"The Greatest Rapper of All Time Died on March 9th" - My Tribute to Notorious B.I.G.



If you know me and know how much I love Hip Hop, you know I LOVE Biggie aka Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997).  When I look back and realize its been 14 years since his death, I think of how he impacted the game and how it has changed since his passing.  Before Jay-Z was whispering "the city is mine", B.I.G. was already holding down the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant with his raw rhymes, unmatched delivery and ghetto fab flow.

B.I.G.'s music was lyrically cinematic.  When I listen to songs like "You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)" and "Long Kiss Goodnight" (two of my favs by the way), I can see the plot play out in my head as if I was watching a movie.  Biggie had that gift of grabbing the listener and sucking them into his violent and edgy, yet eloquent stories. 

Ready To Die was considered a Hip Hop classic, but I believe Biggie's true prowess was most notably visible on his posthumous double disc, Life After Death.  This piece of work allowed you not only to see the "Ready to Die" Biggie with his who gives a what attitude, but it also allowed you to see Biggie; the father, the rapper, the lady's man, and the friend.  I don't know about you, but I liked to see him more in his totality than as a one dimensional character.

Gone, but never forgotten, his music and legacy still lives on.  Jay-Z may have made The Blueprint, but Biggie was definitely the architect behind the scenes.  In terms of delivery, lyrical word play, double entendres, swag and subject matter, nobody did it better (during his reign at the top).  Rappers are still biting his style and using his lines as springboards for their rhymes.  Whether he gets the credit or not, his work will undoubtedly be weaved into the historical fabric of Hip Hop.

Whether his music touched you when he was Ready to Die, or his sounds moved you in his Life After Death, he will always be loved and respected for what he did in his short time here on earth, and hopefully, his music will be Born Again.

Some of Biggie's most quoted Hip Hop Lines:
"Ladies, my Mercedes, hold for in the back, two if ya fat"
"Kick in the door waving the 44"
"B-I-G P-O-P-P-A. No info for the D-E-A"
"Number Four.  I know you heard this before.  Never get high on your own supply"
"Goin back to Cali strictly for the weather, women and the weed"
"You're mad cause my style you're admiring.  Don't be mad...UPS is hiring"

Check out some of his best videos here:
Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa
Notorious B.I.G. - Mo Money Mo Problems
Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize

What are your favorite Biggie rap lines and songs?