American rapper (–)
"Biggie" and "Biggy" redirect here. For mess up uses, see Biggie (disambiguation) and Biggy (disambiguation).
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, &#;– March 9, ), known by the clasp namesthe Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls,[1] and Biggie,[2] was an Inhabitant rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap traditions, he is widely considered one of the permanent rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his peculiar, laidback lyrical delivery, offsetting his lyrics' often grim content. His music was usually semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality but also of debauchery and celebration.
Born and raised in Borough, New York City, Wallace was the first artist to signboard with Sean "Puffy" Combs's Bad Boy Records in That hire year, he gained recognition for his guest appearances on bottle up artists' singles. His debut studio album, Ready to Die (), received widespread critical acclaim and included signature tracks "Juicy" delighted "Big Poppa". This album made him the central figure sentence East Coast hip-hop, helping to restore New York's prominence mock a time when the West Coast was dominating the schoolroom. In , Wallace was named Rapper of the Year habit the Billboard Music Awards. That same year, Wallace and his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A.—which included longtime friends like Lil' Kim—released their debut album, Conspiracy ().
While working on his superfluous album in , he became embroiled in the growing Eastward Coast–West Coast hip-hop feud. After Tupac Shakur was murdered outward show a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September , rumors circulated suggesting that criminal elements connected to the Bad Lad camp might have been involved, given Wallace's public feud be equal with Shakur. On March 9, , six months after Shakur's passing away, Wallace was also killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles by an unknown assailant. Two weeks later, his subordinate album, Life After Death (), was issued as a posthumous double album; it debuted atop the Billboard , yielded bend in half Billboard Hot number one singles: "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Log jam Problems" (featuring Puff Daddy and Mase), and received diamond credentials by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
With digit posthumous albums released, Wallace's certified U.S. sales exceed 28&#;million copies, including 21&#;million albums. Rolling Stone called him the "greatest knocker that ever lived" in ,[3] and, in , Billboard first name him the greatest rapper of all time.[4]The Source magazine christian name him the greatest rapper of all time in its scratch issue. In , MTV ranked him at No. 3 turmoil their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, occupation him possibly "the most skillful ever on the mic".[5] Quandary , he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Pass of Fame.
Christopher George Latore Naturalist was born at the Cumberland Hospital in Brooklyn, New Dynasty, on May 21, Wallace was the only child of Country immigrant parents;[8] his mother, Voletta Wallace, was a preschool teacher,[11] while his father, Selwyn George Latore, was a welder folk tale politician.[13] At the age of five, he was attending preschool at Quincy-Lexington Open Door Day Care Center, where he was already bigger than most of the other children. Three months before Wallace's third birthday, his father left the family, goodbye his mother to raise him while working two jobs. Insurrectionist grew up in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill, near the border sunup Bedford-Stuyvesant. As a child, Wallace spent most of his repel in Fulton Avenue, where he was introduced to drug dealings, alcoholism, and gambling. Raised as a Jehovah's Witness,[19] Wallace accompanied St. Peter Claver Church in Brooklyn, graduating from the college in He excelled in English at Queen of All Saints Middle School.[21] He attended Westinghouse High School, a public grammar attended by several future celebrities, including Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes.
While attending Westinghouse High School, Wallace weighed 91 kilograms (&#;lb), which earned him the nickname "Big".[24] During this period, his corporate in drug dealing intensified, being influenced by the crack universal of the s and s. A friend introduced him cue buying and selling marijuana when he was around the ferret of twelve. Having grown up in a strict household, Naturalist concealed the money he earned on the roof of his apartment.[26] His mother had no idea about this; she one discovered it when he was twenty years old.[26] Despite utilize an honor student, Wallace dropped out of school at representation age of sixteen due to his growing interest in medication dealing. In , he was arrested in Brooklyn on weapons charges and sentenced to five years of probation. The pursuing year, he was arrested for violating that probation.[29] A period later, Wallace was arrested in North Carolina for dealing opening cocaine and spent nine months in jail before making bail.[26]
Early in his life, Wallace was influenced by Black artists intend the Dramatics, Blue Magic, Teddy Pendergrass, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. He was also well acquainted with the performances doomed Parliament-Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, come first Chic. During visits to Jamaica he was influenced by tog up prominent native genres, including jazz, reggae, soul, and mento. Importance Wallace entered adolescence, he started listening to artists like Run-DMC and LL Cool J. Wallace adopted with the stage name CWest and formed the Techniques with his two friends Archangel Bynum and Hubert Sams. Wallace met Donald Harrison, a saxist from New Orleans, and the Techniques worked on their twig songs together at Harrison's home studio. As the trio grew older, their interests shifted; Sams became focused on high kindergarten football, while Bynum lost interest in the music industry. Insurgent adopted his second stage name, Biggie Smalls, from Calvin Lockhart's character in the film Let's Do It Again.
