New York City is and will always be one of the greatest cities on earth. It is here that many historical events took place, and it is also here that the futures of the current generations at the time began. New York City has an interesting history, and interesting people who would shape the city’s and country’s future were created from that history. However, not everyone who lives in New York City contribute to society equally. These individuals may not have invented the newest automobile engine or cured cancer, but they added something to what a majority of Americans enjoyed: music. The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was born on May 21, 1972 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. His huge build, booming voice, and ability to tell stories with his speech locked him into being considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Many factors influenced his music, including his childhood, dreams, and Bedford-Stuyvesant itself. Biggie’s first album, Ready to Die, gives an in depth look at his life. The Bed-Stuy that Biggie grew up in has shown significant changes from the Bed-Stuy today.
Christopher Wallace had a rough childhood, but his interests and actions growing up served as inspirations for his music. Biggie was interested in rap since he was very young. A major influence was Donald Harrison, who Biggie met at 12 or 13-years-old. (Weinstein, “15 Things We Learned about Biggie from NPR’s “Stories of The Notorious B.I.G.””) Biggie was interested in learning about music and Harrison was more than willing to teach. Harrison introduced Biggie to many Jazz artists. Harrison also taught Biggie about increasing and decreasing his slow, as well as techniques for speed, agility, and tonguing in his speech. These techniques were mastered by Biggie, and what he learned can be heard in his music. (Murray, “Biggie Smalls Jazz influence”) Biggie’s voice could be identified almost instantly, as his voice was unique. It was a booming and thunderous voice that turned the heads of those who recognized it. Within the album, there are two sides that can be heard from Biggie. On one hand, there is a smooth and soft vibe to his tracks. On the other hand, Biggie isn’t afraid to show strength and uphold his gangster reputation. “Juicy”, “Big Poppa”, and “One More Chance” are the softest and easiest on the ears for listeners not accustomed to rap. “Juicy”’s catchy beat comes from an instrumental mix of Mtume’s funk tune “Juicy Fruit”. (Partridge, “The Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Ready to Die’ Classis Track-by-Track album review”) The song itself is a colorful story of Biggie’s rise to fame, as he raps about his dreams and childhood. “Big Poppa” can be considered the smoothest track on the album, as the beat here, sampled from the Isley Brothers, can be an opinionated contender for being better than “Juicy”. It is in this track that we hear Biggie as being the famous sweet talking ladies man that he was known for. (Partridge) In “One More Chance”, once again we are treated to just how popular Biggie is with the ladies, as he raps about the sexual acts he participates in and how good he is in bed. (Partridge) The other side of Biggie can be heard in tracks like “Things Done Changed” and “Everyday Struggle”. In “Things Done Changed”, Biggie raps about how his neighborhood, Bed-Stuy, has changed. As he raps in the track, “Lounging at the barbeques, drinking brews/ with the neighborhood crews, hanging on the avenues/ Turn your pages to 1993/ niggas is getting smoked,G: believe me.” The neighborhood he grew up in as well as the life he lived has changed drastically. “Everyday Struggle” can be considered similar to “Things Done Changed”, as he raps about his past and stresses as well. Many of the tracks have something to do with sell drugs to survive and taking care of his daughter T’yanna. (Partridge)
As to why the album was popular, Biggie was both open and honest throughout the entire album. The stereotypical street gangster doesn’t show feelings. They’re supposed to be hardened people who will do anything to make money and survive. Gangsters aren’t supposed to show emotion, as it is a sign of weakness. However, although Biggie can be considered a gangster by some, he was very open about his past and inhibitions in Ready to Die. As Sean Combs said, “In street life you’re not allowed to show if you care about something. The flip side of that is his album. He’s giving up all his vulnerability. He’s letting you know how he has felt about his mother. He’s letting you know how he cried. How he as thought about killing himself.” (Toure, “Biggie Smalls, Rap’s Man of the Moment.”) His track “Ready to Die” can be considered the most balanced in terms of the portrayal of a drug dealer’s life. We also see this rough but truthful openness about his life in “Everyday Struggle”, “Things Done Changed”, “Respect”, and “Suicidal Thoughts”. The common themes within these songs is how bad he had it growing up doing things not many people would do in order to survive. Biggie wanted his music to be able to be felt not just by new listeners, but by those who can actually relate to his music. The drugs and criminal life can have its excitement, but it can also be severely dangerous. (Toure)
The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, a Californian rapper known for his good looks and revolutionary heritage, were friends before the famous beef started. They served as inspirations for each other, as they shared what they learned from one another and represented their home turfs. Biggie released Ready to Die in September of 1994. This ideal relationship changed the night Tupac was shot and robbed in the same building that Biggie and Puff were in on November of 1994. Accusations and suspicions were thrown left and right, as Tupac had a good feeling that this was Puff and Biggie’s doing. Tupac recovered, but went to jail for sexual assault charges. No one from Bad Boy Entertainment ever visited Tupac in jail. Tupac then signed with Death Row, which was owned by Suge Knight. What ensued afterward were disses and a sense of uneasiness for both rappers. Tupac hit Biggie with “Hit Em up”, a diss track that called Biggie out, as well as made it clear that Tupac (supposedly) slept with Biggie’s wife at the time. (Lynskey, “Tupac and Biggie die as a result of east/west coast beef”.) This beef caused people who had no business with the beef at all to choose one of the two sides. Because Biggie had an actual album under his name, people listened to it to compare to the west. As Dr. Dre put it nicely, “Pretty soon, niggaz from the East Coast ain’t gonna be able to come out here and be safe. And vice versa.” (Vibe, “Biggie &Puffy Break Their Silence-’95 VIBE Cover Story”) Followers from both parties were loyal, and they would do anything for their demigod idols. Surprisingly, Biggie kept to himself throughout the entire time of the beef with Tupac. He never made a diss track to retaliate against “Hit Em Up”, but “Who Shot Ya” is considered to be a diss track. Out of the two rappers, Tupac escaped the conflict first, as he was killed in 1996. Biggie spent time in California, which was considered dangerous as Californians were still feeling the loss and heat of Tupac’s death. Biggie died in Los Angeles in 1997. He was killed in a drive-by shooting as he was leaving his album release party for his album Life After Death. Although both killers for both rappers were never apprehended, there isn’t direct evidence that the beef was the main cause. However, to this day, there are still suspicions, theories, and assumptions about the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. (Huey)
One way to have some perspective of what Bed-Stuy was like as Biggie was growing up is looking at some of his tracks in Ready to Die. There was a crack and heroin epidemic that hit New York in the 1970s and 1980s, and Bed-Stuy wasn’t immune. (Echanove, “Bed-Stuy on the Move: Demographic Trends and Economic Development in the Heart of Brooklyn.”) In a majority of Ready to Die’s tracks, Biggie references the drug trade and his hardships he was involved in. In “Things Done Changed”, Biggie raps:
If I wasn’t in the rap game
I’d probably have a key knee-deep in the crack game.
Because the streets is a short stop,
Either you’re slinging crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot
In these lines, he gives a perfect summary of what his life was like living in Bed-Stuy. If his rap career did not succeed, then he probably would have been drawn back to selling drugs. In the last two lines, Biggie states that selling drugs or becoming a basket ball player is the only way to make it in or make it out of the hood. Other lyrics from Biggie that describe his life in Bed-Stuy can be heard in “Used to sell crack, so I could stack my riches” of “Machine Gun Funk” and “Pockets broke as hell, another rock to sell/ People Look at you like you’s the user/ Selling drugs to all the losers, mad Buddha abuser” of “Everyday Struggle”. Biggie started selling crack at the young age of 12, and was even arrested on multiple occasions. Biggie continued to sell drugs until he was forced by Sean Combs to stop. (McGovern, “Notorious B.I.G.’s Criminal Past Glock-Blocks Street Naming Honor”) However, Biggie was not just involved in drugs. Biggie also had a history of violence and theft, although they are technically connected with his drug trade involvement. In “Juicy” he raps: “I never thought it could happen, this rappin stuff / I was so used to packing gats and stuff” and “I’m doin rhymes now, f**k the crimes now/ Come on the ave, I’m the real hard to find now/ Cause I’m knee–deep in the beats from” of “Machine Gun Funk”.
What is so attractive about Bedford-Stuyvesant today that is causing another wave of gentrification? There are many historic brownstone buildings in Bed-Stuy, and many were taken care of throughout the years since they were built. These brownstones were built as early as the 1870s. The neighborhood has seen different gentrifications since its founding. African Americans came to Bed-Stuy from Harlem in the 1930s, and they would make up the majority of the demographic by the 1960s. The neighborhood would also be gentrified by Latin Americans and West Indians. Today, those gentrifying are mostly white. Between 2000 and 2010, the amount of white residents has increased from 2.4 to 15 percent. Median price for Bed-Stuy homes have also been on the rise. The median price went from $575k in 2013 to $890k in 2015 and the median asking rent went from $2,150 in 2014 to $2,395 a month in 2016. Although these prices may seem expensive, Bed-Stuy is the cheapest brownstone neighborhood in Brooklyn. It is these homes in Bed-Stuy that give the new owners the ability to create their dream home. (Nonko, “‘Do or Die’ Bed-Stuy Is Definitely Gentrifying.”).
The saying goes that if you can make it in the Big Apple, then you can make anywhere. This may or may not apply to everyone, but for The Notorious B.I.G. he did certainly more than make it. Growing up in poor crime ridden neighborhood and living in abject poverty is the life Biggie knew before he became famous. With hustle, talent and even some luck, Biggie was able to obtain a record deal that would change his life forever. His first and only album to be released as he was alive, Ready to Die Solidified Biggie as one of greatest rappers of all time. Within this album, Biggie colorfully tells the story of his life. In this album, he makes himself vulnerable as he raps about his life struggles, feelings, and dreams. An important aspect to understanding the depth of this album is studying where Biggie grew up and lived. Christopher Wallace grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. As a high school dropout, Biggie looked to selling drugs as a way of making money and surviving. The neighborhood went through changes since its birth. Starting out as mostly white in the 1930s, Bed-Stuy would have a majority black demographic. With the scar of the Great Depression however, the neighborhood soon became poor. Crime would rise throughout the decades, and a crack epidemic that Biggie participated in made the neighborhood spiral into more chaos. Crime did decrease of Guiliani, but at the cost of racial profiling and harassment. Now, there is a new gentrification, different ethnicities are migrating in, but there has been a surprisingly large increase in whites are as well. Nonetheless, both Biggie and Bed-Stuy experienced drastic changes.
