Wallace said he started dealing drugs when he was around the age of 12. He was nicknamed "Big" because he was overweight by the age of 10.
Wallace excelled at Queen of All Saints Middle School winning several awards as an English student. James Place in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill, near the border with Bedford-Stuyvesant. His father left the family when Wallace was two years old, and his mother worked two jobs while raising him. His mother, Voletta Wallace, was a preschool teacher, while his father, Selwyn George Latore, was a welder and politician. Mary's Hospital in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on May 21, 1972, the only child of Jamaican immigrant parents. Three more albums have been released since his death, and he has certified sales of over 17 million records in the United States, including 13.4 million albums. Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow" dark, semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities, which focused on crime and hardship. In 2000, it became one of the few hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond. His second album, Life After Death (1997), released two weeks later, rose to No.
On March 9, 1997, he was murdered by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles.
In 1996, while recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the growing East Coast–West Coast hip hop feud. The following year, he led Junior M.A.F.I.A.-a protégé group composed of his childhood friends-to chart success. His debut album Ready to Die (1994) made him a central figure in East Coast hip hop and increased New York City's visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast hip hop dominated the mainstream. Wallace was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.
Read Full Bio Christopher George Latore Wallace (– March 9, 1997), known professionally as The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or Biggie, was an American rapper. Written by: BURT F BACHARACH, HAL DAVID, OSTEN S HARVEY, CHRISTOPHER WALLACEĬhristopher George Latore Wallace (– March 9, 1997), known professionally as The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or Biggie, was an American rapper. Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. (Just bring your motherfuckin' ass on, come on)Īre you sure this Biggie Smalls crib man?Īhh fuck, it better be his motherfuckin' house (C'mon motherfucker) I'm only comin' to pass the gat What you gonna do when Big Poppa comes for you? I don't give a fuck about you or your weak crew The more weed smoke I puff, the more dangerous So I can reload and explode on you rasshole Of his jacket, he had a gun he shoulda packed it I bring pain, bloodstains on what remains Put the fuckers in a bad predicament, where all the foul niggas wentīuck! What I'ma hit you with you motherfuckers better duck I got the Calico with the Black Talons loaded in the clip Now they wanna grab they guns and come and get ya It's the ones that smoke blunts with ya, see your picture There's gonna be a lot of slow singing and flower bringingĪll-purpose war, got the Rottweilers by the doorĪnd I feed 'em gunpowder, so they can devourĪnd it ain't a dream, things ain't always what it seem They even heard about the crib you bought your moms out in Florida They heard about the pounds you got down in GeorgetownĪnd they heard you got half of Virginia locked down
With the Texas license plates out of state They heard about the Rolex's and the Lexus I got the MAC, nigga tell me what you gonna do So, thank Fame for warning me 'cause now I'm warning you Now they heard you're blowing up like nitroĪnd they wanna stick the knife through your windpipe slow That you knew from back when, when you was clocking minor figures I didn't say them, they schooled me to some niggas Nah them my niggas nah love wouldn't disrespect That you rolled dice with, smoked blunts and got nice with?