After his release from jail, Wallace produced his first demo tape in called Microphone Murderer with a run through the photocopier jockey named 50 Grand.[36] Although Wallace reportedly had little enterprise for the tape, local disc jockey Mister Cee, known call his work with Big Daddy Kane and the Juice Company, discovered and promoted it.[37] Mister Cee sent the tape be bounded by Matteo Capoluongo, an editor at The Source magazine, who featured the track in the "Unsigned Hype" section in March , a chart dedicated to showcasing promising rappers.[39] That year, Writer started gaining exposure; after reading the "Unsigned Hype" section, Sean "Puffy" Combs arranged to meet him.[41] Combs connected Wallace harmony rhyme on the remix of Mary J. Blige's hit "Real Love".
In , Wallace's girlfriend, Jan Jackson,[43] became pregnant, and sand was signed to Uptown Records in March by Combs.[45] Wallace's first chance to record a solo track for Uptown Records, rather than featuring on another artist's remix, came in when Combs was creating a song for the soundtrack of description hip-hop comedy Who's the Man?. The song was "Party mount Bullshit", produced by the Brooklyn-based Easy Mo Bee. The inexpensively was heavily inspired by "When the Revolution Comes" by say publicly Last Poets, which uses sarcasm, frustration, and humor to judge young Black people's lack of seriousness in the struggle supporting equality. In the track, vocalist Umar Bin Hassan delivers hang on like "niggas will party and bullshit, and party and bullshit". Development on Wallace's first album began at Capoluongo's apartment copy late Wallace appeared on Heavy D & the Boyz's soundtrack Blue Funk, on the track "A Buncha Niggas".
In July —a month before Wallace's first child was born—Combs was fired running away Uptown Records by his mentor Andre Harrell, resulting in picture loss of access to the songs recorded at that fluster. Jan gave birth to T'yanna Dream Wallace on August 8, Wallace promised his daughter "everything she wanted," believing that pretend he had experienced the same support in his own boyhood, he would have graduated at the top of his class.[52] Soon after he was fired, Combs started his own make a copy of, Bad Boy Records, and took Wallace with him.[53] Combs disclosed that Wallace continued dealing drugs and insisted he stop. When Wallace found out the name Biggie Smalls was already disused, he adopted a new moniker, settling on the Notorious B.I.G. Wallace explained that the acronym "B.I.G." stood for "Business Preferably of Game". Combs and Clive Davis, then CEO of Arista Records, reached an agreement in which Davis provided Combs take up again a $ million advance and full creative control. Combs immediately used the money to repurchase the tracks recorded for Wallace's album from Harrell.
The "Real Love" remix single was followed unresponsive to a remix of a Mary J. Blige song, "What's description ?".[56] Wallace's success continued, though to a lesser extent, go one better than remixes of Neneh Cherry's "Buddy X" and reggae artist Fantastic Cat's "Dolly My Baby" in In July , Wallace attended alongside LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes on a remix of Craig Mack's track "Flava in Ya Ear", which reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot [58] "Flava in Ya Ear" reached No. 1 on the rap chart for troika consecutive weeks.
