Biggie Smalls
Christopher Wallace A.K.A. Biggie Smalls was born in New York City on May 21, 1972. He had a rough childhood , at an early age he was surrounded by drug addicts and dealers. As a result in his teens he became a drug dealer. At the age of 17, he was arrested for selling crack, and spent nine months in jail before posting bail. Around his neighborhood he began building a reputation as a musician. After one of his tapes landed in the hands of a well known DJ known as Mister Cee, he was featured in the hip-hop publication, The Source. the article in The Source was enough to catch the attention of Sean "Puffy" Combs, who was a young producer at Uptown Entertainment, which was a New York based label specializing in hip-hop. When Combs split off from Uptown to start his own label, Bad Boy Entertainment, he took Biggie with him.
Immediately Biggie got to work and appeared in a 1993 remix of Mary J. Blige's single, Real Love, he then followed it up with another Blige remix, What's the 411!. His debut as a solo artist was the single, "Party and Bullshit", on the soundtrack to the film, Who's the Man? in 1993. In 1994 he released his debut album, Ready to Die, which told the story of his life, from being a drug dealer to being a rapper. The record went platinum, which made Biggie become a full-fledged star. The same year The Source named Biggie the best new artist, best live performer, and lyricist of the year. As his star power increased he tried to share his prestige. He backed several other rappers that he worked with in Brooklyn. By the close of 1995, he was one of music's best selling and sought after performers.
Biggie feared that with his new fame that he was going to be attacked. His fear led to anxiety which led to spurts of aggression. He once took a baseball bat to a group of autograph seekers. His most famous battles were with Tupac, Suge Knight, and Death Row Records. Tensions escalated in 1994 when Tupac and another member of the Wu-Tang clan were shot and robbed. Both men lived but Biggie and Combs were immediately accused of orchestrating it. Tupac added to the fire when he came out with the single, Hit 'Em Up, in which he claimed to have slept with Biggie's wife Faith Evans. Tensions really escalated in September 1996, when Tupac was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Biggie was immediately accused of somehow being involved.
Tupac's murder made Biggie fear even more for his life. His fears were realized on March 9, 1997. Biggie and his entourage left to go back to their hotel, as Biggie and entourage stopped at a red light fifty yards from the museum, where the party was, a car pulled up alongside the SUV that Biggie was in and rolled down the window and fired at the SUV hitting Biggie four times. Biggie was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His death was viewed by many fans as retaliation for Tupac's murder. His death shook the music world, which prompted fears that there was going to be a full-fledged war in the hip-hop world. The identity of the man that killed Biggie is still unknown.
Biggie has left a huge legacy in the hip-hop world. Several rappers have paid tribute to him in their songs. His music style has been emulated by many up-and-coming artists.
Immediately Biggie got to work and appeared in a 1993 remix of Mary J. Blige's single, Real Love, he then followed it up with another Blige remix, What's the 411!. His debut as a solo artist was the single, "Party and Bullshit", on the soundtrack to the film, Who's the Man? in 1993. In 1994 he released his debut album, Ready to Die, which told the story of his life, from being a drug dealer to being a rapper. The record went platinum, which made Biggie become a full-fledged star. The same year The Source named Biggie the best new artist, best live performer, and lyricist of the year. As his star power increased he tried to share his prestige. He backed several other rappers that he worked with in Brooklyn. By the close of 1995, he was one of music's best selling and sought after performers.
Biggie feared that with his new fame that he was going to be attacked. His fear led to anxiety which led to spurts of aggression. He once took a baseball bat to a group of autograph seekers. His most famous battles were with Tupac, Suge Knight, and Death Row Records. Tensions escalated in 1994 when Tupac and another member of the Wu-Tang clan were shot and robbed. Both men lived but Biggie and Combs were immediately accused of orchestrating it. Tupac added to the fire when he came out with the single, Hit 'Em Up, in which he claimed to have slept with Biggie's wife Faith Evans. Tensions really escalated in September 1996, when Tupac was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Biggie was immediately accused of somehow being involved.
Tupac's murder made Biggie fear even more for his life. His fears were realized on March 9, 1997. Biggie and his entourage left to go back to their hotel, as Biggie and entourage stopped at a red light fifty yards from the museum, where the party was, a car pulled up alongside the SUV that Biggie was in and rolled down the window and fired at the SUV hitting Biggie four times. Biggie was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His death was viewed by many fans as retaliation for Tupac's murder. His death shook the music world, which prompted fears that there was going to be a full-fledged war in the hip-hop world. The identity of the man that killed Biggie is still unknown.
Biggie has left a huge legacy in the hip-hop world. Several rappers have paid tribute to him in their songs. His music style has been emulated by many up-and-coming artists.