Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972, Brooklyn, New York-Los Angeles, California, March 9, 1997) better known as The Notorious BIG (Business Instead of Game) or Biggie Smalls (his nickname in his songs ) Was a legendary American rapper
Born in Brooklyn, New York. He released the critically acclaimed album Ready To Die in 1994 and became the central figure of rap on the East Coast, which rivaled the West Coast. His career was marked by the continuing disputes between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records. Until his death in 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. Has been celebrated as a hip hop legend. His double album Life After Death, released shortly after his death, is the hip-hop album that, to date, is the 5th best-selling album of all time with 28 million copies.
On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by a stranger in a Los Angeles shooting. His double disc Life After Death, released 16 days after his death, reached number 1 on the US charts and was certified Diamond in 2000, one of the few Hip Hop records that has received this certification. Wallace stood out for his "slow and quiet flow," semi-autobiographical dark lyrics and storytelling skills. Two more albums have been published after his death. Sales of 17 million units have been certified in the United States.
The tape came into the hands of Sean "Puffy" Combs, then an employee of Uptown Records. He later organized a meeting with Wallace. Combs and Wallace became friends immediately, playing together in the reggae song "Dolly My Baby" by Super Cat in 1992.
Wallace's first single was "Party and Bullshit". She appeared for the second time in the mainstream with remixes of Mary J. Blige's hits "Real Love" and "What's the 411". He also appeared on Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear" remix. Also featured on the album One Million Strong in a song called "RUNNIN '" with 2Pac and Dramacydal, and recorded with Heavy D (from Uptown Records) on songs "A Bunch Of Niggas" (along with 3rd Eye, Guru, Rob-O and Busta Rhymes) and "Let's Get It On" (with 2Pac and Brand Nubian's Grand Puba). All these collaborations helped Wallace to become more known in the world of rap before his solo debut.
In 1994 he released "Juicy," his first hit single. He also recorded Ready to Die, his debut album, considered one of the all time classics of hip hop and East Coast rap. The album includes one of the most famous "Big Poppa", which samples the Isley Brothers.
In 1995, Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes), protected from Wallace, released the album Conspiracy. That same year, Biggie introduced into the mainstream Lil 'Kim and Lil' Cease. Their single "One More Chance" debuted # 5 on the pop charts, tied with Michael Jackson's "Scream / Childhood" as the biggest single debut in music history at that time, a record that surpassed Jackson himself with "You Are Not Alone," which debuted at # 1. "One More Chance", which sampled the R & B song "Stay With Me," was a remix of the song of the same name that originally appeared in Ready to Die. "One More Chance" was also their single of more sales, being platinum in a matter of a few weeks.