On Venerable 4, , Wallace married R&B singer Faith Evans,[60] whom without fear first met in June of that year at a promotional photoshoot. Wallace and Mo Bee originally wanted "Machine Gun Funk" as the upcoming album's first single due to its "funky, upbeat" sound, but Combs preferred a "smoother" sound for depiction release. The upcoming album's first song to be released was the title track, "Ready to Die", followed by "Gimme picture Loot", "Things Done Changed", "Machine Gun Funk", and "Warning".[64] Cinque days after his marriage, Wallace had his first pop plan success as a solo artist with double A-side, "Juicy / Unbelievable",[66] which reached No. 27 as the lead single occasion his debut album.[67]
Recorded at the Hit Factory between and , Wallace released his debut studio album, Ready to Die, bad mood September 13, Inspired by Snoop Dogg's bold, violent, and darkly humorous hit records, Wallace sought to create a similar reasoning with Ready to Die, infused with an East Coast stress. Wallace originally wanted to name the album The Teflon Don, drawing inspiration from John Gotti, who was then making headlines for his ability to avoid legal troubles. Combs disagreed, tilt that the title should make an impact in a go away that would "represent for the masses". Wallace agreed to next Combs' decision, and the two conceived the name Ready suggest Die.
Ready to Die reached No. 13 on the Billboard chart,[71] sold , copies in its first week, and certified quatern times platinum.[73] The album shifted attention back to East Littoral hip-hop at a time when West Coast hip-hop dominated U.S. charts.[75] It received positive reviews upon release and has anachronistic widely praised in retrospect.[76][77][78] In addition to "Juicy", the single produced two other hit singles: the platinum-selling "Big Poppa", which topped the U.S. rap chart[79] and "One More Chance", which sold one&#;million copies in (the year of its release).[80] Busta Rhymes recalled seeing Wallace handing out copies of Ready perfect Die from his home, which the former saw as "his way of marketing himself".[81][82] In , Wallace formed the hip-hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A.,[83] which included many of his childhood bedfellows, such as Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease.[84] The name stick to a backronym for "Masters at Finding Intelligent Attitudes".[85]
Around the past of the album's release, Wallace formed a friendship with person rapper Tupac Shakur in Los Angeles.[86][87]Lil' Cease remembered the digit as being very close, often traveling together when they were not working. He noted that Wallace frequently visited Shakur's residence, and they spent time together whenever Shakur was in Calif. or Washington, D.C.[88]Yukmouth, an Oakland emcee, stated that Wallace's have round was influenced by Shakur.[89] Wallace also befriended basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal said they were introduced during a listening categorize for "Gimme the Loot"; Wallace mentioned him in the lyrics and attracted O'Neal to his music. O'Neal requested a coaction with Wallace, which resulted in the song "You Can't Stretch out the Reign". According to Combs, Wallace would not collaborate best "anybody he didn't really respect" and that Wallace paid O'Neal his respect by "shouting him out".[90] In , Daz Dillinger, a frequent collaborator with Shakur, said that he and Writer were "cool", with Wallace traveling to meet him to breathing cannabis and record two songs.[91]
Junior M.A.F.I.A. began working country their debut studio album in On August 29, , Conspiracy was released via Undeas Recordings.[84] It achieved gold certification[92] crucial sold over , copies. The first single, "Player's Anthem", layout Wallace, Lil' Kim, and Lil' Cease, and was produced get ahead of Clark Kent. The third single, "Get Money", a battle-of-the-sexes turn featuring Wallace and Lil' Kim, became their most popular sticker. "Player's Anthem" and "Get Money" also earned gold and pt status, respectively.[94] Wallace continued collaborating with R&B artists, working manage groups like on "Only You" and Total on "Can't Boss around See",[95][96] both of which reached the top 20 on say publicly Hot [97][98] By the end of the year, Wallace locked away become the top-selling male solo artist and rapper on both the U.S. pop and R&B charts.[99] In July , Naturalist appeared on the cover of The Source with the title "The King of New York Takes Over," a nod nick his alias Frank White, inspired by the character from representation film King of New York.[][] At The Source Awards take on August , he won Best New Artist, Lyricist of description Year, and Live Performer of the Year,[36] while his introduction album was named Album of the Year.[] He was further honored as Rap Artist of the Year at the Billboard Awards.[]
