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Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (after a gangster in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again), Big Poppa, Frank White (from the film King of New York), and The Notorious B.I.G. (Business Instead of Game), was a successful American rapper and hip-hop artist.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Biggie grew up during the peak years of the 1980s crack epidemic. By the time his debut album Ready to Die was released in 1994, he was a central figure in East Coast hip-hop, and helped to make New York known for its hip-hop scene during a time when the genre was mostly dominated by West Coast artists. He was shot and killed on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles. His posthumously released double-disc set Life After Death was certified diamond in 2000, making it the highest certified album by a hardcore hip-hop artist.

Biggie was noted for his storytelling and freestyling abilities, and his easy to understand lyrics. His short career was overshadowed by the Bad Boy/Death Row Records feud dominating the hip-hop scene at the time.

Biography

Childhood and youth

Christopher Wallace was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. He was the only child to Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher of Jamaican origin and George Latore Wallace, a welder and small-time Jamaican politician. His father left the family when Wallace was two years old, leaving his mother to work two jobs whilst raising him. At the Queen of All Saints Middle School, Wallace 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. From the age of twelve, he began selling drugs, unbeknownst to his mother.

Wallace transferred out of the private Roman Catholic school that he attended, at his request, to attend the state-funded Westinghouse 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, Wallace 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, Wallace was arrested in North Carolina for dealing crack. He spent nine months in jail until he made bail.

1992 - 1997: Rapping career

Wallace had started rapping from a young age, performing with local groups, the Old Gold Brothers and the Techniques. After leaving prison, Wallace made a demo tape under the name of Biggie Smalls, a reference to his childhood nickname and to his stature; he stood 6'3" (1.90m) and weighed between 300 and 380 pounds (between 136 kg 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.

1992 - 1994: Early career

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 apparently unusual at the time. 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 left Uptown and started a new label. Biggie followed and in the summer of 1992 signed to Combs' new imprint label, Bad Boy Records. Biggie's first child, T-Yanna, was born on August 10, 1992. With his new daughter in immediate financial need, Biggie continued to sell drugs. Once discovered by Combs, Biggie quit and became a full-time hip hop artist.

Biggie's first single "Cruisin'", released in 1992, failed to chart. He gained his first 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 Biggie would record under for the remainder of his career. The single peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles 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 Bad Boy 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.

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. This was his first remix to chart that featured solely hip hop artists. In the same year, Biggie collaborated on "Runnin'" (which later appeared on the album One Million Strong) and other songs with rapper Tupac Shakur, a New York City native who he met in Los Angeles. In later years, the two would be involved in a highly publicized feud.

1994: Ready to Die release

On August 4, 1994, Biggie married R&B singer Faith Evans ten days after they first met at a Bad Boy photoshoot. Four days later, Biggie had his first success as a solo artist with double A-side "Juicy/Unbelievable", which reached #27 on the Hot 100 and was certified gold. This was the lead single to his debut album, Ready to Die.

Ready to Die was released on September 14, 1994 and reached #15 on The Billboard 200 chart, eventually being certified four times platinum. The album, released at a time when West Coast hip hop was prominent in the US charts, is described by Rolling Stone as "almost single-handedly... the focus back to East Coast rap". It was autobiographical in part and its production, by Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier and Combs, made heavy use of '60s/'70s soul samples. It gained positive reviews on release, and has received much praise in retrospect.

In addition to "Juicy", the album produced two popular singles. "Big Poppa", which sampled The Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets", reached #1 on the US Rap Chart in January 1995 and was certified platinum. The album's final single, "One More Chance" featuring Faith Evans, was a loosely related remix of an album track. It was his highest selling single and went platinum in less than two months.

The album was remastered and re-released in July 2004 and November 2006, with two of its samples removed. The samples were removed following a lawsuit in which Bridgeport Music Inc., owners of part of the Ohio Players catalog, claimed the album's title track sampled "Singing in the Morning" without permission. Bridgeport Music (who had previously sued over sampling rights) were awarded $4.2 million and between March 19, 2006 and the November 14, 2006 re-release, sales of the album were halted.

1995: Junior M.A.F.I.A. and bi-coastal feud

In August 1995, Biggie's protegé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes), released their debut album, Conspiracy. The group consisted of Biggie's childhood friends and included rappers Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease, who went on to have solo careers. The album debuted at #8 on the The Billboard 200 and went gold. Its singles, "Player's Anthem" and "Get Money", went gold and platinum respectively.

