finessed his way to the top of the charts and became a household name. His easy-going flow, smooth persona, and instantly recognizable voice quickly captured listeners admiration.Ĭapitalizing on the burgeoning East Coast rap scene, B.I.G. Biggie made a name for himself by relying on his talent, street savviness and charisma.Ĭoming out hot with his debut Ready to Die in 1997, Biggie had the hip hop community’s attention. There was no Twitter to track and assess his every move, no SoundCloud for him to freely upload material for others to discover, and no blogs to promote-or denounce-his easy going flow and master storytelling. His come-up occurred at a time when getting discovered as an artist took place in a strictly offline world. It’s difficult to believe that despite his early passing and with not having left behind the sprawling discography of other greats, The Notorious B.I.G.’s influence has lasted the test of time.īorn Christopher Wallace, the young rapper achieved what current artists and musicians strive to accomplish within a lifetime in just a short 24 years. If you talk to any critic, new artist, hip hop head (young or old), or even the casual music fan, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn’t cite Biggie Smalls as among the upper echelon of music legends. This feature was originally published on July 22, 2017.

The notorious big best of biggie smalls