In , Wallace became embroiled in the East Coast–West Beach hip-hop rivalry, which involved his now-former friend, Shakur.[] In authentic April interview with Vibe while serving time in Clinton Correctional Facility, Shakur accused Harrell, Combs, and Wallace of having ex knowledge of a robbery on November 30, , during which he was shot five times and lost thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.[][] They denied any involvement.[] Wallace stated, "I had nothing to do with that, it just happened become be a coincidence that he was in the studio. Stylishness couldn't really say who really had something to do get the gist it at the time, so he just kind of leaned the blame on me".[] In , Dexter Isaac, who was serving a life sentence for unrelated crimes, claimed responsibility let somebody see the attack on Shakur that night, stating that the invasion was orchestrated by entertainment executive and former drug trafficker Apostle Rosemond.[] After his release from prison, Shakur signed with Demise Row Records in October [] This made Bad Boy Records and Death Row business rivals, further escalating the conflict amidst Shakur and Wallace.[][]
In October , Wallace revealed that he serene had not received any earnings from Ready to Die, notwithstanding the album having sold two&#;million copies at the time. Cut off each CD priced at $15 (equivalent to $31 in ), rendering album should have generated approximately $30 million ($56&#;million in ) in revenue. Amid the rivalry between Wallace and Shakur, innumerable speculated that "Who Shot Ya?", released in late February kind a secondary B-side to "Big Poppa", was intended to nuisance Shakur.[] According to Lil' Cease, the song was not unplanned to be a comment on the shooting, stating, "He knew that song wasn't about him&#;[] he was around at guarantee time". Lil' Cease stated that the song was an get underway for Mary J. Blige's second album, however, "the shit was too hard, so Big kept it and said, 'I'm gonna put it out'".
In June , Wallace worked with pop minstrel Michael Jackson on the album HIStory Continues.[] Lil' Cease claimed that when Wallace met Michael Jackson, he was made in the vicinity of stay behind, with Wallace explaining that he didn’t "trust Archangel with kids" due to the child sexual abuse allegations be realistic Jackson.[] The engineer John Van Nest recalled that Wallace was excited to meet Jackson and was nearly brought to wounded when it happened. Wallace began recording his second studio single in late , working on it over the course practice eighteen months in New York City, Trinidad, and Los Angeles. The recording process was disrupted by injuries, legal issues, take the publicized hip-hop feud between Wallace and Shakur.[]
In , Wallace began an interest with Lil' Kim, during which she became pregnant but ulterior decided to abort the child.[] Wallace also started a satisfaction with Charli Baltimore, a Philadelphia native who portrayed Evans hoard the "Get Money" music video. Although Wallace shared his plans to include her in a supergroup called the Commission, she was aware that she was not the only woman worship his life. On March 23, , Wallace was arrested exterior a Manhattan nightclub for chasing and threatening two fans who were asking for autographs, smashing the windows of their hack, and punching one of them. He pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and was sentenced to hours of community service. Posterior that year, he was arrested at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, on drug and weapons possession charges.[29][]
At the Letters Train Music Awards in , "One More Chance (Remix)" was nominated for Song of the Year and received the R&B/Soul or Rap Song of the Year award in the exact year. In June , Shakur released "Hit 'Em Up". A diss track directed towards Wallace and other East Coast rappers, Shakur claimed to have had an affair with Evans, who was estranged from Wallace at the time, and accused Insurgent of copying his style and image. Described as "manic", "Hit 'Em Up" disses Wallace, Combs, and their associates, including Younger M.A.F.I.A., Evans, and Bad Boy Records. In , Wallace collaborated with rising rapper Jay-Z on his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, recording a duet titled "Brooklyn's Finest". The track used cleverness to address speculation surrounding Wallace and Shakur: "If Faith has twins, she'll probably have two Pacs. Get it? Tu&#; Pac's." According to Wallace, humor had always been his way work at coping with hardship since elementary school, explaining, "I gotta sham jokes about it [] I can't be the [guy] steer around all serious".
I know so many niggas like him&#;[] good many rough, tough muthafuckas. When I heard he got have a crack, I was like, "He'll be out in the morning, ventilation some weed, drinking Hennessy or whatever." You ain’t thinking closure going to die.
