Today, March 9th, we remember the life and music of arguably the greatest MC to ever grace the stage; a man whose effortless style and lyrical flow has influenced countless rappers, like Diddy, Jay-Z and Lil Kim just to name a few. The life of one of the greatest rappers of all time, The Notorious B.I.G. came to an end on this day 14 years ago.

Christopher Wallace was born on May 21st, 1972 in the Bed Stuy section of Brooklyn, New York. A high school drop out and local drug dealer, Wallace turned to music as his salvation for a better life. After catching the attention of producer Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Combs, he signed a record deal with his music label Bad Boy records.

Wallace took on the stage name of The Notorious B.I.G. and electrified fans with his unique lyrical style. He continued to grow in fame in the mid 90s, so much so that he was one of the main parties involved in the infamous coastal rap war and more personally, rapper/actor Tupac Shakur. Wallace would eventually lose his life, along with Shakur, to gun violence at the age of 24.

His hit songs, “Big Poppa,” “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money, Mo Problems” were all Grammy nominated songs and his album Life After Death was nominated for Best Rap Album in 1998.

Biggie’s legacy continues to grow well after his death for not only being a great rapper, but also a proud New Yorker.

RIP BIG!