March 9th, marks another anniversary of the death of arguably the greatest rapper of all time. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long and it probably won’t matter how many years pass, his music and memory will live on.
I remember getting the phone call that he passed that morning and I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t believe it. I still recall waaaay back when my brother brought home Big’s demo and the first few songs that he produced for him. The week before his death I was just at school arguing with some Jersey dudes about Biggie being better than Redman. I was telling folks Big was better than everybody, or maybe he was just MY favorite.
When it comes to Christopher Wallace a lot of questions arise. Would he still be on top if he was here? Would Jay-Z be Jay-Z? Was Tupac the better artist? Was he really the best emcee?
Who knows the answers to these questions but after some conversations with some hip-hop enthusiasts and fans of B.I, here are 10 reasons why Big was the greatest of all time in no particular order.
#10.THE JUICY FACTOR
Big’s first commercial single “Juicy” had a vocal intro where he shouted out the people who called the police on him when he was trying to make money to feed his daughter. He introduced the world to a hustler with a heart and a motivation anyone could understand. His story was that he was on his way out of town to continue selling drugs and Puff (his name at the time) heard his music and begged him to come back and record an album. Rap was his way out the hood. We identified with his rise from ashy to classy. Everyone saw Big in the hoodies and fatigue jackets and watched him step up to the shiny shirts and diamonds. “Birthdays was the worst days, now we sip champagne when we thirstaay.” Who can’t appreciate that? Read the rest of this entry »