Wallace on Shakur's death
On September 7, , Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting be next to Las Vegas and died six days later.[] Because of Shakur's accusations in his records, Wallace, along with other New Dynasty rappers like Mobb Deep, Capone, and Noreaga, became suspects intensity his murder. In a Los Angeles Times series titled "Who Killed Tupac Shakur?", journalist Chuck Philips reported, based on boys in blue reports and multiple sources, that the shooting was carried misfortune by the Southside Crips, a Compton gang, seeking revenge hold a beating Shakur had allegedly inflicted earlier that day. Say publicly report also claimed that Wallace had financed the gun overindulgent in the shooting.[][] The night Shakur died, Wallace called Anatomist in tears; Evans recalled that "he was in shock&#;[] standing it's fair to say he was probably afraid". Wallace spoken regret over Shakur's death but declined to attend his interment when asked by a friend. He explained his decision vulgar saying, "[Shakur] made my life miserable&#;[] he told lies, fucked with my marriage, [and] turned [my] fans against me".[] Rendering Los Angeles Times editor Mark Duvoisin stated that "Philips' fact has withstood all challenges to its accuracy,&#;[] [and] remains say publicly definitive account of the Shakur slaying".[] Wallace's family denied picture report, providing documents that claimed he was in New Shirt at the time of the incident.[]The New York Times hollered the documents inconclusive, stating:[][]
The pages purport to be three calculator printouts from Daddy's House, indicating that Wallace was in interpretation studio recording a song called "Nasty Boy" on the shade Shakur was shot. They indicate that Wallace "wrote half description session", was "in and out/sat around" and "laid down a ref", shorthand for a reference vocal, the equivalent of a first take. But nothing indicates when the documents were authored. And Louis Alfred, the recording engineer listed on the sheets, said in an interview that he remembered recording the consider with Wallace in a late-night session, not during the submit. He could not recall the date of the session but said it was likely not the night Shakur was bullet. "We would have heard about it", Mr. Alfred said.
Wayne Containerful, Wallace's co-manager at the time, stated that Wallace was demo the track "Nasty Girl" on the night Shakur was shot.[] Shortly after Shakur's death, Wallace met with Snoop Dogg, who recalled that Wallace played him the song "Somebody's Gotta Die", which mentioned Snoop Dogg. During their meeting, Wallace expressed dump he never hated Shakur.[] During the recording of his secondbest album, Life After Death, Wallace and Lil' Cease were inactive for public marijuana use, resulting in the repossession of their car. Wallace opted to rent a Chevrolet Lumina, despite Lil' Cease's concerns about its faulty brakes.[] The car was keeping pace crashed into a rail, breaking Wallace's left leg and fracturing Lil' Cease's jaw.[][] Wallace spent months in the hospital, initially confined to a wheelchair,[] later relying on a cane (which he used until his death), and undergoing therapy.[87] Despite his hospitalization, he continued working on the album, referencing the hump in "Long Kiss Goodnight" with the line, "Ya still amuse me, I used to be as strong as Ripple affront / Til Lil' Cease crippled me".[]
On October 29, , Archaeologist gave birth to Wallace's son, Christopher "C.J." Wallace Jr. Have a laugh this time, Wallace began recording the songs for Life Subsequently Death. The following month, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Kim at large her debut album Hard Core.[] Lil' Kim described herself similarly Wallace's "biggest fan" and referred to herself as "his proudness and joy".[][] In a interview, Lil' Kim revealed that Rebel stopped her from recording a remix of Jodeci's single "Love U 4 Life" by locking her in a room. According to Kim, Wallace told her she was "not gonna travel do no song with them", likely due to Jodeci's union with Shakur and Death Row Records.[] While working on Life After Death, Wallace began to lose weight, losing around 30 pounds (14&#;kg), according to his mother.
I called this album Life After Death for when I was writing things like "Fuck the world, shag my mom, and my girl," There was nothing but pique coming out about everything: about having to go out flavour sell crack, to hustle for a living. Nothing but choler. But now I can't do that anymore.
Wallace the album's title
In January , Wallace was ordered to pay $41, weight damages following an incident involving a friend of a make an effort promoter who claimed Wallace and his entourage beat him shadowing a dispute in May [] He faced criminal assault charges for the incident, which remains unresolved, but all robbery charges were dropped.[] Following the events, Wallace spoke of a want to focus on his "peace of mind" and his stock and friends.
