HIPHOPDX The Notorious B.I.G.

In his brief but legendary career, with just two albums released when he was alive, the Notorious B.I.G. became one of the greatest MCs ever. A rap prodigy by the time he was a teenager, a demo he made found its way to The Source magazine, and he was placed in their Unsigned Hype column in March 1992. Sean “Puffy” Combs heard the tape and signed him to Uptown Records where he was an A&R Executive. When Combs left Uptown and launched Bad Boy Records, Biggie joined him and he quickly helped to usher in the East Coast of the 90s with his acclaimed debut Ready to Die in 1994. After working with his crew Junior Mafia’s debut Conspiracy Theory, he began working on his double-album Life After Death. Tragically, he was killed a week before it was released. When it dropped, it was instantly regarded as a classic and he was hailed as an icon in the culture.