Today is the 19th anniversary of the
death of the great rapper Notorious B.I.G. The influential rapper was fatally
shot in Las Vegas in 1996.
His untimely death shook the entire
world. Though his death was tragic, it put an end to the volatile East Coast
and West Coast beef.
Almost two decades since his death,
his music still resonates deeply within Hip Hop.
Today, we give you five reasons why
the Notorious B.I.G is still the greatest rapper of all time:
Ushered in the renaissance of New
York Rap – Prior to Biggie’s ascension as the King of New York, the West Coast
had dominated the rap scene in America thanks to the super label Deathrow
Records which had Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre (later 2Pac). With the success of his
debut album Ready To Die, East Coast rap was once again in the forefront, and
started pushing away the monopoly of West Coast music.
Two Classic Albums – The Notorious
B.I.G is synonymous to perfection. His impeccable flow and delivery were used
to great effect on his first two albums. Therefore its no surprise that B.I.G’s
two albums that he recorded when he was alive are regarded as classics in Hip
Hop. These two LPs have impacted rap music greatly and are regarded as bibles
in the culture.
Influenced the Greatest Rapper Alive
– While Biggie is the greatest rapper of all time, Jay Z is regarded as the
greatest rapper of all time. Jay Z is the Lord of Hip Hop, but it has to be
said that Jigga’s biggest influence is Notorious BIG. The great late rapper has
been quoted so many times by Jay Z. When you influence a rapper as great as Jay
Z you are obviously the greatest.
Rapping Without Writing – This is the
vogue right now. Rappers boast about laying tracks without writing. Back in
1994 Biggie started this trend. Known as a great freestyler, he rapped lines
upon lines from the top of his head to construct some of Hip-Hop’s greatest
tracks. It might be the norm now, but back in the day B.I.G started it all.
Seamlessly blended Hip-Hop and
R&B – Thanks to the help of music mogul Puff Daddy, B.I.G brought these two
genres effortlessly. The result- some of his commercially successful songs are
a strong and sweet blend of Hip Hop and R&B. After Biggie’s success with it,
Hip-Hop R&B became a standard for every mainstream rapper. It still is
today
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