Ten years ago last month on March 9th, Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. was shot in a drive-by in Los Angeles; he died shortly after at the hospital. The death of Biggie doubly served as a merciless book-ending to the West Coast/East Coast rap-feud with Tupac Shakur (slain only months earlier) and the end of hip-hop's golden era, ebbing and flowing since Rakim came in the door in '86. For those ten years or so, hip-hop was the creative force to be reckoned with. We can only hope hip-hop can rebuild itself to its former glory.
When it comes to an artist like Biggie, one doesn't need to muck about retelling his past, especially when Big Poppa himself spooled out entire narratives about his life at every possible point, breaking down his actual birth:
Then came the worst date, May 21st
2:19, that's when my momma water burst
No spouse in the house so she rode for self
to the hospital, to see if she could get a little help
Umbilical cord's wrapped around my neck
I'm seein' my death and I ain't even took my first step
I made it out, I'm bringin' mad joy
The doctor looked and said, "He's gonna be a Bad Boy"
-"Respect" (Ready to Die)
...His school-days as a youngster:
A n**** never been as broke as me, I like that
When I was young I had two pair of lees, besides that
The pin stripes and the gray (uh-huh)
The one I wore on Mondays and Wednesdays
While n****s flirt, I'm sewing tigers on my shirt
And alligators
Ya wanna see the inside, huh, I see ya later
-"Sky's the Limit" (Life After Death)
...And his first brushes with the law:
I remember I was just like you
Smoking blunts with my crew
Flipping oldies 62's
'Cause G-E-D wasn't B-I-G,
I got P-A-I-D
That's why my mom hates me
She was forced to kick me out, no doubt
Then I figured out licks went for twenty down south
Packed up my tools for my raw power move
Glock nineteen for casket and flower moves
-"Everyday Struggle" (Ready to Die)
When it comes to an artist like Biggie, one doesn't need to muck about retelling his past, especially when Big Poppa himself spooled out entire narratives about his life at every possible point, breaking down his actual birth:
Then came the worst date, May 21st
2:19, that's when my momma water burst
No spouse in the house so she rode for self
to the hospital, to see if she could get a little help
Umbilical cord's wrapped around my neck
I'm seein' my death and I ain't even took my first step
I made it out, I'm bringin' mad joy
The doctor looked and said, "He's gonna be a Bad Boy"
-"Respect" (Ready to Die)
...His school-days as a youngster:
A n**** never been as broke as me, I like that
When I was young I had two pair of lees, besides that
The pin stripes and the gray (uh-huh)
The one I wore on Mondays and Wednesdays
While n****s flirt, I'm sewing tigers on my shirt
And alligators
Ya wanna see the inside, huh, I see ya later
-"Sky's the Limit" (Life After Death)
...And his first brushes with the law:I remember I was just like you
Smoking blunts with my crew
Flipping oldies 62's
'Cause G-E-D wasn't B-I-G,
I got P-A-I-D
That's why my mom hates me
She was forced to kick me out, no doubt
Then I figured out licks went for twenty down south
Packed up my tools for my raw power move
Glock nineteen for casket and flower moves
-"Everyday Struggle" (Ready to Die)
