Wallace was born and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. His debut album Ready to Die (1994) made him a central figure in East Coast hip hop and increased New York City's visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast hip hop dominated the mainstream. The following year, he led Junior M.A.F.I.A.โa protรฉgรฉ group composed of his childhood friendsโto chart success. In 1996, while recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the growing East CoastโWest Coast hip hop feud. On March 9, 1997, he was murdered by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His second album, Life After Death (1997), released two weeks later, rose to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. In 2000, it became one of the few hip-hop albums to be certified Diamond.
Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow"; dark, semi-autobiographical lyrics; and storytelling abilities, which focused on crime and hardship. Three more albums have been released since his death, and he has certified sales of over 17 million records in the United States, including 13.4 million albums.
Wallace was born at St. Mary's Hospital in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on May 21, 1972, the only child of Jamaican immigrant parents. His mother, Voletta Wallace, was a preschool teacher, while his father, Selwyn George Latore, was a welder and politician. His father left the family when Wallace was two years old, and his mother worked two jobs while raising him. Wallace grew up at 226 St. James Place in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill, near the border with Bedford-Stuyvesant. Wallace excelled at Queen of All Saints Middle School winning several awards as an English student. He was nicknamed "Big" because he was overweight by the age of 10. Wallace said he started dealing drugs when he was around the age of 12. His mother, often away at work, did not know of his drug dealing until he was an adult. He began rapping as a teenager, entertaining people on the streets, and performed with local groups the Old Gold Brothers and the Techniques. At his request, Wallace transferred from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, where future rappers DMX, Jay-Z, and Busta Rhymes were also attending. According to his mother, Wallace was still a good student but developed a "smart-ass" attitude at the new school. At age 17, Wallace dropped out of school and became more involved in crime. In 1989, he was arrested on weapons charges in Brooklyn and sentenced to five years' probation. In 1990, he was arrested on a violation of his probation. A year later, Wallace was arrested in North Carolina for dealing crack cocaine. He spent nine months in jail before making bail.
Wallace's lyrical topics and themes included mafioso tales ("Niggas Bleed"), his drug-dealing past ("10 Crack Commandments"), materialistic bragging ("Hypnotize"), as well as humor ("Just Playing (Dreams)"), and romance ("Me & My Bitch"). Rolling Stone named Wallace in 2004 as "one of the few young male songwriters in any pop style writing credible love songs".
Guerilla Black, in the book How to Rap, describes how Wallace was able to both "glorify the upper echelon" and "[make] you feel his struggle". According to Tourรฉ of The New York Times in 1994, Wallace's lyrics " autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty". Marriott of The New York Times (in 1997) believed his lyrics were not strictly autobiographical and wrote he "had a knack for exaggeration that increased sales". Wallace described his debut as "a big pie, with each slice indicating a different point in my life involving bitches and niggaz... from the beginning to the end".
Ready to Die is described by Rolling Stone as a contrast of "bleak" street visions and being "full of high-spirited fun, bringing the pleasure principle back to hip-hop". AllMusic write of "a sense of doom" in some of his songs and the NY Times note some being "laced with paranoia"; Wallace described himself as feeling "broke and depressed" when he made his debut. The final song on the album, "Suicidal Thoughts", featured Wallace contemplating suicide and concluded with him committing the act.
On Life After Death, Wallace's lyrics went "deeper". Krims explains how upbeat, dance-oriented tracks (which featured less heavily on his debut) alternate with "reality rap" songs on the record and suggests that he was "going pimp" through some of the lyrical topics of the former. XXL magazine wrote that Wallace "revamped his image" through the portrayal of himself between the albums, going from "midlevel hustler" on his debut to "drug lord".
AllMusic wrote that the success of Ready to Die is "mostly due to Wallace's skill as a storyteller"; in 1994, Rolling Stone described Wallace's ability in this technique as painting "a sonic picture so vibrant that you're transported right to the scene". On Life After Death, Wallace notably demonstrated this skill on "I Got a Story to Tell", creating a story as a rap for the first half of the song and then retelling the same story "for his boys" in conversation form.
Considered one of the best rappers of all time, Wallace was described by AllMusic as "the savior of East Coast hip-hop". The Source magazine named Wallace the greatest rapper of all time in its 150th issue in 2002. In 2003, when XXL magazine asked several hip hop artists to list their five favorite MCs, Wallace's name appeared on more rappers' lists than anyone else. In 2006, MTV ranked him at No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, calling him possibly "the most skillful ever on the mic". Editors of About.com ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987โ2007). In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 Lyrical Leaders of all time. Rolling Stone has referred to him as the "greatest rapper that ever lived". In 2015, Billboard named Wallace as the greatest rapper of all time.
