The Notorious B.I.G. - Singers, Facts and Personal Life
The Notorious B.I.G.'s Personal Details
Christopher George Latore Wallace, known by his stage names Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G, or Biggie, was an American rapper
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | May 21, 1972 |
| Died on | March 9, 1997 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | African American Singers, Black Musicians, Black Singers, Died Young, Singers, Hip Hop Singers, Rappers |
| City/State | New Yorkers |
| Spouses | Faith Evans |
| Known as | Christopher George Latore Wallace |
| Childrens | Christopher George Latore Wallace Jr., Christopher Wallace, Jr. |
| Universities |
|
| Cause of death |
|
| Birth Place | Clinton Hill, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Height | 191 |
| Gender | Male |
| Father | George Latore |
| Mother | Voletta Wallace |
| Net Worth | $160 Million |
| Sun Sign | Taurus |
| Born in | Clinton Hill, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Famous as | Rapper |
| Died at Age | 24 |
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The Notorious B.I.G.'s photo
Who is The Notorious B.I.G.?
Christopher George Latore Wallace, known by his stage names Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G, or Biggie, was an American rapper. He is counted amongst the greatest and most influential rappers ever. At the time when West Coast hip hop was dominating the mainstream, his debut album ‘Ready To Die’ became a huge success. While release of the album made him a prominent figure in the East Coast hip hop scene, visibility of New York City in the genre increased. The very next year ‘Junior M.A.F.I.A’, his protégé group comprising of his childhood friends released the group’s debut album ‘Conspiracy’ which led to chart success. He was remarkable in penning down dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and was noted for his storytelling abilities. He tasted success at a very young age becoming the top-selling solo male rapper and artist of the genre in the U.S. He got involved in the escalating feud between East Coast and West Coast hip hop. He was by an unidentified assailant in 1997 in Los Angeles. After sixteen days of his murder, his double discs album ‘Life After Death’ was released. The album rose at the No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts and received Diamond certification.
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Childhood & Early Life
Biggie Smalls was born in on May 21, 1972, at ‘St. Mary’s Hospital’ in Brooklyn, New York to Voletta Wallace and Selwyn George Latore as their only child. His mother was a Jamaican preschool teacher and his father was a small-time politician and welder.
He had a rough childhood as his father left the family when he was just two. His mother had to take up two jobs to sustain the family.
He attended the ‘Queen of All Saints Middle School’ where he excelled in class and won many awards as a student of English. He became overweight by the age of 10 and was nicknamed ‘Big’.
From an early age he had seen many drug addicts and dealers all around him. As his mother had to go out for work, Biggie started dealing in drugs as early as 12.
He attended the ‘George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School’ after taking transfer from ‘Roman Catholic Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School’. His mother Voletta said he adapted a ‘smart-ass’ attitude though he was still a good student.
He dropped out of school at 17 and slowly got involved in criminal activities. He was arrested in Brooklyn in 1989 on weapon charges and was sentenced for probation of five years.
He was again arrested in 1990 for violating his probation and again after a year he was arrested for drug dealing in North Carolina. He had to stay in jail for nine months before getting bail.
Career
While leading his uncertain life as a teenager he began exploring music and performed raps on streets and with the local groups ‘Techniques’ and ‘Old Gold Brothers’.
He made a casual demo tape ‘Biggie Smalls’, the name was inspired from his own stature as well as from a character of a 1975 film ‘Let’s Do it Again’. It was promoted by Mister Cee, a New York based DJ and was heard by editor of ‘The Source’.
‘In March 1992, the ‘Unsigned Hype’ column of ‘The Source’, which is dedicated for aspirant rappers, featured him. The ‘Uptown Records A&R’ signed him after hearing the demo tape.
In mid-1992, when Sean Combs, the record producer of ‘Uptown Records A&R’ was fired, Biggie Smalls signed with Comb’s ‘Bad Boy Records’.
On August 8, 1993, he had his first child Tyanna, a daughter from his long time girlfriend. He split with his girlfriend before Tyanna was born but wanted Tyanna to complete her education. To financially support Tyanna he continued to deal with drugs and when this fact was discovered by Combs, he made Biggies Smalls quit.
In 1993, he worked in the remix of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Real Love’ using pseudonym ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’, the name he used for the rest of his career. He followed it up with ‘What’s the 411’another remix of Blige. He debuted as solo artist in the film ‘Who’s the Man?’ with the single ‘Party and Bullshit’.
