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Christopher Wallace The Notorious B.I.G.

March 9, 2012 by · Comments Off on Christopher Wallace The Notorious B.I.G. 

Christopher Wallace The Notorious B.I.G., Birth: May 21, 1972
Death: Mar. 9, 1997,  Musician, Rapper. He was large and imposing; at 6 ft 3 inches Christopher Wallace weighted close to three hundred pounds.

He was born in Brooklyn to Jamaican parents growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area and raised by his mother Voletta Wallace a preschool teacher. He was singing and talking before he could walk.

At 17, he was a high school dropout and soon in trouble with the law resulting in a nine month incarceration. He was a product of his seedy neighborhood where, crime, drugs and decadence prevailed. Christopher was known locally for his rapping abilities. Upon release, he made a rap recording which landed in the hands of a young producer Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs.

Under his tutelage, Christopher first performed on albums with established artists then made his first solo album at the age of twenty one, ‘Ready to Die’ on Bad Boy Records. He rapped in a deep baritone voice about the usual gangster subjects and then unexpectedly changed to love and family responsibilities. The recording sold over 2 million copies.

A year later ‘Billboard’ magazine selected him rap artist of the year. He became friends with fellow rapper Tupac Shakur but they became bitter enemies which culminated in both their deaths. Shakur was shot while sitting in his car in Los Vegas after attending a boxing match.

Christopher was blamed. However, police exonerated him due to lack of evidence. The police have never found the killer. Six months later, in Los Angeles, Wallace himself was gunned down while sitting in his automobile after leaving a music industry party. As with the Shakur shooting, a car pulled up to the Wallace’s vehicle and a barrage of gunshots found the mark and struck their target. An ambulance rushed him to nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

He was gone 45 minutes later at the age of 24. His killer has never been found. His body was flown home to New York and taken to the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on Madison Avenue for disposition.

Christopher was placed in a an oversized African mahogany casket dressed in a white double breasted suit complete with a white ‘playa’ hat. A final audience was held for some three hundred invited guests including David Dinkins, Mayor of New York City. At the conclusion of the brief service, Christopher was placed in a funeral coach and along with a cortege of cars was taken by procession to a nearby crematorium. But first…they passed through the Brooklyn neighborhood where he was born and grew up.

After cremation, his ashes were placed in two separate urns and remain today in the hands of family members. Postscript: After his death, his former wife and artist Faith Evans released her tribute to B.I.G; a recording entitled ‘I’ll be Missing You’ which sold more than three hundred thousand copies and was number one on the ‘Billboard’ magazine ‘Hot 100 Singles’ chart.

The Notorious B.I.G. Shooting Death

March 9, 2012 by · Comments Off on The Notorious B.I.G. Shooting Death 

The Notorious B.I.G. Shooting Death, It’s difficult to imagine what hip-hop might look like, had The Notorious B.I.G. lived. We know what it looks like now, in the wake of his tragic and untimely death at the hands of a still-unknown gunman, but his was such a presence that it completely altered the time he lived in, and undoubtedly would have had a huge impact for many more years.

Rappers have imitated his style, adopted his flow, borrowed his lyrics, and rocked puffy Gucci links, attempting to fill the void the overweight wordsmith left. But, ain’t no other kings in this rap thing; Biggie Smalls reigns supreme.

On the 15th anniversary of his passing, it’s futile to ask “what if?” We’re long past the time of wondering, and must accept the fact that he’s truly gone. It is, however, an opportunity to take a look at his legacy and remember just what he meant to hip-hop culture, and the legions of fans that adored him.

Biggie’s legacy is inextricably linked to Tupac Shakur. The infamous “East coast/West coast” beef started and, sadly, ended with these two. Tupac was a larger than life figure, a firebrand that drew controversy with every utterance. Given more time, he may have been able to channel that energy where he often felt inclined to go, into community organizing, maybe, or politics. But his time was his time, and, unfortunately, he spent many of his last days declaring war on fellow rappers that eventually bled out into the streets. Fairly or not, he still catches a lot of heat for escalating the feud that played a part in his death.

Not so for Biggie. He threw a few slick jabs here and there, but he was mostly on defense, trying to defuse the situation. As ‘Pac repeatedly accused him and Puff Daddy of having knowledge of, or being involved in, the 1994 robbery and shooting that only added to Tupac’s legend, Biggie kept cool. He was naturally laid back, but it was particularly necessary at a time when emotions were running high and no one knew when the powder keg might erupt. Then September 13, 1996 happened.

Tupac had laid in the hospital a full week before succumbing to gunshot wounds inflicted in Las Vegas. The blood had been spilled, and no one wanted to see any more. Biggie didn’t want to see any more. He knew the whole idea of an “East/West” beef was silly. He recorded an ode to California, and worked with Oakland native Too Short on his next album. He knew if he didn’t work to stop it, Tupac wouldn’t be the last.

He wouldn’t get to see the fruits of his labor. On March 9th, 1997, he himself would be shot and killed in Los Angeles, at the age of 24.

Amid all the violence that surrounded him, one never got the impression that Biggie was himself a violent person. True, many of his lyrics were grim and nihilistic, but he could flash that infectious smile and make anyone and everyone in the room with him feel safe and at home. He was enjoying himself as a young black superstar that turned stories of his neighborhood and the people he knew into songs that moved millions. From what you saw, you couldn’t help but like him.

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