Notorious B.I.G. was a key influence over the 1990s West Coast and East Coast rivalry. While he died tragically, and many continue to carry on his legacy, there are still many facts about the famous rapper that people simply don’t know. We’ve come to help in that regard. Here are
Interesting Notorious B.I.G. facts you might not know:
1 His memorial foundation, Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, raises funds every year for their Books Instead of Guns (B.I.G.) dinner.
2 He’s appeared on several hit television shows, including a few episodes of the hit police drama New York Undercover.
3 He was involved in a crippling car accident in 1996 when his rental SUV slid into traffic, forcing him to use his signature cane for the rest of his career.
4 He’s credited with 17 million sold units according to RIAA, topping the likes of Alicia Keys, New Kids on the Block, and DMX.
5 Notorious B.I.G. rapped on the streets well before his mainstream success.
6 His father wasn’t in the picture during his childhood, and many of his songs reveal B.I.G’s resentment towards the man who walked out on his family.
7 He loved to sing about love; Rolling Stone named him “one of the few young male songwriters in any pop style writing credible love songs” in 2004.
8 His pseudonym Notorious B.I.G. was first used when working on a Mary J Blige album, publishing under it for the remainder of his career.
9 His Brooklyn high school, George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, also churned out rappers like Jay Z, Busta Rhymes, and DMX.
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10 He was arrested for selling crack cocaine at the age of 17-years-old.
11 Notorious B.I.G. was one of the most decorated hip-hop artists of all time, winning a total of eight different awards and nominated for 11. His accolades include Billboard Music Award Rap Artist of the Year, MTV Video Music Award Best Rap Video, and Source’s Album of the Year, among many others.
Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G.
In this amazing documentary about the late Christopher Wallace, those closest to him recall his tough childhood and early life. It includes interviews with his mother Voletta Wallace, and Hip-hop moguls such as Jay-Z and Nas speak on his journey to becoming a cultural icon. #LifeOfBiggie
https://youtu.be/-wHykvMFR3U
Image Credit: InSapphoWeTrust, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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I’m Natalie Garcia and I started this website to share my love of trivia, facts and fun knowledge tidbits. We cover things like celebrity gossip, historical facts, tv shows, world leaders and just odd and random fun things. I started this site to have some fun with my hobby and share some useful information with you, our community. Please feel to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form. And if you have suggestions for things to write about, please shoot me a message!