Christopher George Latore Wallace (Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls or just Biggie) will go down as one of the most popular rap stars of the 21st century.
Today, March 9, is the anniversary of Christopher Wallace death. In May he would have turned 40.
Raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Wallace first rise to fame with his debut album "Ready to Die" in 1994. He represented East Coast rap in a time when West Coast rap was dominating radio. Sean Combs (P. Diddy, Puff Daddy) was his right-hand man and was featured in many of his songs and videos.
Biggie Smalls died on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, less than a year after West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur (2Pac) was shot and killed in Las Vegas. Biggie Smalls and 2Pac's rivalry was heavily highlighted at the height of their careers. Tupac died on Sept. 13, 1996.
Fifteen days after Biggie Small's death, his double-disc second album was released as planned with the shortened title of "Life After Death." It quickly hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts.
MTV ranked Wallace at No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs (Rappers) of All Time.
Currently on Twitter, two topics are trending in his honor: #RIPBIG and "Big Poppa".
Enjoy these music videos of the late B.I.G.:
