the notorious b.i.g.
It would be difficult to describe hip-hop in 1994 without being hyperbolic. Just look at all the albums celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Without pulling out the clichéd “Golden Age” descriptor, this period was to hip-hop what the Michael Jordan-led 1984 draft class (or even the Kobe-faced 1996 class) came to be for the NBA. So many great debuts arrived that year: There’s Nas’ 10-megaton blast of an introduction, Illlmatic; Outkast’s landscape-shifting Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik; Common’s ascension to the main stage, Resurrection; Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s sonic food for the soul, Main Ingredient; Scarface’s unrepentant opus, The Diary. And then there was Ready to Die.
Released in September 1994, The Notorious B.I.G’s debut album provided a slice of Brooklyn life. But what made it a work of art was its master class showcase of hip-hop’s key elements at play: beats, rhymes, and storytelling. It had a coterie of the genre’s esteemed beatsmiths: Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier, and Trackmasters, among many others. They all had the greatest voice to lyrically lace up their tough-as-Timbs production. The combination of these ingredients blurred the lines between fiction and documentary, bringing raw vulnerability and behind-the-roving-lens realism to the stories from the underbelly of the beast, or as Big referred to it, “the everyday struggle.”
In this way, you heard the echoes of the cracked out aftermath of the Reagan era (“Things Done Changed,” “Everyday Struggle”), felt the stomach-rumbling reality that forces everyday people to make do with making do (“Gimme the Loot”), and got the fractured interiority of the trauma (“Suicidal Thoughts”) — all told through the lens of the buddha-bellied narrator’s stoop at 226 St. James Place in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn USA. “My life is real,” a 23-year-old Christopher Wallace told reporters on the red carpet of the 1995 Billboard Music Awards, where he won Rap Single of the Year (“One More Chance”) and Artist of the Year. “I wrote about it.”
Even with his honest calculations on the throes of life on the “crack side,” Big made the “rap side” seem both effortless and flawless, too. Against the backdrop of a volatile minefield of circumstances and emotions, Biggie lightened the mood with his sense of humor, wit, and warmth. For every unflinching depiction of hardships (“Used to sell crack, so I could stack my riches”), his wittiness kicks in to air out the cloudy fog (“Making money, smoking mics like crack pipes”). Whether unleashing his taekwondo flows over the funk of “The What” or outlining the 357-ways he can leave an emcee cooked on “Unbelievable,” his talent was as wide as his belt size. What came as a result was an album that shook up the rap landscape, taking it from the Bed-Stuy corners to the pop charts, and beyond. And to to think, it arrived on Friday the 13th.
Three decades since its arrival, Big’s bellow from the ghetto debut remains as prevalent as the sound of sasquatch feet. To celebrate, see how we ranked all 17 tracks.
“#!*@ Me (Interlude)”
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Source: Rolling Stone / Getty
Music by The Notorious B.I.G. and Slick Rick are among those on this year’s selections list for the National Recording Registry.
On Tuesday (April 16), the National Recording Registry announced its list of inductees for 2024, and music from The Notorious B.I.G. and Slick Rick are included. The registry, which the Library of Congress administers, picked the late rapper’s debut album Ready to Die from 1994 to be among the list of 25 inductees for the year along with the Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh classic 1985 hit “La-Di-Da-Di”.
“The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in her statement announcing the news. “We have selected audio treasures worthy of preservation with our partners this year, including a wide range of music from the past 100 years, as well as comedy. We were thrilled to receive a record number of public nominations and we welcome the public’s input on what we should preserve next.” This year’s list now brings the total number of recordings in the registry to 650.
The inclusion of Ready to Die speaks to the significance of The Notorious B.I.G.’s impact not only on Hip-Hop but on American music culture overall, with its gritty and powerful lyricism backed by timeless production capturing life in the eyes of the Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn native. “La-Di-Da-Di”, which was first released as a B-side where Slick Rick was billed as MC Ricky D, is one of Hip-Hop’s most influential songs – according to the Library of Congress, it has been referenced in over 1,000 other songs and recordings.
Other songs and albums that were on this year’s list include Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, Bill Withers’ “Aint No Sunshine”, and Blondie’s Parallel Lines album along with Green Day’s Dookie album and ABBA’s Arrival album. The Library of Congress said it had received 2,889 nominations from the general public for this year’s list, which is a record for the institution. Nominations for the 2025 list can be submitted by October 1 through their website.
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Source: The Billie Holiday Theatre / The Billie Holiday Theatre
A popular statue commemorating The Notorious B.I.G. will return to Brooklyn for a special exhibit on Black resistance and music in time for Black History Month.
Source: The Billie Holiday Theatre / The Billie Holiday Theatre
On Friday (Feb. 9), The Billie Holiday Theatre announced that it would be hosting Sky’s The Limit: Music Is My Resistance, a visual art exhibition. At the heart of the exhibition will be the striking statue dedicated to a beloved son of the borough, the late Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace aka Biggie. The statue, created by artist Sherwin Banfield, is entitled: “Sky’s the Limit in the County of Kings,” which will be present at the theatre for the duration of the exhibition.
The exhibition is slated to also feature smaller sculpted pieces from Banfield’s extensive portfolio of work in addition to paintings, prints and sculptures from a slew of other artists. All of the works will be displayed in the lobby of The Billie Holiday Theatre, located in Bedford-Stuyvesant only minutes away from where The Notorious B.I.G. grew up. The exhibition will open Feb. 15 with a reception featuring a Q&A session with Banfield. The Queens, New York, native will return to the theatre Feb. 28 for an artists’ talk on resistance with Hip-Hop icon and host of Video Music Box, Ralph McDaniels, and Hip-Hop historian Leroy McCarty. Sky’s The Limit: Music Is My Resistance will be free to the public for viewing until May 30.
“Music and the arts have always been a cornerstone of Black expression through which we get to authentically tell our stories. For this exhibition, we wanted to highlight how vital music has been to the Black experience as it relates to resistance and we wanted to do it in a way that was unique to Brooklyn,” said Shadawn Smith, The Billie Holiday Theatre’s executive director in the announcement. “With his Biggie sculpture as the centerpiece, Sherwin Banfield is the perfect collaborator to help us bring that vision to life.”
“The Notorious B.I.G. is the truest representation of Brooklyn. His poetry is peppered with mentions of Brooklyn throughout his short but impactful career. By immortalizing The Notorious B.I.G into a respected monument, we introduce a unique cultural and educational opportunity for his community and his millions of fans around the world to experience this monument in B.I.G.’s Bed Stuy neighborhood while showcasing a diverse representation of creativity here at The Billie Holiday Theatre,” Banfield said in the press release.
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Source: Chris Walter / Getty
The estate of The Notorious B.I.G. has settled a legal dispute filed against the photographer Chi Modu over intellectual property linked to photos of him.
A long-standing dispute between the estate of The Notorious B.I.G. and photographer Chi Modu has been resolved, with the court finding in favor of the late Hip-Hop icon, according to Digital Music News. The estate filed a lawsuit against the photographer in a California court in March 2019 over unauthorized usage of photos that Modu took of The Notorious B.I.G. aka Christopher Wallace in 1996, claiming that they were used on merchandise that was sold, violating their intellectual property rights.
The estate, known as Notorious B.I.G., LLC, was formed by the artist’s mother Voletta Wallace, and his widow, R&B star Faith Evans. The lawsuit stated that Chi Modu used iconic photos of the rapper on merchandise such as “snowboards, (…) skateboards, shower curtains, and NFTs” without their permission. These images, which Modu (who died in 2021 of cancer) took as a photographer for The Source include several taken of Biggie standing in front of the World Trade Center in 1996, a year before his tragic death in Los Angeles and five years before the Twin Towers were destroyed in the 9/11 terror attacks. At the time of the lawsuit, Modu claimed that since he was the original photographer, he didn’t need to seek permission.
In May 2022, the court found in favor of The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate, ruling in a preliminary injunction against Chi Modu’s widow, Sophia, prohibiting further sales of merchandise bearing Biggie’s image due to the violation of the estate’s right to publicity in that image. The monetary details of the settlement won’t be disclosed, according to legal firm Nixon Peabody LLP who represented Notorious B.I.G., LLC along with intellectual property counsel Aaron Brian and Mark Zhai.
“We are satisfied to bring this high-profile matter to an end, successfully vindicating our client’s publicity and other IP rights,” said Nixon Peabody Intellectual Property partner Staci Jennifer Trager, who led the representation of the estate in a statement. “Pictures of Christopher cannot be commercially exploited without a license from our client. The settlement agreement is a testament to the dedication of our client, as well as our team members, in staying the course over several years.”
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Source: Budweiser / Budweiser
One of America’s most beloved beers is saluting one of the culture’s most beloved MC’s. Budweiser has just released an issue of Word Up! Magazine in tribute to The Notorious B.I.G..
As spotted on Hype Beast the King of Beers has partnered with the late great rapper’s estate to bring back one of Hip-Hop’s most influential publications. The co-branded effort celebrates the anniversary of his seminal debut Ready To Die. This limited-edition print highlights his brief but significant career while using some of the most iconic photographs of the “10 Crack Commandments” MC. Additionally, it will feature excerpts from his mother Voleta Wallace, his children, Angie Martinez and others.
“Christopher Wallace’s story is one of resilience, determination, and the belief in self that shaped him into the rap legend known as The Notorious B.I.G. During Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, Budweiser is proud to champion B.I.G.’s story, spirit and legacy through the reimagining of this iconic publication” a formal press release reads. “Dive deep into these pages; in every line and image, the story of B.I.G. awaits. From the gritty avenues of Brooklyn to the corners of the country, a legend in the making never quits.”
The first edition of the Budweiser Word Up! Magazine Notorious B.I.G. edition is available now at select retailers throughout the country. A deluxe edition is scheduled for a September 28 release. You can read about this special release here.
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