He hit the pop chart first on August 1994 as solo artist with ‘Juicy/Unbelievable’. His debut album ‘Ready to Die’ was released on September 13, 1994 which attained the 13th position on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart and went ‘Platinum’ for four times. At a time when the West Coast hip hop was dominating the mainstream, this album became a huge success making him a prominent figure in the East Coast hip hop scene.
In July 1995, the cover of ‘The Source’ featured him along with the caption ‘The King of New York Takes Over’. In August, he was named as ‘Lyricist of the Year’, ‘Live Performer of the Year’ and ‘Best New Artist (Solo)’ by ‘The Source’ awards and the album was named the ‘Album of the Year’. He also became the ‘Rap Artist of the Year’ at the ‘Billboard Awards’.
He became friends with rapper Tupac Shakur and often visited his house and travelled together. According to emcee Yukmouth, the style of Biggie Smalls was quite inspired by Shakur. Later, he got involved in a feud between East Coast and West Coast hip hop with Shakur.
In August 1995, ‘Junior M.A.F.I.A’ his protégé group comprising of childhood friends released its debut album ‘Conspiracy’ which led to chart success. The album went Gold and two of its singles featuring him namely, ‘Get Money’ and ‘Player’s Anthem’ went Gold and Platinum. He became the highest selling solo male rapper and artist on the U.S. pop and R&B charts.
Recording of his second album began in September 1995 but was interrupted due to injuries, hip hop disputes and legal squabbles. In the album ‘HIStory’, he worked with Michael Jackson.
He was arrested outside a nightclub in Manhattan on March 23, 1996 for manhandling and threatening to kill two fans who were seeking autographs. He faced a sentence of hundred hours of community service. Again in the middle of the year he was arrested from his home at Teaneck, New Jersey, for possessing weapons and drugs.
On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a drive-by shooting and died after six days. Rumours of Biggie Smalls involvement in Shakur’s murder were doing the rounds and were reported immediately.
While he was recording his second album ’Life After Death’ he met with an accident that crushed his left leg that made him wheelchair bound for a short time.
In January 1997, he faced an order to pay 41,000 USD for a dispute that occurred in May 1995 where a concert promoter’s friend accused him and his entourage of beating this man up.
In February 1997, he went to Los Angeles to promote his upcoming album ‘Life After Death’ which was scheduled for March 25 release.
On March 7, 1997 he attended the ‘1997 Soul Train Music Awards’ and presented an award to Toni Braxton and on March 8 he attended the after party at ‘Peterson Automotive Museum’ hosted by ‘Quest Records’ and ‘Vibe’ magazine.
After sixteen days of his murder in Los Angeles, his double discs album ‘Life After Death’ was released. The album rose at the No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts. It garnered the highest RIAA certification, ‘Diamond’ that can be awarded to a solo hip hop album. His other posthumous albums include ‘Born Again’ (1999) and ‘Duets: The Final Chapter’ (2005).
Two of his compilation albums are the 2007 released ‘Greatest Hits’ and 2009 released ‘Notorious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’.
Personal Life & Legacy
His first child Tyanna, a daughter from his long time girlfriend, was born on August 8, 1993.
On August 4, 1994, he married Faith Evans, an R&B singer. Their son Christopher ‘C.J.’ Wallace, Jr. was born on October 29, 1996.
After attending the party at ‘Peterson Automotive Museum’ on March 8, 1997, hosted by ‘Quest Records’ and ‘Vibe’ magazine, he left in a SUV at around 12:30 a.m. on March 9. While his SUV stopped at a signal, a dark colored Chevrolet Impala SS stopped by the side of his car and the driver shot him multiple times. He succumbed to his injuries at the ‘Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’ at 1:15 a.m.
Though the mystery of his murder is not yet solved, there are different theories revolving around the motive and identity of the murderers.
On March 18, 1997, his funeral, attended by around 350 mourners, was held at Manhattan’s ‘Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel’. After his cremation the ashes were handed over to his family.
Facts You May Not Know About Biggie Smalls
He was described as ‘the savior of East Coast hip hop’ by ‘All Music’.
In 2002, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by ‘The Source’ in its 150th issue.
In 2006, he was ranked third in MTV’s list of ‘The Greatest MCs of All Time’.