Biggie continued to collaborate with R&B artists, in 1995 appearing with Bad Boy groups 112 (on "Only You") and Total (on "Can't You See"), both charting in the top 20 of the Hot 100.

By the end of the year, Biggie had become one of the most successful rappers of the time. In July 1995, he appeared on the cover of The Source with the caption "The King of New York Takes Over". At the annual Source Awards, he received awards for Best New Artist (Solo), Lyricist of the Year, Live Performer of the Year, and Album of the Year (for Ready to Die). At the 1995 Billboard Awards, Biggie was named Rap Artist of the Year.

In the same year of his success, Biggie became involved in a feud between the East and West Coast hip-hop scenes with former associate, Tupac Shakur. In an interview with Vibe in April 1995, Shakur (at the time in the Clinton Correctional Facility) accused Biggie and Combs of having prior knowledge of a robbery attempt, which resulted in him being shot repeatedly and losing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry in November 1994. Biggie and his entourage were reported to have been in the same New York recording studios at the time of the shooting. They denied the accusation, Biggie describing it as "insane" and "offensive":

It just happened to be a coincidence that he was in the studio. He just, he couldn't really say who really had something to do with it at the time. So he just kinda' leaned the blame on me.

Following his release from prison, Shakur signed to LA-based Death Row Records in October 1995. From 1995 onwards, Bad Boy Records and Death Row became involved in "a violent feud attributed to artistic and financial jealousies".

1996: Arrests, births and deaths

Biggie began recording his second album in September 1995. The album, which was recorded in New York, Trinidad and Los Angeles, was repeatedly interrupted during its 18 months of creation by injury, legal wranglings and the highly publicized feud in which he became involved.

On March 23, 1996, Biggie was arrested outside a nightclub in Manhattan 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. He pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and was sentenced to 100 hours community service. In the summer of 1996, he arrested at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey for drug and weapons possession charges.

In June 1996, Shakur released "Hit 'Em Up"; a diss song in which he explicitly claims to have had sex with Biggie's at the time estranged wife Faith Evans, and that Biggie had adopted his persona. Biggie acknowledged the former accusation, referring to it in regards to his wife's current pregnancy in his appearance 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, later stating in a radio interview it's "not style" to respond.

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

On October 29, 1996, Faith Evans gave birth to Biggie's first son, Christopher "CJ" Wallace, Jr. In November 1996, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Kim released her debut album, Hard Core, under his direction whilst the two were involved in an apparent love affair.

1997: Life After Death... 'Til Death Do Us Part

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 would force 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. He also faced criminal assault charges for the incident which remain unresolved, but all robbery charges were dropped. Following the incidents of the previous year, Biggie said his life was "moving too fast" around the time of Ready to Die and spoke of his desire to focus on his "peace of mind". "My mom... my son... my daughter... my family are what matters to me now".

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 at the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles. Whilst presenting an award to Toni Braxton, booing was heard from the audience.

1997: Death

After the awards ceremony, Biggie attended a Soul Train Awards party hosted by Vibe and Qwest Records at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Other guests included Faith Evans, Combs, DJ Quik who arrived with ten members of the Treetop Piru Bloods, and a dozen or so members of the Crips.

On March 9, 1997, at 12:30 a.m. an announcer warned the crowd that fire marshals would soon shut the party down. Biggie left with his entourage in two GMC Suburbans to return to his hotel. Biggie traveled in the front passenger seat alongside his friends, Gregory "G-Money" Young, the driver, Damion "D-Rock" Butler, who sat behind the driver, and Lil' Cease, who sat behind Biggie. Combs traveled in the other vehicle with three bodyguards. The two trucks were trailed by a Chevy Blazer carrying Bad Boy's director of security.

By 12:45 a.m. the street was crowded with people leaving the event. Biggie's truck stopped at a red light just 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 Chevy Blazer behind. Simultaneously, a black Chevy 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.

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

Funeral

Biggie's death was a shock to the music industry. Biggie was loved in his Brooklyn neighborhood and his funeral procession was well-attended. Thousands flooded into his neighborhood to catch a glimpse of his hearse. The song "Hypnotize" was played, causing fans to begin to jump on cars and clash with police; ten people were arrested for disorderly conduct charges. The funeral ceremony, held in Manhattan, was attended by amongst others, Combs, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Lil' Kim and his widow, Evans. Wallace was cremated on March 18, 1997.