Since his death, Wallace's lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of hip hop, R&B and pop artists including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Fat Joe, Nelly, Ja Rule, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Game, Clinton Sparks, Michael Jackson and Usher. On August 28, 2005, at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Sean Combs (then using the rap alias "P. Diddy") and Snoop Dogg paid tribute to Wallace: an orchestra played while the vocals from "Juicy" and "Warning" played on the arena speakers. In September 2005, VH1 held its second annual "Hip Hop Honors", with a tribute to Wallace headlining the show.
Wallace had begun to promote a clothing line called Brooklyn Mint, which was to produce plus-sized clothing but fell dormant after he died. In 2004, his managers, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, launched the clothing line, with help from Jay-Z, selling T-shirts with images of Wallace on them. A portion of the proceeds go to the Christopher Wallace Foundation and to Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. In 2005, Voletta Wallace hired branding and licensing agency Wicked Cow Entertainment to guide the estate's licensing efforts. Wallace-branded products on the market include action figures, blankets, and cell phone content.
The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation holds an annual black-tie dinner ("B.I.G. Night Out") to raise funds for children's school equipment and to honor Wallace's memory. For this particular event, because it is a children's schools' charity, "B.I.G." is also said to stand for "Books Instead of Guns".
There is a large portrait mural of Wallace as Mao Zedong on Fulton Street in Brooklyn a half-mile west from Wallace's old block. A fan petitioned to have the corner of Fulton Street and St. James Place, near Wallace's childhood home renamed in his honor, garnering support from local businesses and attracting more than 560 signatures.
A large portrait of Wallace features prominently in the Netflix series Luke Cage, due to the fact that he served as muse for the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Marvel Comics character Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes.
Niggas Bleed
The Notorious B.I.G. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got the suitcase up in the Sentra
Go to room 112, tell 'em Blanco sent ya
Feel the strangest
If no money exchanges
I got these kids in Ranges
To leave them niggas brainless
All they tote is stainless
Calm as possible, make the deal go through
If not, here's 12 shots, we know how you do
Please make yo killin's clean
Slugs up in between
They eyes, like True Lies
Kill 'em and flee the scene
Just bring back the coke or the cream
Or else, yo' life is on the shelf
We mean this Frank
Them cats we fuckin' wit' put bombs in yo' moms gas tank
Let's get this money baby
They shady, we get shady
Dress up like ladies
And burn 'em with dirty 380's
Then they come to kill our babies
That all out
I got gats that blow the wall out
Clear the mall out
Fuck the fallout
Word is Stretch, I bet they pussy
The seven digits push me
Fuckin' real
Here's the deal
I got a hundred bricks, 14-5 a piece
Enough to cop six, by the house on the beach
Supply the peeps with Jeeps
Brick a piece
Capiche?
Everybody gettin' cream
No one considered a leech
Think about it now, that's damn near 1 point 5
I kill 'em all I'll be set for life
Frank pay attention
These muthafuckas is henchmen
Renegades, if you die they still get paid
Extra probably, fuck a robbery
I'm the boss
Promise you won't rob 'em, I promise
But of course you know I had my fingers crossed
Niggas bleed just like us
Picture me bein' scared of a nigga that breathe the same air as me
Niggas bleed just like us
Picture me bein' shook
We can both pull burners, make the muthafuckin' beef cook
Niggas bleed just like us
Picture a nigga hidin'
My life in that man hands, while he jus' decidin'
Niggas bleed just like us
I'd rather go toe to toe with all of y'all
Runnin' ain't in my protocol
Since it's on, I call my nigga Arizona Ron
From Tucson, push the black Yukon
Usually had the slow grooves on
Mostly rock the Isley
Stupid as a youngin', chose not to move wisely
Sharper with game, him and his crooks, caught a jooks
Heard it was sweet, 'bout 350 a piece
Ron bought a truck, 2 bricks laid in the cut
His peeps got bucked, got locked the fuck up
That's the raw vantage, came back, speakin' spanish
Lavish habits, two rings, 20 carats
Here's a criminal
Nigga made America's Most
Killed his baby's mother's brother, slit his throat
The nigga got bagged with the toast, weeded
Took it to trial, beat it
Now he feel he undefeated
He mean it
Nothing To Lose, tattooed around his gun wounds
Everything, the game, embedded in his brain
And me I feel the same for this money and diamonds
'Specially if my daughter cryin', I ain't lyin'
Y'all know the signs
Niggas bleed just like us
Picture me bein' scared of a nigga that breathe the same air as me
Niggas bleed just like us
Picture me bein' shook
We can both pull burners, make the muthafuckin' beef cook
Niggas bleed just like us
Picture a nigga hidin'
My life in that man hands, while he jus' decidin'
Niggas bleed just like us
I'd rather go toe to toe with all of y'all
Runnin' ain't in my protocol
We agreed to go and shootin' silly
Because niggas could be hidin' in showers with Mac Billy's
So I freaked 'em
The telly manager was Puerto Rican
