RIP to the Notorious B.I.G.

He had the world wrapped firmly in grasp. He was only 24 years old, yet his classic first album, hauntingly titled Ready to Die, was a radical and rhythmic hip-hop experience. He was widely regarded as the face of the East Coast rap scene. And his star power was destined to increase with a highly anticipated second album, Life After Death. Unbeknownst to Christoper Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G., the album would truly be a channel for him to live on after an untimely and cataclysmic death.

On March 9th, 1997, 18 days before the release of Life After Death, we suffered a huge loss. The Master of Multi-Syllabic Rhymes and the Imperator of Imagery was gunned down in Los Angeles. I was a 10 year old kid who loved hip-hop and I mourned openly with my then 15 year old sister.

As the years have passed and I have continued to watch hip-hop music morph, I realize how Earth shattering his loss was. I realize how his gifted storytelling, smooth flow, and heightened sense of awareness was revolutionary.

There is only one Biggie Smalls.

With Love,

-T. Amour