Monday, June 11, 2012 By Charlie Allard and TJ Fitzell
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March
9th 1997 marks an important date in American music history. The famed
rapper, Christopher George Latore Wallace, known famously by his stage
names Notorious B.I.G. and Biggie Smalls, was shot and killed. March
9th, 2012 obviously marks the 15th anniversary. Wallace was born on May
21st, 1972 in Brooklyn and raised in the poverty stricken area of
Bed-Stuy, a section of Brooklyn. At a young age Christopher developed a
love for music, especially hip-hop. However, he also developed a love
for making money. Growing up in Brooklyn, the easiest way to make money
was to sell drugs. He soon dropped out of school and started selling
drugs full time, mainly crack and cocaine. This was all until he was
arrested for drug and weapon charges, and put in a North Carolina jail
for 9 months. This came to be a blessing. All through his jail sentence
he was able to write raps. Once he was released he returned to Brooklyn
and quickly became a hot commodity in the New York hip hop scene. He
quickly met Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and signed to his new label deal,
thus making him a part of Bad Boy Records. His first hit, being
performed at colleges and small venues, was Who Shot Ya.
On September 13th, 1994, just months after Bad Boy colleague Craig Mack
released his killer album Project: Funk da World, Biggie released Ready
to Die, one of the most hyped hip-hop albums of all time. “In my
opinion, this is the greatest premier rap album ever” said sophomore
Jordan Brunelle. This album launched Biggie’s fame, and a friendship
with famed West coast rapper Tupac Shakur. But soon, things went sour
between the two. On November 30th, 1994, Tupac and others made an
appearance at Biggie’s studio. When Tupac walked in, he was shot five
times. He survived and was quick to blame that Biggie and Combs had set
him up. This created the Famed East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud.
“Although the feud was not a good situation, it did inspire a lot of
great songs from both sides and fueled the great hip-hop scene at the
time” said freshman Ryan Kleszczynski. Only throwing fuel on the fire
were diss songs such as Who Shot Ya (by Biggie) and Hit ‘Em Up
(by Tupac). Then on September 13th, 1996 Tupac Shakur was shot 4 times
and died. This of course was a tragic incident to Biggie, who even
though feuded with Tupac, was a close friend with him for a while.
Biggie soon afterwards tried to patch up the East Coast-West Coast by
making frequent tour dates in West Coast cities, all while recording his
second album, Life after Death. On March 12th 1997, Biggie was at a
party hosted by Vibe magazine with his entourage. Biggie and others were
driving to pick up Biggie’s good pal Shaquille O'Neal and attend an
after party. While at a stoplight and with his entourage focused on some
females on the other side of the road, a mysterious car pulled to the
passenger side and fired shots at Biggie. Biggie was rushed to the
hospital and pronounced dead. A week later, Life after Death, ironically
named at the time, was released and became one of the greatest selling
hip-hop albums ever. Biggie’s life was cut down, but he left a lasting
impression on the world. “Biggie was a genius with words and changed the
hip-hop scene forever” said physical education teacher Eric Castonguay.
Christopher George Latore Wallace will always be remembered as one of
the greatest rappers ever.