Notorious B.I.G., New York, NY, March 1997

The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher George Latore Wallace, 1972-1997), also known as Biggie Smalls, is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. Biggie Smalls initially had no plans to pursue a music career despite training under jazz saxophonist, Donald Harrison, where he learned about the diction and phrasing of scat singing, directly informing his MC style. When asked about rapping as a teen in his Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood he said: It was just fun hearing myself on tape over beats. Yet, after a short stint in jail in his late teens, he made his first demo tape, taking the name Biggie Smalls as a nod to his childhood nickname, Big, and a character in the film Let’s Do It Again (1975). In 1991, he was forced to change his name to The Notorious B.I.G. after a lawsuit was brought by the actor, Calvin Lockhart, who portrayed the character of Biggie Smalls in the 1975 film. 

Briefly signed to Uptown Records by Sean Puffy Combs, he left the company when Combs started his own company, Bad Boy Records. His first recording was from that short time at Uptown on Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love” (1992). In June of 1993, Bad Boy released his first single as a solo artist, “Party and Bullshit.” Although his career was short, from 1993 to 1997, and he was only 24 when he died, Biggie remains a cultural icon. His freshman album Ready to Die continues to influence music and artists with its insightful storytelling and nihilistic lyrics. He was murdered just weeks before the release of his sophomore effort, aptly named, Life After Death. In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recognizing his enduring influence more than 20 years after his death.