It was on this tragic day back in 1997 when we lost the Notorious B.I.G. Any true school rap fan still misses Biggie in some way. We can listen to his timeless music and talk about how he supplied the formula for the modern day "hustler/rapper", how he used his charisma and talent to not only become the highest selling artist in the game at the time but also the most respected amongst the "real hiphop" community of that era. We can speak on his feud with Tupac or his hand in the success of Bad Boy Records and bringing New York hiphop back to the forefront.
But when I reflect on Big nowadays I can't help but to think that above all else this was a kid. He was twenty four years old when his life was taken from him in a senseless act of gun violence. Twenty four, five years younger than I am now.
While it's only right to celebrate what he accomplished in the all too short time he was with us, it's still extremely heartbreaking to imagine what he would have done in these past fourteen years. How he would have evolved as a lyricist, how he would have adapted musically and changed the direction of hiphop as he grew. He was one of the very few rap artists in history that people followed, the culture shifted and conformed around what he did. And while it's nice to claim he is "the greatest rapper of all time", his legacy may have truthfully been surpassed by some, most notably the heir to his throne Jay-Z. But that's only because he's not here to compete. He just simply did not have the time.
I personally submerged myself into hiphop from a very early age and I can say without any doubt that something in the fabric of the music and style of the culture changed dramatically after Biggie died. We can never be truly sure if it was because he passed that this incorporeal sea change occurred but the more time goes on, the more we can feel pretty certain that things would be a bit different if Big Poppa was still around.
But when I reflect on Big nowadays I can't help but to think that above all else this was a kid. He was twenty four years old when his life was taken from him in a senseless act of gun violence. Twenty four, five years younger than I am now.
While it's only right to celebrate what he accomplished in the all too short time he was with us, it's still extremely heartbreaking to imagine what he would have done in these past fourteen years. How he would have evolved as a lyricist, how he would have adapted musically and changed the direction of hiphop as he grew. He was one of the very few rap artists in history that people followed, the culture shifted and conformed around what he did. And while it's nice to claim he is "the greatest rapper of all time", his legacy may have truthfully been surpassed by some, most notably the heir to his throne Jay-Z. But that's only because he's not here to compete. He just simply did not have the time.
I personally submerged myself into hiphop from a very early age and I can say without any doubt that something in the fabric of the music and style of the culture changed dramatically after Biggie died. We can never be truly sure if it was because he passed that this incorporeal sea change occurred but the more time goes on, the more we can feel pretty certain that things would be a bit different if Big Poppa was still around.
Christopher Wallace
"The Notorious B.I.G."
May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997
"The Notorious B.I.G."
May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997
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