MOBO AwArds 2007 61

Feature: Notorious B.I.G. Feature: Notorious B.I.G.

Popular Catholic wisdom would have you believe that only the good die young, but anyone aware of the life of Christopher Wallace alias The Notorious BIG will know better. With this year bringing the tenth anniversary of his brutal murder, it seemed fitting that we take a look back over the legacy of one of the nastiest MCs to ever bless the microphone.

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B iggie SmallS firSt BurSt onto the New York rap scene in the early 90s, establishing himself as Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn’s finest

in a number of freestyle ciphers, including the legendary Garden Session hosted by DJ Mr Cee and featuring amongst others, appearances from 2Pac and Big Daddy Kane. Despite the illustrious company, there was one voice that stood out from the pack. From the moment he demanded; “Where Brooklyn at?” it was obvious that his was one slow flow the World would be hearing a lot more from.

Biggie cemented his rep as one of Rap’s greats by dropping the classic, and chillingly prophetic album ‘Ready to Die’ back in 1994. With its somewhat unsavoury subject matter ranging from contemplating suicide to robbing pregnant women, it should have been a sombre affair. However, thanks to Smalls’ unrivalled lyrical dexterity and dry as a bone sense of humour, the album had even the most mild mannered and straight laced rap fans rhyming along to tales of robbery, violence and out and out sexual debauchery.

His ability to forge compelling and entertaining material from such gross-out topics, married with his unique rhyme style and razor sharp tongue, ensured Biggie’s services were in constant demand. During his all too short career, he would work with pretty much every-body that was somebody in the music industry. From legendary underground producers like DJ Premier, Lord Finesse and Pete Rock all the way through to their more glossy counterparts like Puff Daddy (or whatever moniker he’s adopted this week), they all wanted Biggie’s melifious gansta flows over their beats. As for the other MCs BIG ripped mics alongside – it would probably be easier to name those he hadn’t worked with, but a few notable collaborators were Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Nas. Then there were the R&B artists including Mary J Blige and R Kelly who contrasted their smooth vocals against Biggie’s rugged lyrics.

Wallace modelled his rhyming alter ego “The Black Frank White” on a character from Abel Ferrara’s gangster flick King of New York, a title that Biggie would come to adopt as his own. His records were often as thrilling as the movies that influenced them, perfectly capturing the thrill of the celluloid shoot-out or the satisfaction gained from witnessing a perfectly choreographed heist being pulled-off. Yet, despite the vividness of the thugged-out

imagery contained in many of Biggie’s lyrics, they were just that – lyrics. Yet on 9th March 1997 the line between entertainment and reality would become tragically blurred and hip hop would lose one of its brightest stars.

On that night, whilst returning from an industry party in Los Angles Christopher Wallace was shot dead in a drive-by shooting. While there are plenty of conspiracy theorists who would have you believe they possess all the answers, no one has yet been brought to justice for the crime.

Shockingly, Biggie only got to see one of his albums released, but like his former friend turned bitter rival Tupac Shakur, his popularity didn’t wane after his demise. Three posthumous albums: ‘Life After Death’, ‘Born Again’ and most recently ‘Duets’. All ensured that his legacy and reign at the top of the charts lasted long after his time on earth was up. Like 2Pac, BIG sold more records after he died than he had managed in his lifetime. Maybe dead rappers really do get better promotion, or perhaps these days an MC’s real life story is just as important as the music they make. Whatever the truth, Christopher Wallace, in his short lifetime earned respect from all quarters of hip hop music. He was loved by glamorous R&B fans as much as he was adored by grimy underground heads.

In the years that have passed since Biggie’s death, there have been many pretenders to his throne. None have even come close to claiming his crown. It is a testament to the strength of his lyrics, flow and sheer charisma that over a decade later no obvious heir has emerged. Perhaps in time another rapper will come to dominate the game in the way that Biggie did, but no one could ever erase the legacy of his music. The King is dead - Long Live the King. Biggie Smalls rest in peace.

In the years that have passed since

Biggie’s death, there have been many

pretenders to his throne. None have

even come close to claiming his crown.