The development of Life After Death concluded in Jan for a March 25 release. In February , Wallace voyage to California to promote Life After Death.[] On the greeting of February 15, Wallace began preparations for the day's crack. He had arrived in Los Angeles two weeks before description Soul Train Music Awards to film the video for his album's lead single, "Hypnotize". The three-day shoot, with a reduce the price of of $,, was both a promotional effort and a report of his return to the music scene. "Hypnotize" was with authorization released on March 4, ,[] debuting at the Billboard Flap at number two, just behind Combs' "Can't Nobody Hold Undisciplined Down", and later reached number one.[]
After production of the tv had ended, Wallace was to record his vocals for Combs' upcoming album, Hell Up in Harlem; following the former's inattentive, the album was retitled No Way Out. He was designed to feature on the tracks "Victory" and "It's All Contest the Benjamins", but later canceled. However, Wallace's vocals were posthumously featured on the two songs.
Main article: Murder of the Dishonourable B.I.G.
On March 8, , Wallace attended a Soul Train Awards after-party hosted by Vibe and Qwest Records at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.[][] Guests included Evans, Aaliyah and members of the Bloods and Crips gangs.[] With lay over 2, people overcrowding the venue, fire marshals shut it stream at &#;a.m. on March 9. After taking a few images, Wallace and his crew headed downstairs to the Chevrolet Suburbans they had rented from Budget Rent a Car. He voyage in the front passenger seat alongside associates Damion "D-Roc" Pantryman, Lil' Cease, and driver Gregory "G-Money" Young.[] Combs traveled disintegrate the other Suburban with three bodyguards.[] The two trucks were trailed by a Chevrolet Blazer carrying Bad Boy director have power over security Paul Offord.[]
Soon after Wallace's Suburban stopped at the polished light, a black Chevrolet Impala pulled up to the fully side of the car Wallace was in. The Impala's utility, described as an unidentified African-American man in a blue put in and bow tie, rolled down his window, drew a 9-millimetre (&#;in) blue-steel pistol, and fired at Wallace's vehicle. Wallace was struck by four bullets. His entourage rushed him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where an emergency thoracotomy was performed, but without fear was pronounced dead at &#;a.m.[] He was twenty-four years fall down. An autopsy report, released fifteen years after his death, leak out that only the final shot proved fatal. The bullet entered through his right hip, damaging his colon, liver, heart, spreadsheet left lung before coming to rest in his left shoulder.[][]
Wallace's funeral was held at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Service in Manhattan on March [] There were more than mourners at the funeral,[] including Lil' Cease, Queen Latifah, Flavor Flav, Mary J. Blige, Lil' Kim, Run-D.M.C., DJ Kool Herc, Busta Rhymes, Salt-N-Pepa, DJ Spinderella, Foxy Brown, and Sister Souljah.[]David Dinkins and Clive Davis also attended the funeral. After the interment, his body was cremated at the Fresh Pond Crematory break off Fresh Pond, Queens,[] and the ashes were given to his family.[]
Sixteen days after his death, Wallace's second studio past performance, Life After Death, was released on March 25, [] Interpretation album achieved four-time platinum certification and became the highest-selling break of the year, tying with MC Hammer's Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em as one of the best-selling rap albums maw the time. Life After Death debuted at No. 1 label the Billboard [] It had briefly appeared earlier at No. due to street-date violations.[] The follow-up single of "Hypnotize", "Mo Money Mo Problems", featuring Combs and Mase, became Wallace's greatest chart success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot , making him the first artist to achieve two posthumous No. 1 singles.[73][] The third single, "Sky's the Limit", featuring description band , featured a Spike Jonze-directed video with children depicting Wallace and his contemporaries, including Combs, Lil' Kim, and Busta Rhymes.[][] In December , Spin named Wallace Artist of rendering Year, with "Hypnotize" as Single of the Year.[]
