Biggie, also known as The Notorious B.I.G. was an American rapper. He has been described as the greatest rapper of all times by magazines such as The Source, Rolling Stone as well as Billboard. Unfortunately, Biggie was one of the leading figures in the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry that enveloped the US hip-hop scene between 1994 and 1997.
That rivalry would eventually cost his life as well as that of another great rapper, Tupac Shakur. Find out more details about Biggie’s life here including his kids, marriage to fellow musician Faith Evans, when he died, etc.
East Coast-West Coast Hip-Hop Rivalry
Notorious B.I.G released his debut album, Ready to Die in 1994. The album was a tremendous success and cemented his arrival on the hip-hop scene. He followed it up with successful collaborations with other artists and by the end of 1995 was the biggest-selling solo male artist on the Billboard charts — not only in hip-hop but also in pop and R&B.
The Brooklyn native thereafter became embroiled in the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry which was a battle for supremacy between the East Coast (New York) and West Coast (California) hip-hop scenes. The feud featured artists and fans on both sides of the divide. The East Coast side was spearheaded by the likes of Biggie, Sean Combs and his Bad Boy Records while West Coast featured the likes of Tupac Shakur, Suge Knight, and his Death Row Records.
At first, the feud mostly involved diss tracks from artists on both sides. Things, however, escalated when Tupac accused Notorious B.I.G and Combs of masterminding a robbery attack in which he suffered multiple gunshots on the 30th of November, 1994. They both denied the allegations but Biggie went on to release a song ‘Who Shot Ya’ mocking Tupac for the robbery and shooting.
Tupac responded with other diss tracks as well, including one where he claimed to have slept with Biggie’s wife, R&B singer Faith Evans. On the 7th of September 1996, Tupac was shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas and died six days later. Many fingered Biggie and Combs as being behind the hit but they continued denied this, with Biggie insisting that he never hated Tupac and that the feud was just a beef that was not taken to heart.
When Did Biggie Die?
The Notorious B.I.G died on the 9th of March 1997 in Los Angeles. He had attended a party and was on his way back to his hotel when tragedy struck. Biggie and his entourage (including Combs) set off for their hotel in two different vehicles. At 12:45 PST, they stopped at a red light some miles from the venue of the party. While waiting at a traffic light, a black car approached the vehicle carrying Biggie and the driver drew a 9 mm pistol and fired multiple shots at the truck. Biggie suffered several bullet wounds and was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre where he gave up the ghost shortly after.
His funeral was held nine days later on March 18th at the Frank E. Campbell funeral home in Manhattan. His funeral was attended by fellow heavyweights in the music industry. Biggie lay in state in an open mahogany casket, dressed in a white suit and his remains were cremated after the service.