Theories about his death

Biggie's murder has not been solved and there are many theories as to the motives and identities of the murderers. Theories regarding the murder have involved the Bloods and the Crips, Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight and the LAPD.

In the month of Biggie's death, The LA Times reported that the Southside Compton Crips may have shot Biggie in retaliation for Bad Boy not paying them money owed for security services provided in the West Coast. In the same month, MTV News published that witnesses had told the AP they were afraid to speak to the police.

In 2002, Randall Sullivan released LAbyrinth, a book investigating the deaths of Biggie and Shakur based on evidence provided by retired LAPD detective, Russell Poole. Much of the material in the book had previously been released through articles in Rolling Stone (June 8, 2001) and The New Yorker (May 21, 2001).

In LAbyrinth, Sullivan implicated Suge Knight, an alleged affiliate of the Mob Piru Bloods gang, in both murders and provided evidence that LAPD officers had worked off-duty for Death Row Records in security roles. His theory regarding Biggie's killer revolved around David Mack, a LAPD officer and alleged Death Row employee who owned the same type of car and bullet variety used in Biggie's murder. Sullivan believes that one of Mack's visitors in prison after he was arrested for robbery, Amir Muhammed, closely resembles the facial composite released of the killer.

Director Nick Broomfield released an investigative documentary, Biggie & Tupac (2002), which also studied the theories regarding the murder of the rappers. The film revolves mainly around the same evidence used in LAbyrinth. Broomfield implicates Suge Knight for ordering both murders, with Biggie's being ordered to make the two seem as a result of a fictitious East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry. Broomfield proposes the hitmen were off-duty LAPD police officers.

An article in Rolling Stone written by Sullivan in December 2005, discussed the flaws in the LAPD investigation and mentions that Poole, in a previous investigation, was told to "steer clear of anything having to do with Death Row Records". Sullivan also writes that Combs "failed to fully cooperate with the investigation of B.I.G.'s death" and according to Poole, encouraged Bad Boy staff to do the same.

The Notorious B.I.G.'s murder case was reopened in July 2006.

Lawsuits

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In March 2005, Voletta Wallace filed a wrongful death suit against the LAPD for $2 million. Wallace claimed that the LAPD had sufficient evidence to arrest the murderer of her son, but failed to utilize it. She won the lawsuit in the summer of 2005, and the criminal case has since been re-opened. The civil trial is expected to commence in 2006. Attorneys for Wallace have stated her son's estate could be worth as much as $362 million, an amount that could bankrupt the city of Los Angeles if the LAPD is found to have played a role in Notorious B.I.G.'s murder.

1997 - present: Posthumous career

1997: Life After Death and No Way Out

Two weeks after his death, Biggie's double-disc sophomore album was released as planned with the shortened title of Life After Death and hit #1 on the The Billboard 200 album charts, after making a premature appearance at #176 the previous week due to street-date violations. The album was described as being more eclectic in style than its predecessor through its wider range of guests and producers. It gained strong reviews and in 2000 was certified diamond; the highest RIAA certification awarded to a solo hip-hop album.

Life After Death spawned several hit singles. Its lead single "Hypnotize" was the last music video recording in which Biggie would partake. His biggest chart success was with "Mo Money, Mo Problems," which featured Combs (under the rap alias "Puff Daddy") and rapper Ma$e, and sampled "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross. The video, directed by Hype Williams, is noted for having started the "Shiny Suit" era in hip hop. The third and final single was "Sky's The Limit", featuring 112. The video for this song, directed by Spike Jonze, was noted for its use of children portraying Biggie and his contemporaries, including Combs, Lil' Kim, and Busta Rhymes. Biggie was named Artist of the Year and "Hypnotize" Single of the Year by Spin magazine in December 1997.

During the summer of 1997, Combs released his debut album, No Way Out, which featured Biggie on five songs, notably on the third single "Victory". The most prominent single from the album was "I'll Be Missing You", which was dedicated to Biggie's memory, featuring Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112. The song sampled The Police's hit song "Every Breath You Take". During the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, they performed the song with former Police vocalist Sting.

1999: Born Again

In December 1999, Combs released The Notorious B.I.G.'s third album, Born Again. The album consisted of previously unreleased material mixed with guest appearances from artists including many Biggie had never collaborated with in his lifetime. It gained some positive reviews but received criticism for its unlikely pairings, The Source describing it as "compiling some of the most awkward collaborations of his career". It had two hit singles: "Notorious B.I.G." 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.

