Feature: Notorious B.I.G.
Feature: Notorious B.I.G.
Popular Catholic wisdom would have you believe that only the good die young,
but anyone aware of the life of Christopher Wallace alias The Notorious BIG will
know better. With this year bringing the tenth anniversary of his brutal murder, it
seemed fitting that we take a look back over the legacy of one of the nastiest MCs
to ever bless the microphone.
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imagery contained in many of Biggies lyrics, they were
just that lyrics. Yet on 9th March 1997 the line between
entertainment and reality would become tragically
blurred and hip hop would lose one of its brightest stars.
On that night, whilst returning from an industry party
in Los Angles Christopher Wallace was shot dead in a
drive-by shooting. While there are plenty of conspiracy
theorists who would have you believe they possess all
the answers, no one has yet been brought to justice for
the crime.
In the years that have passed since
Biggies death, there have been many
pretenders to his throne. None have
even come close to claiming his crown.
Shockingly, Biggie only got to see one of his albums
released, but like his former friend turned bitter rival
Tupac Shakur, his popularity didnt wane after his
demise. Three posthumous albums: Life After Death,
Born Again and most recently Duets. All ensured
that his legacy and reign at the top of the charts lasted
long after his time on earth was up. Like 2Pac, BIG sold
more records after he died than he had managed in his
lifetime. Maybe dead rappers really do get better
promotion, or perhaps these days an MCs real life story
is just as important as the music they make. Whatever the
truth, Christopher Wallace, in his short lifetime earned
respect from all quarters of hip hop music. He was loved
by glamorous R&B fans as much as he was adored by
grimy underground heads.
In the years that have passed since Biggies death,
there have been many pretenders to his throne. None
have even come close to claiming his crown. It is a
testament to the strength of his lyrics, flow and sheer
charisma that over a decade later no obvious heir has
emerged. Perhaps in time another rapper will come to
dominate the game in the way that Biggie did, but no one
could ever erase the legacy of his music. The King is dead
- Long Live the King.
Biggie Smalls rest in peace.
MOBO Awards 2007
Words Nat Lentell
iggie Smalls first burst onto the New
York rap scene in the early 90s, establishing
himself as Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyns finest
in a number of freestyle ciphers, including the legendary
Garden Session hosted by DJ Mr Cee and featuring amongst
others, appearances from 2Pac and Big Daddy Kane.
Despite the illustrious company, there was one voice that
stood out from the pack. From the moment he demanded;
Where Brooklyn at? it was obvious that his was one slow
flow the World would be hearing a lot more from.
Biggie cemented his rep as one of Raps greats by
dropping the classic, and chillingly prophetic album
Ready to Die back in 1994. With its somewhat unsavoury
subject matter ranging from contemplating suicide to
robbing pregnant women, it should have been a sombre
affair. However, thanks to Smalls unrivalled lyrical
dexterity and dry as a bone sense of humour, the album
had even the most mild mannered and straight laced rap
fans rhyming along to tales of robbery, violence and out
and out sexual debauchery.
His ability to forge compelling and entertaining
material from such gross-out topics, married with his
unique rhyme style and razor sharp tongue, ensured
Biggies services were in constant demand. During his all
too short career, he would work with pretty much everybody that was somebody in the music industry. From
legendary underground producers like DJ Premier, Lord
Finesse and Pete Rock all the way through to their more
glossy counterparts like Puff Daddy (or whatever moniker
hes adopted this week), they all wanted Biggies melifious
gansta flows over their beats. As for the other MCs BIG
ripped mics alongside it would probably be easier to
name those he hadnt worked with, but a few notable
collaborators were Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Nas. Then
there were the R&B artists including Mary J Blige and
R Kelly who contrasted their smooth vocals against
Biggies rugged lyrics.
Wallace modelled his rhyming alter ego The Black
Frank White on a character from Abel Ferraras gangster
flick King of New York, a title that Biggie would come to
adopt as his own. His records were often as thrilling as
the movies that influenced them, perfectly capturing the
thrill of the celluloid shoot-out or the satisfaction gained
from witnessing a perfectly choreographed heist being
pulled-off. Yet, despite the vividness of the thugged-out
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