Remembering the Titan

So I know I'm a day late but after seeing this article on yahoo today (interesting article, if you have the time you should at least watch the video) it made me remember the fact that Biggie Smalls was killed 14 years ago yesterday. It's hard to describe the impact such a big man has had on the industry of hip-hop, ranging from his inspiration of Jay, to running the streets of New York, to his beef with Tupac (which is what most people believe lead to his demise). Overall though, Biggie is undoubtably seen as the single most important thing to ever happen to the industry.

It's kind of hard to argue, however, that his death did not accomplish this kingship for him. A constant reoccurrence in the history of any art, see Leonardo da Vinci or more recently Michael Jackson, is the explosion of one's popularity due to one's death. Biggie differs from these two artists, however, because Biggie was at the top of his game, already widely accepted as the greatest rapper alive, when he was tragically shot on March 9, 1997. This caused the exponential elevation of popularity and acceptance that comes along with the death of an artist to only further heighten his greatness, building a steeple so high that most argue has yet to be touched still today.

The Notorious B.I.G. will forever be regarded as the king of hip-hop, and rightly so. The things Biggie has done for the game have inspired many rappers to follow his footsteps, consequently catapulting the genre into what it is today. He was able to keep street credibility while becoming a news-stand frequent, something most rappers still dream of. Above all, though, Biggie never sold out to the industry. He always looked to make the best music possible, collaborating with only those he respected, and disregarded whether or not it sold records, a lesson I believe many rappers today constantly overlook (cough, cough, Lil' Wayne). In doing this he not only sold millions of records, but also a piece of mind that, in my personal opinion, should be accepted and taught in more cultures than just that of gangster rap.