Christopher
George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), popularly
known as Biggie Smalls (after a gangster in the 1975 film Let's Do
It Again), Big Poppa, Frank White (from the film King of New
York), and his primary stage name, The Notorious B.I.G., was an
American artist known for his rapping and hip hop music. Born in
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Biggie grew up during the peak
years of the 1980s crack epidemic and started dealing drugs at an
early age. When Biggie debuted with the 1994 record Ready to Die,
he was a central figure in the East Coast and increased New York's
viability at a time when hip hop was mostly dominated by West
Coast artists. The following year, Biggie led his childhood
friends to chart success through his protégé group, Junior
M.A.F.I.A. While recording his second album, Biggie was heavily
involved in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud dominating the
scene at the time. On March 9, 1997, he was killed by an unknown
assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California. His
double-disc set Life After Death, released fifteen days later, hit
#1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000.
Biggie was noted for his "loose, easy flow", dark
semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Since his
death, a further two albums have been released. MTV.com ranked him
at #3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time ... more