2001 - 2005: Further collaborations

In 2001, Biggie's verse from his 1996 collaboration with Shaquille O'Neal, "Still Can't Stop the Reign", was used on Michael Jackson's "Unbreakable", from his album Invincible. Biggie previously collaborated with Jackson in 1995 on "This Time Around", from HIStory.

In 2002, producer and former friend of Biggie, Irv Gotti, sampled DeBarge's "Stay With Me" in a similar style to "One More Chance (Remix)" for R&B singer Ashanti. "Foolish" hit #1 in the Billboard Hot 100, and Biggie's verse from "Fuck You Tonight" (from Life After Death) was used in the remix, "Unfoolish". Gotti paid tribute to Biggie at a Hot 97 performance of the song later that year.

In the same year, 50 Cent sampled Biggie's verses from "Niggas" (from Born Again) for "The Realest Niggas". It leaked on New York hip-hop radio stations and reached #30 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop tracks despite not being released as a single. The song later appeared on the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack. In 2003, Eminem remixed the 1994 Tupac Shakur/Biggie collaboration "Runnin'" and added a sample of Edgar Winter's "Dying to Live." Titled "Runnin' (Dying To Live)", the song was released as a single from the Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack.

On August 28, 2005, at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Combs (who was hosting the event) and Snoop Dogg paid a well-received tribute to Biggie: an orchestra played while the lyrics from "Juicy" and "Warning" played on the arena speakers. In September 2005, VH1 had its second annual "Hip Hop Honors," with a tribute to Biggie headlining the show.

2005 - present: Duets: The Final Chapter

Duets: The Final Chapter was released on December 20, 2005. The album continued the pattern of Born Again featuring Biggie collaborating with artists including Bob Marley, Korn and Jay-Z. It was critically the least successful Biggie release, a common criticism being that few of the songs featured significant Biggie contributions. According to Combs and Voletta Wallace, Duets will be Biggie's final album, although Wallace has mentioned a greatest hits album may be released in 2007.

The album spawned the singles "Nasty Girl" (featuring Jagged Edge, Avery Storm, Nelly, P. Diddy and Jazze Pha), which became his first UK #1, as well as "Spit Your Game", "Whatchu Want", and "Hold Ya Head".

Technique

Style

Biggie mostly raps on his songs in a deep tone described by Rolling Stone as a "thick, jaunty grumble", which went deeper on Life After Death. He is often accompanied on songs with ad libs from Combs.

All Music Guide describe Biggie as having "a loose, easy flow" with "a talent for piling multiple rhymes on top of one another in quick succession". TIME magazine write Biggie raps with an ability to "make multi-syllabic rhymes sound... smooth". Krims describes Biggie's rhythmic style as "effusive". Before starting a verse, Biggie sometimes uses onomatopoeic vocables to "warm up" (for example "uhhh" at the beginning of "Hypnotize" and "Big Poppa").

Biggie would occasionally vary from his usual style. On "Playa Hater" from his sophomore album, he sang in a slow-falsetto. On his collaboration with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, "Notorious Thugs", he modified his style to match the rapid rhyme flow of the group.

Lyrical content

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Ready to Die is described by Rolling Stone as containing a mix of both "bleak" street visions and being "full of high-spirited fun, bringing the pleasure principle back to hip-hop". Biggie described Ready to Die as "a big pie, with each slice indicating a different point in my life involving bitches and niggaz... from the beginning to the end".

Biggie covered topics including mafioso tales ("Niggas Bleed"), his drug dealing past ("10 Crack Commandments"), materialistic bragging ("Hypnotize"), as well as humor ("Just Playing (Dreams)"), and romance ("Me & My Bitch"). Rolling Stone described Biggie in 2004 as "one of the few young male songwriters in any pop style writing credible love songs".

The NY Times describe Biggie's lyrics as " autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty" and being "laced with paranoia". Marriott of the NY Times believed his lyrics were not strictly autobiographical and that he "had a knack for exaggeration that increased sales". All Music Guide write of "a sense of doom" in some of his songs; Wallace described himself as feeling "broke and depressed" when he made Ready to Die. The final song on the album, "Suicidal Thoughts", concludes with Biggie's suicide.

On Life After Death, Rolling Stone describe Biggie's lyrics as being "deeper". Krims describes how dance-oriented tracks alternate with "reality rap" songs on the album and suggests that he is "going pimp" through some of his lyrical topics and its musical style. Hunter describes part of the album as " in death" as per his debut, but notes "Sky's the Limit" and "Miss U" "point to the future".

