Big
Poppa sound clip
The Notorious B.I.G. blasted his way onto the hip-hop scene with his platinum-selling album Ready to Die, and entered the mainstream public's eye in much the same way when he was murdered in March of 1997. Until his death, B.I.G., a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, ne Christopher Wallace, was virtually unknown outside the world of hip-hop. The news of his death fueled an intensive media coverage of an East Coast-West Coast rap war. The 6'3", 280-pound Wallace was only 24 years old. Wallace was raised in Brooklyn as the son of a pre-school teacher. The young honor-roll student Wallace dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to sell crack.
About a year later, Biggie met Sean "Puffy" Combs and went along with him to Puffy's newly formed Bad Boy Records. The 1994 record Ready to Die pushed Biggie to the forefront of the hip-hop scene. The single "Big Poppa" landed him another nickname and "One More Chance" was named Billboard's Rap Single of the Year.
Despite his new reign as a successful rap artist, Biggie had not left his former life behind. Over the next few years, he had several run-ins with the law, on charges ranging from beatings to drugs and weapons. In 1994, he and Puffy were accused of setting up the November robbery-shooting of Tupac Shakur, a charge both of them denied.
Biggie's rap effort differs from others because of his matter-of-fact storytelling of life on the street, with himself as the narrator. The entire album was held together by his unique perspective; rather than glamorizing violence with the telltale first-person bravado of many rappers, Biggie sought to tell the truth, and his deep voice and even deeper stories earned him the respect of his fellow artists.
All that ended in March of 1997 in Los Angeles. Biggie was on the West Coast for several events, doing advance press for his next release, Life After Death. ...'Til Death Do Us Part. On March 9, he attended the Soul Train Awards and the party that followed. After the bash, Biggie was sitting in a Suburban on the street when he was shot several times by an unknown assailant. The life of Biggie is being lived on by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Mace through their music and tributes.