Things came to a head when Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996. While he helped fellow rap artists who were struggling by guesting on their tracks, Biggie also faced legal troubles, including charges of assault, criminal mischief, and drug possession.

In the years between 19, Biggie encountered several setbacks. The animosity will prove to be fatal for both Tupac and Biggie some years later.īut this feud was not the only problem Biggie had. This was the start of the infamous rivalry between West Coast and East Coast hip-hop and rap. He survived, but accused Combs and Biggie-at one point his friend-of masterminding the attack. In 1994, West Coast gangsta rap artist Tupac Shakur was shot and robbed in New York. It resonated with fans and made Biggie a rap and hip-hop icon almost overnight.įeud with Tupac Shakur and other Legal Problems It became sort of therapeutic for him, being able to get a lot of his anger and frustrations off his chest. He rapped about his harsh life-growing up dealing drugs and feeling alone, rapping about his fears and hopes. He had a way with words, and was able to deliver them through rap music skillfully.īiggie’s songs were also brutally honest.

Having grown up in a hard and violent world, Biggie’s lyrics reflected a gritty “realness,” and many people responded positively to it. His talent for rap, cultivated since he was young, was evident in his records. was named Rap Artist of the Year at the Billboard Awards the following year. The album sold more than one million copies, and The Notorious B.I.G. Bad Boy Entertainment released Biggie’s first album, Ready to Die, in 1994. He changed his name to “The Notorious B.I.G.” in late 1993 after finding out that the name “Biggie Smalls” was already taken.Ĭombs left Uptown and started his own label, taking Biggie with him. Andre Harrell, the president of Uptown, was impressed with Biggie and his music and immediately signed him. It became the first step toward a successful career in the rap industry.Īs fate would have it, his music made its way to Uptown Entertainment through Sean “Puffy” Combs. After he got out, he recorded a demo tape with his friend just for fun. He spent nine months in jail after he was arrested in North Carolina for selling crack. He chose his stage name “Biggie Smalls” because even as a child he was quite large-by the time he was an adult, he was over six feet tall and at his heaviest he weighed almost 400 pounds. He started rapping at a young age, performing with local groups. His early life was far from easy, and at the age of 12 he started selling crack, concealing it well from his mother.Īt the age of 17, Biggie quit high school and lived on the streets.

His father left when Christopher was only two years old. Feud with Tupac Shakur and other Legal Problemsīorn Christopher Wallace on May 21, 1972, Biggie Smalls grew up in Brooklyn to Jamaican parents.

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