Following Tupac Shakur's death 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 Wallace's public feud with Shakur. The following year, he led his protégé group Junior M.A.F.I.A., a team of himself and longtime friends, including Lil' Kim, to chart success.ĭuring 1996, while recording his second album, Wallace became ensnarled in the escalating East Coast–West Coast hip hop feud. Wallace was awarded the 1995 Billboard Music Awards' Rapper of the Year. The album made him the central figure in East Coast hip hop, and restored New York's visibility at a time when the West Coast hip hop scene was dominating hip hop music. His debut album Ready to Die (1994) was met with widespread critical acclaim, and included his signature songs ' Juicy' and ' Big Poppa'.

īorn and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Wallace signed to Sean 'Puffy' Combs' label Bad Boy Records as it launched in 1993, and gained exposure through features on several other artists' singles that year. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration.

Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap traditions, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper and songwriter.

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