The Notorious B.I.G.

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 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.

Rap career

Biggie first gained notice with "Party and Bullshit," his first single. In 1994 he released Ready to Die, his debut album. Ready to Die is regarded as one of hip-hop's all-time classic albums. The album features one of rap's most famous "playa anthems", the song "Big Poppa", which samples R&B singers, the Isley Brothers. On the track "Everyday Struggle", Biggie's album drew critical acclaim for its vivid story-telling and razor-sharp lyricism, such as "They don't know about the stress filled day/Baby on the way, mad bills to pay/That's why you drink Tanqueray/So you can reminisce and wish/You wasn't living so devilish." Another standout track is "Warning," wherein Biggie once again displays his story-telling ability. The album is considered by many to be one of the best and most hardcore hip-hop albums of all time.

Related Topics:
1994 - Ready to Die - Hip-hop - R&B - Isley Brothers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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, tying Scream/Childhood as the highest debut single in music history. "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.

Related Topics:
Junior M.A.F.I.A. - Conspiracy - Lil' Kim - One More Chance - Scream/Childhood

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~