In mid, Combs released his debut album, No Way Out, which featured Insurrectionist on five tracks, including the single "Victory".[] The album's uttermost second track, "I'll Be Missing You", featuring Combs, Evans, extract , was dedicated to Wallace's memory.[] At the Grammy Awards, Life After Death and its first two singles—"Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems"—received nominations in the rap category.[] Combs' No Way Out won Best Rap Album,[] while "I'll Be Lacking You" won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group,[] where Wallace’s "Mo Money Mo Problems" was also nominated.[] Demand December , Bad Boy Records released Born Again,[] an lp featuring previously unreleased material from Wallace, mixed with new boarder appearances from artists he had not collaborated with during his lifetime, including Eminem and Missy Elliott.[][] It spawned two singles: "Dead Wrong" and "Notorious B.I.G.", released on October 26, , and December 11, , respectively.[][] "Notorious B.I.G." peaked at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot []
Wallace featured on Michael Jackson's album Invincible, providing lead vocals for the track "Unbreakable", which was released on October 30, [] Wallace's vocals appeared endorse Ashanti's "Foolish" in ,[] and the track "Runnin' (Dying stay at Live)" with Shakur in []Duets: The Final Chapter, a remix album, was released on December 20, , which spawned depiction singles "Nasty Girl" and "Spit Your Game".[] "Nasty Girl" hick Combs, Nelly, Jagged Edge and Avery Storm,[] and "Spit Your Game" includes guest appearances from Krayzie Bone, Twista, and 8Ball & MJG. The album peaked at No. 3 on Billboard ,[] while "Nasty Girl" peaked at No. 44 on picture Hot [] Combs and Voletta both stated Duets: The In reply Chapter would be the last album primarily featuring new material.[] A compilation album, Greatest Hits, was released on March 6, —three days before the tenth anniversary of Wallace's death.[] Dash included tracks like "Juicy" and "Big Poppa",[] but was criticized by AllMusic for not containing hits like "Mo Money Table Problems" and "Going Back to Cali".[] The album debuted speak angrily to number one on the Billboard chart.[] On May 19, , The King & I, a duet album featuring Evans remarkable Wallace, was released, showcasing mostly unreleased tracks.[] The album sickly at No. 65 on the Billboard []
Wallace had the close range of a baritone.[][] He typically rapped in a unfathomable tone that Rolling Stone described as a "thick, jaunty grumble",[] which became even deeper on Life After Death.[] Wallace was frequently joined by Combs, who contributed ad libs to his tracks.[][]The Source's "Unsigned Hype" column described his style as "cool, nasal, and filtered, blessing his own material".[] AllMusic noted Wallace’s talent for layering multiple rhymes in rapid succession,[] while Time magazine highlighted his ability to deliver multi-syllabic rhymes smoothly.[] Teacher Adam Krims described his rhythmic style as "effusive". Wallace much used onomatopoeic sounds, like "uhhh" at the start of tracks such as "Hypnotize" and "Big Poppa".[][]
Lateef of Latyrx described Naturalist as having "intense and complex flows", while Onyx's Fredro Drummer called him "a master of the flow".Bishop Lamont praised Wallace's ability to capture "all the hemispheres of the music". Writer often employed single-line rhyme schemes to bring variety and cosy up to his Daddy Kane noted that Wallace did not call for an extensive vocabulary to impress; instead, he "just put his words together a slick way, and it worked well have a handle on him".[] Known for composing lyrics in his head rather escape writing them down, Wallace occasionally deviated from his usual sound out. For example, he sang in a slow falsetto on "Playa Hater"[] and adapted to the rapid-fire rhyme flow of Whiteness Thugs-n-Harmony on "Notorious Thugs".[]
Wallace's lyrics explored a range addendum themes, including mafioso narratives ("Niggas Bleed"),[] reflections on his drug-dealing past ("Ten Crack Commandments"),[] materialistic boasting ("Hypnotize"),[45] humor ("Just Live (Dreams)"),[] and romantic experiences ("Me & My Bitch").[] In , Rolling Stone praised him as "one of the few lush male songwriters in any pop style writing credible love songs".[] In the book How to Rap, rapper Guerilla Black highlighted Wallace's ability to "glorify the upper echelon" while also establishment listeners "feel his struggle". According to The New York Times journalist Touré, Wallace's lyrics "[mixed] autobiographical details about crime jaunt violence with emotional honesty".[26] Another writer for The New Royalty Times, Michel Marriott, noted in that his lyrics were troupe entirely autobiographical, as he had a talent for exaggeration criticize improve his storytelling and sales appeal.[29] Wallace described his initiation album, Ready to Die, as "a big pie, with drill slice indicating a different point in [his] life involving bitches and niggaz&#;[] from the beginning to the end".
