Notorious B.I.G.

Background

Christopher George Latore Wallace, known to the world as Notorious B.I.G., was a force to be reckoned with. He was a brilliant rapper and songwriter. His style of rap was based on the New York rap scene and the gangsta rap traditions, and he is easily considered one of the best rappers of all time. Notorious B.I.G. was born on May 21, 1972, in the Brooklyn Borough, New York City. He was the only child of his father Selwyn George Latore, who was a welder and a politician. His mother, Violetta Wallace, was a preschool teacher, and they were both Jamaican immigrants. His mother had to work two jobs after his father left them in order to raise him. He went to Queen of All Saint’s Middle School where he excelled as an English student. His alias, B.I.G came from his nickname, ‘Big,’ which came about because he was overweight at the age of 10.

He developed an interest in rap at an early age and when he was a teenager, he rapped and performed on the streets entertaining people. His initial stage name was MC CWest. He requested to transfer to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, which was where Busta Rhymes and Jay Z both attended. Notorious B.I.G., unfortunately, developed an attitude at the new school and dropped out when he was 17. He turned to crime and in that same year, he was arrested on weapons charges. In 1990, he was also arrested for dealing cocaine. When he got out, he released a demo tape, “Microphone Murderer” as Biggie Smalls. Local D.J. Mister Cee, Big Daddy Kane, and Juice Crew believed in the demo and promoted it. In March, “The Source” magazine column, ‘Unsigned Hype’ featured him. This is where he garnered the attention of Sean ‘Puffy’’ Combs, who signed him to his label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993. He began to gain recognition by featuring on other artists’ singles and soon became a household name.

In 1994, he released his first album, “Ready to Die.” It made him the central figure in East Coast Hip-hop at a time when West Coast Hip-hop was the dominant music. He had a laid-back lyrical delivery that offset the lyrics’ grim content, and he became famous for it. He also formed a protégé group of longtime friends, including Lil Kim, called Junior M.A.F.I.A., and steered them toward success. Upon his death, his second album, “Life After Death,” was released and it topped the Billboard 200 and went on to receive a Diamond certification. “Rolling Stone” magazine coined him as “The greatest rapper who ever lived.”