All Music Guide believe Ready to Die's success is "mostly due to Biggie's skill as a storyteller"; Rolling Stone (in 1994) describe Biggie's ability as painting "a sonic picture so vibrant that you're transported right to the scene". On "I Got a Story to Tell" (from Life After Death) Biggie demonstrates this skill telling a story as a rap for the first half of the song and then "as a story for his boys" in conversation form.

Legacy

Biggie is widely celebrated as one of the greatest hip hop artists of all time and has been described as a "savior of East Coast hip-hop." In 2006, MTV ranked Biggie as the #1 MC of all time, but later rescinded. He was ranked as the third greatest, with Jay-Z and 2Pac ranked at #1 and #2 respectively.

Biggie's lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of hip hop, R&B and pop artists including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Nelly, Pharrell Williams, Ludacris, Big Pun, Beanie Sigel, Juelz Santana, Usher, Ashanti, Alicia Keys and Nelly Furtado. In 2001, The Source crowned Biggie as the greatest rapper of all time. In 2003, when XXL Magazine asked many hip-hop artists to list their five favorite MCs, Biggie's name appeared on more rappers' lists than anyone else.

Before his death, Biggie created a hip-hop supergroup called The Commission, which consisted of himself, Jay-Z, Lil' Cease, P. Diddy and Charli Baltimore. A song on the Duets album called "Whatchu Want (The Commission)" featuring Jay-Z is based on the group. The Commission was also mentioned in the song "Victory" from No Way Out.

Biggie had also began to promote a clothing line called Brooklyn Mint, which was to produce plus-sized clothing but fell dormant after he died. In 2004, B.I.G.'s managers, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, launched a clothing line called Brooklyn Mint, with help from Jay-Z, selling T-shirts with images of Biggie on them. A portion of the proceeds go to the Christopher Wallace Foundation and to Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.

The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation holds an annual black-tie dinner ("B.I.G. Night Out") to raise funds for children's school equipment and supplies and to honor the memory of the late rapper. For this particular event, because it is a children's schools' charity, "B.I.G." is also said to stand for "Books Instead of Guns".

Biggie's branding and licensing efforts are spearheaded by Wicked Cow Entertainment, Inc. out of New York City.

Selected discography

Albums

• 1994: Ready to Die (#15 US)
• 1995: Conspiracy with Junior M.A.F.I.A. (#8 US)
• 1997: Life After Death (#1 US, #23 UK)
• 1999: Born Again (#1 US, #13 UK)
• 2005: Duets: The Final Chapter (#3 US, #17 UK)
• 2007: The Greatest Hits

Trivia

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "The Notorious B.I.G." – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2006) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Amongst the performers Biggie discovered, or in some way helped further their rap careers, were The LOX, Cam'ron, Lil' Kim, Mase and Charli Baltimore.
• Both "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" hit #1 after Biggie's death giving him two posthumous #1 hits - more than any other singer. Other posthumous #1 hits belong to Otis Redding ("The Dock Of The Bay"); Janis Joplin ("Me And Bobby McGee"); Jim Croce ("Time In A Bottle"); and, John Lennon ("(Just Like) Starting Over").
• Biggie's diss track "Kick In The Door" was directed towards fellow New York rappers Nas, according to Nas on his song "Last Real Nigga Alive" and Jeru the Damaja, according to a XXL Magazine interview with Jeru and producer DJ Premier. Each emcee had a verse dedicated to him: the second verse being directed at Jeru, the final and third verse of the song being directed at Nas.
• Biggie was good friends with now rivals Jay-Z and Cam'Ron and instrumental in both of their careers.
• In the South Park episode "Hell on Earth 2006", the spirit of Biggie Smalls appeared whenever a character looked into a mirror and said Smalls' name three times. This is in reference to to the Candyman movies, and/or a play on the urban legend of Bloody Mary.
• One of Biggie's signature accessories later on in his career was a large black coat embroidered with the number 666, said to be associated with the Devil.
• In an interview with XXL Magazine conducted in 1995 but released in 2003, Biggie announced he was planning to retire from rap music in 2000 to manage the careers of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. members.

