Christopher Wallace, famously known as Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G., met a tragic end in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. This event, occurring at a stoplight, shocked the music world and many believe it was the deadly climax of the escalating feud between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop artists. This devastating incident happened just six months after the similar death of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, further intensifying the rivalry and grief within the rap community. Adding to the sorrow, Biggie’s death occurred merely weeks before his highly anticipated album, Life After Death, was set to launch.
Biggie Smalls was a leading figure in East Coast “gangsta rap.” His album Ready to Die, released in 1994, achieved massive commercial success, selling millions of copies. Intriguingly, 1994 was also the year Tupac Shakur, the prominent West Coast rapper, was shot multiple times during a robbery at a New York recording studio. Shakur publicly accused Wallace of being involved in the attack and subsequently directed aggressive lyrics towards Biggie in his songs. These diss tracks included claims about a relationship with Wallace’s ex-wife, singer Faith Evans, and insults about Biggie’s physique.
However, Biggie’s narratives of street violence weren’t just for his rhymes. Growing up in a disadvantaged area of Brooklyn, he had numerous encounters with law enforcement throughout his youth. Even as he achieved fame and success, his legal troubles persisted. In the summer of 1996, he was arrested at his New Jersey residence after police discovered marijuana and firearms. He was also involved in an incident where he assaulted two fans with a baseball bat. The question of How Did Biggie Die remains officially unsolved. Theories abound, pointing towards figures like Marion “Suge” Knight, the former CEO of Death Row Records and Shakur’s label, or the Crips gang as potential culprits. Knight himself was present during the shooting of Tupac in Las Vegas and was rumored to have orchestrated a retaliatory attack against Wallace, holding him responsible for the Las Vegas incident. Marion “Suge” Knight is currently serving time in prison for a fatal hit-and-run committed in 2018. The circumstances surrounding how Biggie die continue to be debated, leaving a lasting scar on hip-hop history.