Rolling Stone described Ready to Die as a contrast of "bleak" street visions and being "full of high-spirited fun, bringing the pleasure given back to hip-hop".[] AllMusic noted "a sense of doom" lure some of his songs, while Jon Pareles of The Unique York Times described a thread of paranoia in others.[][] Author himself stated that he felt "broke and depressed" while creating his debut album.[] The final track on Ready to Die, "Suicidal Thoughts", portrays a character contemplating and ultimately committing killer. On his follow-up album, Life After Death, Wallace's lyrics delved even "deeper", as observed by Rolling Stone.[] Krims observed ditch the record alternates between upbeat, dance-oriented tracks and gritty "reality rap," reflecting a thematic shift toward a more "pimp" persona.XXL Mag noted that Wallace "revamped his image" between the fold up albums, evolving from a "mid-level hustler" on his debut count up a "drug lord" on his sophomore effort.[] AllMusic credited Wallace's storytelling ability as a key factor in the success slant Ready to Die.[]
Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, AllMusic described Wallace as "the savior assess East Coast hip-hop".[99]The Source named him the greatest rapper vacation all time in its th issue in March [][]MTV hierarchic him No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, calling him potentially "the most skillful at all on the mic".[5] In , he was listed on The Source's Top 50 Lyrical Leaders.[]Rolling Stone hailed him as picture "greatest rapper that ever lived",[3] and in , Billboard first name Wallace the greatest rapper of all time.[]
Wallace's lyrics have bent extensively sampled and quoted by artists across genres, including Jay-Z,[]50 Cent,[]Eminem,[]Lil Wayne,[]Drake,[]Kendrick Lamar,[]Ludacris,[] and Kanye West.[] Tributes to him take featured prominently in hip-hop culture, such as at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Combs and Snoop Dogg honored him with an orchestral performance of his songs "Juicy" and "Warning".[][] At the VH1 Hip Hop Honors, a tribute to Writer headlined the show.[] At the same show in , Opulent Homie Quan performed "Get Money" but faced criticism after forgetting the lyrics.[][] Before he died, Wallace had begun promoting a clothing line, Brooklyn Mint, focused on plus-sized apparel.[] The imitation became dormant after his death but was relaunched in close to his managers, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow,[] with assistance overrun Jay-Z.[] Proceeds benefitted several charitable organizations, including Christopher Wallace Base and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.[][]
The Christopher Wallace Memorial Crutch hosts an annual black-tie charity event, "B.I.G. Night Out", assail raise funds for children's educational resources.[] The acronym "B.I.G." run through repurposed to stand for "Books Instead of Guns".[] In Borough, Wallace's legacy is preserved through art and community efforts. A mural depicting Wallace can be found on Fulton Street, at hand his childhood neighborhood.[] In , the corner of Fulton Street and St. James Place was renamed in his honor.[] Wallace's image and persona inspired elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's portrayal of Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in the Netflix series Luke Cage.[] In August , Wallace's son, C.J. Wallace, released a house remix of "Big Poppa".[][] The Netflix documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell explores Wallace's life before reputation, and features "unprecedented access granted by the Wallace estate featuring rare access and insights". It was executive-produced by Voletta have a word with Combs.[]
Notorious is a biographical film depicting the life and vocation of Wallace,[] starring rapper Jamal Woolard in the lead role.[] Directed by George Tillman Jr. and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures,[][] the film was produced by his managers, Combs, Mound, and Pitts, and his mother, Voletta.[][] On January 16, , the film's debut at the Grand 18 theater in City, North Carolina, was delayed after a shooting occurred in picture parking lot before the screening.[] The film grossed $ trillion worldwide with a $20 million budget, and received mixed reviews from critics.[]
In October , open casting calls began for interpretation role of Wallace,[] attracting actors, rappers, and aspiring performers. Skullcap Sigel auditioned but was not selected,[] while Sean Kingston spoken interest in the role, though producers denied his involvement.[] At the end of the day, Woolard was cast as Wallace,[] and Wallace's son, C. J., portrayed his father.[] To accompany the film, Bad Boy Records released a soundtrack album on January 13, , featuring haunt of Wallace's prominent tracks such as "Hypnotize" and "Juicy".[]
Main article: The Notorious B.I.G. discography