In 2009, ‘Notorious’, a biographical film on him was released which garnered $44,000,000 globally. The producers of the film include his mother Voletta Wallace and Sean Combs.
‘Billboard’ named him the greatest rapper of all time in 2015.
His lyrics have been quoted by many pop, hip hop and R&B artists including Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Usher and Lil Wayne among others.
An annual ‘black tie dinner’ is held by ‘Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation’ to raise funds to meet supplies and school equipment for children.
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The Notorious B.I.G.'s awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
MTV Video Music Awards | ||
| 1997 | Best Rap Video | The Notorious B.I.G.: Hypnotize (1997) |
The Notorious B.I.G. biography timelines
- // 21st May 1972Biggie Smalls was born in on May 21, 1972, at ‘St. Mary’s Hospital’ in Brooklyn, New York to Voletta Wallace and Selwyn George Latore as their only child. His mother was a Jamaican preschool teacher and his father was a small-time politician and welder.
- // 1975He made a casual demo tape ‘Biggie Smalls’, the name was inspired from his own stature as well as from a character of a 1975 film ‘Let’s Do it Again’. It was promoted by Mister Cee, a New York based DJ and was heard by editor of ‘The Source’.
- // 1989He dropped out of school at 17 and slowly got involved in criminal activities. He was arrested in Brooklyn in 1989 on weapon charges and was sentenced for probation of five years.
- // 1990He was again arrested in 1990 for violating his probation and again after a year he was arrested for drug dealing in North Carolina. He had to stay in jail for nine months before getting bail.
- // 1992In mid-1992, when Sean Combs, the record producer of ‘Uptown Records A&R’ was fired, Biggie Smalls signed with Comb’s ‘Bad Boy Records’.
- // Mar 1992‘In March 1992, the ‘Unsigned Hype’ column of ‘The Source’, which is dedicated for aspirant rappers, featured him. The ‘Uptown Records A&R’ signed him after hearing the demo tape.
- // 1993In 1993, he worked in the remix of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Real Love’ using pseudonym ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’, the name he used for the rest of his career. He followed it up with ‘What’s the 411’another remix of Blige. He debuted as solo artist in the film ‘Who’s the Man?’ with the single ‘Party and Bullshit’.
- // 8th Aug 1993On August 8, 1993, he had his first child Tyanna, a daughter from his long time girlfriend. He split with his girlfriend before Tyanna was born but wanted Tyanna to complete her education. To financially support Tyanna he continued to deal with drugs and when this fact was discovered by Combs, he made Biggies Smalls quit.
- // 8th Aug 1993His first child Tyanna, a daughter from his long time girlfriend, was born on August 8, 1993.
- // 4th Aug 1994 To 29th Oct 1996On August 4, 1994, he married Faith Evans, an R&B singer. Their son Christopher ‘C.J.’ Wallace, Jr. was born on October 29, 1996.
- // 13th Sep 1994He hit the pop chart first on August 1994 as solo artist with ‘Juicy/Unbelievable’. His debut album ‘Ready to Die’ was released on September 13, 1994 which attained the 13th position on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart and went ‘Platinum’ for four times. At a time when the West Coast hip hop was dominating the mainstream, this album became a huge success making him a prominent figure in the East Coast hip hop scene.
- // May 1995 To Jan 1997In January 1997, he faced an order to pay 41,000 USD for a dispute that occurred in May 1995 where a concert promoter’s friend accused him and his entourage of beating this man up.
- // Jul 1995In July 1995, the cover of ‘The Source’ featured him along with the caption ‘The King of New York Takes Over’. In August, he was named as ‘Lyricist of the Year’, ‘Live Performer of the Year’ and ‘Best New Artist (Solo)’ by ‘The Source’ awards and the album was named the ‘Album of the Year’. He also became the ‘Rap Artist of the Year’ at the ‘Billboard Awards’.
- // Aug 1995In August 1995, ‘Junior M.A.F.I.A’ his protégé group comprising of childhood friends released its debut album ‘Conspiracy’ which led to chart success. The album went Gold and two of its singles featuring him namely, ‘Get Money’ and ‘Player’s Anthem’ went Gold and Platinum. He became the highest selling solo male rapper and artist on the U.S. pop and R&B charts.
