The Notorious B.I.G.

The Notorious B.I.G.
Wallace in 1997
Born	Christopher George Latore Wallace (1972-05-21)May 21, 1972 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Died	March 9, 1997(1997-03-09) (aged 24) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Drive-by homicide (gunshot wound)
Other names	Biggie Smalls Biggie Big Frank White Big Poppa MC CWest
Occupations	Rapper songwriter
Years active	1992–1997
Spouse	Faith Evans ​ ​ (m. 1994; sep. 1996)​
Children	2, including C. J.
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop East Coast hip hop gangsta rap
Labels	Bad Boy Atlantic Arista Uptown
Musical artist

Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls,^[1] was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Wallace was the first artist to sign with Sean "Puffy" Combs's Bad Boy Records in 1993. That same year, he gained recognition for his guest appearances on several other artists' singles. His debut studio album, Ready to Die (1994), received widespread critical acclaim and included his signature tracks "Juicy" and "Big Poppa". This album made him the central figure in East Coast hip hop, helping to restore New York's prominence at a time when the West Coast was dominating the genre. In 1995, Wallace was named Rapper of the Year at 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 (1995).

During 1995, while recording his second album, Wallace became ensnarled in the escalating East Coast–West Coast hip hop feud. Following Tupac Shakur's murder in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996, speculations of involvement in Shakur's murder by criminal elements orbiting the Bad Boy circle circulated as a result of Shakur's public feud with Wallace. On March 9, 1997, six months after Shakur's murder, Wallace was murdered by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by shooting while visiting Los Angeles. Wallace's second album Life After Death, a double album, was released two weeks later. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, yielded two Billboard Hot 100-number one singles: "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" (featuring Puff Daddy and Mase), and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[2]

With two more posthumous albums released, Wallace has certified sales of over 28 million copies in the United States,^[3] including 21 million albums.^[4] Rolling Stone has called him the "greatest rapper that ever lived",^[5] and Billboard named him the greatest rapper of all time in 2016.^[6] The Source magazine named him the greatest rapper of all time in its 150th issue. In 2006, MTV ranked him at No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, calling him possibly "the most skillful ever on the mic".^[7] In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.