See also

• The Notorious B.I.G. Discography
• Junior M.A.F.I.A.
• East coast-West Coast Hip Hop Rivalry
• Bad Boy Records

Notes and references

1. After he switched from dealing drugs to rap; see
2. "RIAA Top 100 Albums". 2006-05-04. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. ^ Coker, Cheo H. (2005-03-08). "Excerpt: Unbelievable - The Life, Death, and Afterlife of The Notorious B.I.G." Retrieved 2006-10-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
4. ^ Sullivan, Randall (2005-12-05). "The Unsolved Mystery of the Notorious B.I.G." Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2006-10-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
5. ^ Touré (1994-12-18) Biggie Smalls; Rap's Man of the Moment New York Times Retrieved on 2006-12-26
6. ^ Marriott, Michel The Short Life of a Rap Star, Shadowed by Many Troubles NY Times (1997-03-17). Retrieved 2006-12-28
7. ^ Huey, Steve. "Notorious B.I.G. > Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
8. ^ Police May Release Sketch of Biggie Gunman MTV News Accessed 2006-12-23
9. "Notorious BIG Photos > Biography". Atlantic Records. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
10. The recording was never released; see
11. "Blue Funk > Overview". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2006-10-06.
12. ^ Biggie Duets - The Final Chapter (Timeline) Retrieved on 2006-12-28
13. Nero, Mark Edward Faith Evans Profile About.com. Accessed 2006-12-04.
14. "Artist Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
15. ^ "RIAA searchable database". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
16. ^ Ready to Die Tower Records (Muze data) Retrieved on 2006-12-10
17. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (2006-11-13) The All-TIME Albums TIME Retrieved on 2006-12-10
18. ^ Huey, Steve. "Ready to Die > Overview". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
19. "Notorious B.I.G. Album Sales Halted". cbc.ca. 2006-03-19. Retrieved 2006-08-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
20. "The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards 1995". The 411 online. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
21. ^ Bruno, Anthony The murders of gangsta rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG Court TV Crime Library. Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
22. ^ MTV Bands - Archive - N MTV. Retrieved 2006-12-23
23. Live from Death Row PBS. Retrieved on 2006-12-09
24. Caramanica, Jon et al The Making of Life After Death: Many Men XXL (April 2003). Retrieved on 2007-01-06
25. Notorious B.I.G. Loses Lawsuit MTV News (1997-01-27). Retrieved on 2006-12-23).
26. ^ Brown, Jake (May 24, 2004). Ready to Die: The Story of Biggie Smalls Notorious B.I.G. Colossus Books. p. 122. ISBN 0974977934. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
27. "Biggie Smalls' last ride to Brooklyn". The Associated Press. 1997-03-19. Retrieved 2006-09-29.
28. ^ Rappers, Fans Turn Out for Notorious B.I.G.'s Funeral MTV News Accessed 2006-12-22
29. Lait, Matt and Glover, Scott Ex-LAPD Officer Is Suspect in Rapper's Slaying, Records Show Los Angeles Times (1999-12-09). Retrieved on 2007-01-01
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31. Serpick, Evan Entertainment Weekly (2002-04-12). Retrieved on 2007-01-02
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34. Philips, Chuck (2006-07-31). "LAPD Renews Search for Rapper's Killer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2006-08-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
35. Birchmeier, Jason Life After Death review All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-01-08
36. B.I.G. Gets Props from Spin Rolling Stone (1997-12-07). Retrieved on 2006-12-26
37. Born Again Tower Records (Muze data) Retrieved on 2006-12-10
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39. Duets: The Final Chapter > Overview allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
40. Egere-Cooper, Matilda Notorious B.I.G.: an album too far? The Independent (2006-01-26). Retrieved on 2006-12-26
41. Life After Death review Rolling Stone (1997-12-07). Retrieved on 2007-01-07
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44. Smith, William E. (2005). Hip-hop as Performance and Ritual: Biography and Ethnography in Underground Hip Hop. Trafford Publishing. pp. p. 163. ISBN 1412053943. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
45. ^ Christgau, Robert Life After Death review Consumer Guide Reviews. Retrieved on 2007-01-07
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51. The Greatest MCs of All Time MTV. Retrieved on 2006-12-26
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External links

• Official website for Duets: The Final Chapter
• NotoriousOnline Fan site

• Articles lacking sources from October 2006
• 1972 births
• 1997 deaths
• African American musicians
• American murder victims
• American rappers
• People from Brooklyn
• Deaths by firearm
• High school dropouts
• Jamaican Americans
• Murdered entertainers
• Rhythmic contemporary musicians
• Unsolved murders
• People from New York City
• Freestyle rappers
• Bad Boy Records artists
• Rappers known by pseudonyms
• Grammy Award nominees