Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), best known as
The Notorious B.I.G., was an American
rapper. He was also known as
Biggie Smalls (after a character in the 1975 film
Let's Do It Again),
Big Poppa, and
The Black Frank White (after the main character of the 1990 film
King of New York).[SUP]
[1][/SUP]
Wallace was raised in the
Brooklyn borough of
New York City. When Wallace released his debut album
Ready to Die in 1994, he became a central figure in the
East Coast hip-hop scene and increased New York's visibility at a time when
West Coast artists were more common in the mainstream.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] The following year, Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group,
Junior M.A.F.I.A. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the
East Coast/West Coast hip-hop feud, dominating the scene at the time.
On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a
drive-by shooting in
Los Angeles. His double-disc set
Life After Death, released 15 days later, hit #1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified
Diamond in 2000 (one of the few hip hop albums to receive this certification).[SUP]
[3][/SUP] Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow",[SUP]
[4][/SUP] dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and
storytelling abilities. Since his death, a further two albums have been released.
MTV ranked him at #3 on their list of
The Greatest MCs (Rappers) of All Time.[SUP]
[5][/SUP]
He has certified sales of 17 million units in the United States.[SUP]
[6][/SUP]