May 21, 1972: Christopher Wallace is born to Violetta Wallace in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. 1989: Arrested for weapons possession in Brooklyn. Sentenced to 5 years probation. At the age of 17, arrested in North Carolina for selling crack. While waiting to make bail, he is incarcerated for nine months. March '92: Appears in The Source's Unsigned Hype column. Subsequently signed by Sean "Puffy" Combs to Uptown/MCA. Unfortunately, he's unable to use his other stage name, Biggie Smalls, because some obscure white rapper copyrights the name first. Summer '92: Makes recording debut on Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" remix. Fall '92: Makes an acclaimed appearance on "A Buncha N!ggas," a posse cut from Heavy D's Blue Funk. April '93: First solo recording, "Party-N-Bullshit," is one of the standout tracks from the platinum-selling Who's The Man soundtrack. Another song with Onyx and Naughty By Nature is not released. Summer '93: "I love it when they call me Big Poppa..." Kicks an ear-catching verse on remix of Supercat's "Dolly My Baby." February '94: Appears on Mary J. Blige's "What's the 411" remix. Around the same time, promo-only copies of "I'm Just Playing," aka "Dreams," a raunchy salute to popular R&B singers, hits the streets. This underground favorite whets appetites for his upcoming solo album. Cont'd below...
Summer '94: Records "Da B-Side," a duet with Da Brat that appears on the soundtrack for the movie Bad Boys. July '94: "N!ggas is mad; I get more butt than ashtrays...." Shines on labelmate Craig Mack's all-star remixed version of "Flava In Ya Ear." August '94: Marries singer Faith Evans nine days after meeting her at the video shoot for "Juicy." August '94: Assists Red Hot Lover Tone's #1 Player by appearing on "For My N!ggaz," with Grand Puba and fellow Crooklynites M.O.P. September '94: "Let's Get It On." The title track off Eddie F & The Untouchables album is the first official recording of Biggie and Tupac together. It also featured Grand Puba and Heavy D. October '94: Releases the heavily anticipated Ready To Die. LP quickly goes on to platinum status, a rarity at the time for an East Coast rapper. Avid fans notice that there are several unreleased tracks that did not make the final cut. Most notable are the original, uncleared-sample version of "Me and My Bitch" and the Lord Finesse-produced "Cum on Muthaf#cka," which featured Sadat X. November '94: Records "Cunt Renaissance" with the bizarre Crustified Dibbs. Also appears on Red Bandit's "Nine Dog MCs," with Grand Puba and Grandaddy I.U., among others. December '94: In various interviews, Biggie says he fears for his life. He claims his newfound success will make jealous people try to prevent him from moving ahead. January '95: Releases the single "Big Poppa/Warning," which features the controversial "Who Shot Ya" on the B-Side. The songs reach the #1 spot 28 days after release. Cont'd below...
February '95: "Gimme all the chickenheads from Pasadena to Medina..." Big's opening line on Total's "Can't You See" single helps launch the career of Bad Boy's first female R&B group. March '95: Despite brewing Death Row/Bad Boy rivalry, "Runnin'," the 2nd collaboration between Biggie and Tupac, is recorded. Originally intended for 'Pac's Thug Life Vol.1, it's featured on a compilation, One Million Strong. Spring '95: Along with business partner Lance "Un" Rivera, Biggie forms Undeas Recording, which quickly secures a distribution deal with Big Beat Records, and will later unleash his group of proteges, Junior M.A.F.I.A. Spring '95: "Think Big," a track originally intended for Pudgee The Phat Bastard's album, makes the mix-tape rounds. It features B.I.G., Pudgee, and Lord Tariq. Although it is never released, its title would eventually become the marketing slogan for Biggie's Life After Death... May '95: "Best of Biggie" mix-tape is put together by Mister Cee. It includes various freestyles, many of Biggie's recorded appearances, and highlights unreleased gems like "Real N!ggas Do Real Things" parts 1 and 2, in which he ironically freestyles over a collection of Death Row's most successful beats. June '95: "One More Chance" reaches number #1, knocking Michael Jackson out of the top spot. Charged with robbery and aggravated assault in Camden, NJ, Biggie is later arrested in Pennsylvania. August '95: At The Source Awards 2nd Annual Show, Biggie snatches up four of the most coveted prizes: New Artist, Live Performer, Lyricist, and Album of the Year awards. September '95: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Brooklyn-based collective, Junior M.A.F.I.A., makes their album debut with Conspiracy. Biggie plays the background on this promising release, but is the verbal force behind the album's first hit single, "Player's Anthem." The Life of B.I.G. cont'd below...
Fall '95: Records a live version of "Me & My Bitch" for the soundtrack to The Show, a documentary about hip-hop music. The film utilizes footage of Biggie with his mother seated next to him, reflecting on his troubled beginnings. Makes a cameo appearance on an episode of "Martin." November '95: Appears on R.Kelly's self-titled third album on the track "(You To) Be Happy." December '95: Receives Billboard Award for #1 R&B single-sales, #1 Rap Single, and #1 Rap Artist. March '96: Freaks a raunchy duet with Luke on "Bust A Nut," off Luke's album, Uncle Luke. Police seal off the VIP area at the Soul Train Music Awards Show in LA after an argument breaks out between the Bad Boy and Death Row camps. Arrested near New York City's Palladium nightclub for smashing the windows of a taxicab and allegedly chasing two autograph seekers with a baseball bat. He pleads guilty to 2nd degree harassment and is sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Receives the award for "Best Rap Artist of the Year" at the Billboard Music Awards. "One More Chance" is named best rap single for 1995. June '96: "Guns, I bust 'em/Problems with my wife don't discuss 'em..." Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s "Get Money" remix reaches #1 a mere fourteen days after its release. Cont'd...
July '96: Biggie trades verbals with fellow Brooklyn power broker Jay-Z on "Brooklyn's Finest," from Jay's Reasonable Doubt. Biggie and seven members of Junior M.A.F.I.A. are arrested on drug and gun possession charges when cops find semi-automatic weapons and 50 grams of marijuana in his Teaneck, NJ home. Summer '96: Kicks the opening verse for the 112 single, "Only You," and once again helps jumpstart the career of a new Bad Boy R&B group. September '96: With Lil' Cease driving, Biggie breaks his leg in a car accident. Fall '96: Appears on "Young G's Perspective" off West Coast producer/rapper Blackjack's album. November '96: His protege, Lil' Kim, releases her solo debut, Hard Core. Adds the hooks to two of the album's strongest tracks: "Crush On You" and "Drugs." Duets with B-baller Shaquille O'Neal on the title track of Shaq's You Can't Stop the Reign album. January '97: Appears in Miramax's hip-hop documentary, Rhyme and Reason. February '97: Drops a freestyle on Funkmaster Flex's Mix Tape Volume 2 with Puffy's new group, The Lox. February 24, 1997: On BET's "Rap City," Biggie says he no longer wants to portray the image of a drug dealer/gangsta because he does not live that life anymore. He says it's up to him to stop the growing East Coast/West Coast animosity. March 9, 1997: After attending a party at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Biggie Smalls is shot seven times while waiting at a stop light in the passenger seat of a GMC Suburban. He dies shortly after at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. March 25, 1997: Biggie's 2nd album, Life After Death... 'Til Death Do Us Part, is released. - The Source (May, 1997). R.I.P., Biggie.