- // Sep 1995Recording of his second album began in September 1995 but was interrupted due to injuries, hip hop disputes and legal squabbles. In the album ‘HIStory’, he worked with Michael Jackson.
- // 23rd Mar 1996He was arrested outside a nightclub in Manhattan on March 23, 1996 for manhandling and threatening to kill two fans who were seeking autographs. He faced a sentence of hundred hours of community service. Again in the middle of the year he was arrested from his home at Teaneck, New Jersey, for possessing weapons and drugs.
- // 7th Sep 1996On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a drive-by shooting and died after six days. Rumours of Biggie Smalls involvement in Shakur’s murder were doing the rounds and were reported immediately.
- // Feb 1997In February 1997, he went to Los Angeles to promote his upcoming album ‘Life After Death’ which was scheduled for March 25 release.
- // 7th Mar 1997On March 7, 1997 he attended the ‘1997 Soul Train Music Awards’ and presented an award to Toni Braxton and on March 8 he attended the after party at ‘Peterson Automotive Museum’ hosted by ‘Quest Records’ and ‘Vibe’ magazine.
- // 8th Mar 1997After attending the party at ‘Peterson Automotive Museum’ on March 8, 1997, hosted by ‘Quest Records’ and ‘Vibe’ magazine, he left in a SUV at around 12:30 a.m. on March 9. While his SUV stopped at a signal, a dark colored Chevrolet Impala SS stopped by the side of his car and the driver shot him multiple times. He succumbed to his injuries at the ‘Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’ at 1:15 a.m.
- // 18th Mar 1997On March 18, 1997, his funeral, attended by around 350 mourners, was held at Manhattan’s ‘Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel’. After his cremation the ashes were handed over to his family.
- // 1999 To 2005After sixteen days of his murder in Los Angeles, his double discs album ‘Life After Death’ was released. The album rose at the No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts. It garnered the highest RIAA certification, ‘Diamond’ that can be awarded to a solo hip hop album. His other posthumous albums include ‘Born Again’ (1999) and ‘Duets: The Final Chapter’ (2005).
- // 2002In 2002, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by ‘The Source’ in its 150th issue.
- // 2006In 2006, he was ranked third in MTV’s list of ‘The Greatest MCs of All Time’.
- // 2007 To 2009Two of his compilation albums are the 2007 released ‘Greatest Hits’ and 2009 released ‘Notorious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’.
- // 2009In 2009, ‘Notorious’, a biographical film on him was released which garnered $44,000,000 globally. The producers of the film include his mother Voletta Wallace and Sean Combs.
- // 2015‘Billboard’ named him the greatest rapper of all time in 2015.
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The Notorious B.I.G.'s FAQ
What is The Notorious B.I.G. birthday?
The Notorious B.I.G. was born at 1972-05-21
When was The Notorious B.I.G. died?
The Notorious B.I.G. was died at 1997-03-09
Where was The Notorious B.I.G. died?
The Notorious B.I.G. was died in Los Angeles
Which age was The Notorious B.I.G. died?
The Notorious B.I.G. was died at age 24
Where is The Notorious B.I.G.'s birth place?
The Notorious B.I.G. was born in Clinton Hill, New York City, New York, U.S.
What is The Notorious B.I.G. nationalities?
The Notorious B.I.G.'s nationalities is American
Who is The Notorious B.I.G. spouses?
The Notorious B.I.G.'s spouses is Faith Evans
Who is The Notorious B.I.G. childrens?
The Notorious B.I.G.'s childrens is Christopher George Latore Wallace Jr., Christopher Wallace, Jr.
What was The Notorious B.I.G. universities?
The Notorious B.I.G. studied at George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, Roman Catholic Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Queen of All Saints Middle School
What is The Notorious B.I.G.'s cause of dead?
The Notorious B.I.G. dead because of Assassination
What is The Notorious B.I.G.'s religion?
The Notorious B.I.G.'s religion is Catholicism
How tall is The Notorious B.I.G.?
The Notorious B.I.G.'s height is 191
Who is The Notorious B.I.G.'s father?
The Notorious B.I.G.'s father is George Latore
Who is The Notorious B.I.G.'s mother?
The Notorious B.I.G.'s mother is Voletta Wallace
What is The Notorious B.I.G.'s sun sign?
The Notorious B.I.G. is Taurus
How famous is The Notorious B.I.G.?
The Notorious B.I.G. is famouse as Rapper