valentino) Greatest Rapper (interlude) 1970 Somethin' (featuring Faith Evans) Nasty Girl (featuring Diddy) Living In Pain (featuring 2Pac, Nas, Mary J. Blidge) I'm with Whateva (featuring Juelz Santana) Beef (featuring Mobb Deep) My Dad (interlude) Hustler's Story Breakin' Old Habits (featuring Slim Thug) Ultimate Rush (featuring Missy Elliot) Mi Casa Little Homie (interlude) Hold Ya Head (featuring Bob Marley) Just a Memory (featuring Clipse) Wake Up Love is Everlasting (outro)

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