Notorious B.I.G., The, << noh TOHR ee uhs BEE EYE JEE, >> (1972-1997), also known as Biggie Smalls, was a controversial American rap artist known for his gritty, violent lyrics. He was shot and killed on March 9, 1997, in Los Angeles. The Notorious B.I.G.’s death occurred about six months after the murder of his former friend and California rap rival Tupac Shakur . Some people believed their shootings were tied to a feud between East Coast and West Coast rap artists and their record companies. But nobody was charged in either of the killings.
The Notorious B.I.G. was born on May 21, 1972, in the Brooklyn section of New York City. His real name was Christopher George Letore Wallace. He picked up the nickname Biggie Smalls as a teenager. It was inspired by a gangster character in the 1975 crime comedy motion picture Let’s Do It Again. The nickname was also in reference to Wallace’s large size. He was over 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and weighed about 400 pounds (181 kilograms).
Wallace dropped out of school at age 17 and briefly sold drugs. He appeared on a few recordings by other artists under the name Biggie Smalls. In 1992, the American rap singer and music producer Sean Combs heard Wallace and signed him to Uptown Records. Combs left Uptown in 1993 and formed his own label, Bad Boy Entertainment. He took Wallace with him. Wallace then took the stage name the Notorious B.I.G. The letters B.I.G. were said to stand for B_usiness _I_nstead of _G_ame. In 1993, he made his recording debut as the Notorious B.I.G. on a dance remix of the 1992 song “Real Love” by the American singer Mary J. Blige . His first solo release was a song he recorded that was featured on the soundtrack of the motion-picture comedy _Who’s the Man? (1993).
The Notorious B.I.G.’s first album, Ready to Die, was released in 1994. It featured the hits “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” and “One More Chance.” His second album, Life After Death, was released in 1997, a few weeks after his death. It quickly rose to number one on the United States album charts. The Notorious B.I.G. became the first artist to have two number-one hits after death with the songs “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money Mo Problems” from that album. The song “Sky’s the Limit,” from the same album, also became a hit. Other albums were released after the Notorious B.I.G.’s death as well. Born Again (1999) became a number-one hit. It comprised unreleased tracks and verses by the Notorious B.I.G. and featured guest performances by other rap artists. Duets, released in 2005, was also a big hit. It comprised material remixed into the form of duets featuring the Notorious B.I.G. with other rap artists. The Notorious B.I.G. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
