The Notorious B.I.G. Essentials

At the height of his success, The Notorious B.I.G. dubbed himself the King of New York after the Christopher Walken-portrayed antihero from the film of the same name. The title was fitting and limiting: His swagger was unmistakably Brooklyn, but his talent and charisma made him a world-renowned superstar. Born Christopher Wallace in 1972, B.I.G. was raised by a Jamaican immigrant mother, writing raps and freestyling on street corners as a preteen. B.I.G.’s explosive 1994 debut album, Ready to Die, chronicled his survivalism (“Who Shot Ya?”) and sexploits (“Big Poppa”) with charm, menace and urgency. His vivid tales featured unflinching details (“Gimme the Loot”, “I Got a Story to Tell”) made digestible by his distinctive flow and recognisable ’80s R&B samples courtesy of The Hitmen. The “ashy-to-classy” aspirations of Biggie’s hit “Juicy” became a reality: He elevated his Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew, godfathered an empire of hitmakers and became one of the biggest rap stars in the world. Sadly, his meteoric rise came with a media-exacerbated beef with 2Pac that culminated in both stars’ murders six months apart, crippling the culture as it reeled from the luminaries’ absence.