todayspulse.net

Hard to believe it’s been 13 years since the music world lost Notorious B.I.G.

On March 9, 1997, rap star Notorious B.I.G., a.k.a. Christopher Wallace, was victim to a drive-by shooting at a traffic light in Los Angeles following an after party for the Soul Train Music Awards. Biggie, as he was often called, died later that night at Los Angeles’ Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

The death of Notorious B.I.G. happened just days prior to the release of his second album, ominously titled Life after Death.

In the aftermath of Biggie’s death, a parlor game ensued over who killed Notorious B.I.G.; one high-profile conspiracy followed another. The books and movies and rumors are just colorful window-dressing to the unsolved mystery.

The investigation into the rap star’s murder continues today.

Now part of canon of influential music artists gone too soon, Notorious B.I.G., like a Charlie Parker or Jimi Hendrix, is thought of not just in terms of what he accomplished while living, but also what he might have/could have accomplished were he alive today.

Biggie’s death occurred just months after rap star Tupac Shakur was murdered, further exacerbating the West Coast versus East Coast hip hop rivalry and re-directed the media spotlight on a contentious style of hip hop known as ‘gangsta rap.’

Many rappers have come and gone in the years since Biggie’s passing; artists like Jay-Z and Puff Daddy have built quite the brand around their style of hip-hop. but no one has yet to discover the same smooth style and raw power Biggie brought to the rap genre – he was quite unique in that sense.

The best rapper of all-time? Perhaps. Had he not been killed he was probably well on his way. It’s a good debate for a lazy afternoon. but there is no doubt he had a major impact on hip-hop and the greater pop culture.

In the end, he recorded some damn fine songs – still catchy as hell all these years later. And for that, this music fan is grateful.

Comments are closed.