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old school hip hopeast coast hip hophip hopgangster rap

The Notorious B.I.G.

31 tracks across 17 playlists

Brooklyn. Christopher George Latore Wallace. 'Ready to Die' (1994) and 'Life After Death' (1997 — released sixteen days after his murder). The single most influential narrative-rap voice in East Coast hip-hop history. The voice, the cadence, the storytelling, the production he commanded ('Hypnotize,' 'Mo Money Mo Problems,' 'Juicy,' 'Big Poppa') are foundational text. Murdered in Los Angeles in March 1997, age 24, in an unsolved drive-by. The shadow has never lifted; he's permanently in the rap-Mt.-Rushmore conversation. Foundational figure.