Gloria, from Astoria, I went to war with her
Peeps in '91, stole a gun from her workers
And they took drugs, they tried to jerk us
We blaze they place, long story
Glo' seen my face, got shook
Thought a nigga was comin' for the safe
Now she breakin', shut up, 112, what's shakin'
A Jamaican, some bitches I swear
They look gay
In a black Range Rover
Been outside all day
If it's trouble let me know, I'll be on my way
Please I got kids to feed, I done seen you make niggas bleed
Nightmare, this bitch don't leave
Ron, get the gasoline
This spot, we 'bout to blow
Let's get the cash before the cops and Range Rover cats know
It's room 112
Right by the staircase, perfect place
When they evacuate, they meet they fate
Ron pass the gasoline
The nigga pass me kerosene
Fuck it, it's flammable
My hunger is unexplainable
Strike the match, just what I expected
The dread kid ejected in seconds
And here come two
Opposite sexes
One black, one Malaysian
We in the hallway waitin' patient
As soon as she hit the door we start blastin'
I saw her brains hit the floor
Ron laughin'
I swear to God
I hit Maxi Priest at least 12 times in the chest
Spint around, shot the chick in the breast
She cryin', headshots put her to rest
Pop open the briefcases, nothin' but Franco faces
The spots hot, sprinklers, alarm systems
That's when other guests start to slip in
It's time for us to get to dippin'
I know them niggas in the Range is on they way up
Flippin', pistol grippin'
I know they clippin'
The hallway, got real loud and crowded
They walked right past us
I don't know how they allowed it
The funny thing about it
Through all the excitement
They Range got towed, they double parked by a hydrant
Stupid motherfuckers
The lyrics to The Notorious B.I.G.'s song Niggas Bleed tell the story of a drug deal gone wrong, with the singer ("Blanco") and his crew planning and executing a robbery of a rival drug dealer. The song is filled with violent imagery and drug references, and reflects the harsh realities of life on the streets. In the first verse, Blanco warns his crew to remain calm during the deal, and threatens violence if they do not cooperate. He also references the danger he and his crew face from rival gangs, including bombs placed in his mother's gas tank. The chorus of the song ("Niggas bleed just like us") emphasizes the humanity of people involved in violent crime, effectively subverting the usual stereotype of gangsters as inhuman monsters. The second verse tells the story of Ron, a criminal who murder his baby's mother's brother, and seems to take pride in his crimes. The final verse depicts Blanco and his crew robbing a hotel room, killing two people, and narrowly escaping the police and other rival gangs.
The song was released on The Notorious B.I.G.'s second album "Life After Death" in 1997, just weeks after he was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Despite the artist's violent death, the album was a commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and featuring collaborations with well-known artists such as Jay-Z, Puff Daddy, and Lil' Kim.
Line by Line Meaning
Today's agenda
The plan for today
Got the suitcase up in the Sentra
Carrying the luggage in the Nissan Sentra
Go to room 112, tell 'em Blanco sent ya
Visit room 112 and mention that Blanco referred
Feel the strangest
Experience an odd feeling
If no money exchanges
If there is no financial transaction
I got these kids in Ranges
I have youngsters with guns
To leave them niggas brainless
To leave those individuals lifeless
All they tote is stainless
All they carry are guns
You just remain as
You simply stay calm
Calm as possible, make the deal go through
Stay composed and ensure the deal is successful
If not, here's 12 shots, we know how you do
If not, I have twelve bullets for you, we know your ways
Please make yo killin's clean
Please ensure your murders are discreet
Slugs up in between
Bullets shot between the eyes
They eyes, like True Lies
Their eyes, like in the movie True Lies
Kill 'em and flee the scene
Kill them and escape the crime scene
Just bring back the coke or the cream
Just retrieve the cocaine or the money
Or else, yo' life is on the shelf
Otherwise, your life is in danger
We mean this Frank
We are serious, Frank
Them cats we fuckin' wit' put bombs in yo' moms gas tank
The people we are involved with have placed explosives in your mother's car
Let's get this money baby
Let's acquire this wealth, my dear
They shady, we get shady
They are dishonest, so we become untrustworthy
Dress up like ladies
Disguise ourselves as women
And burn 'em with dirty 380's
And shoot them with unclean .380 caliber guns
Then they come to kill our babies
Then they come to harm our children
That all out
That is the extent of it
I got gats that blow the wall out
I have guns that can blast through walls
Clear the mall out
Empty the shopping center
Fuck the fallout
Ignore the consequences
Word is Stretch, I bet they pussy
People say Stretch is afraid, I bet they are all cowards
The seven digits push me
The large sums of money motivate me
Fuckin' real
Being authentic
Here's the deal
Here is the plan
I got a hundred bricks, 14-5 a piece
I have one hundred kilograms of drugs, priced at $14,500 each
Enough to cop six, by the house on the beach
Enough to purchase six properties by the seaside
Supply the peeps with Jeeps
Provide cars to the people
Brick a piece
One kilogram of drugs per person
Capiche?
Do you understand?
Everybody gettin' cream
Everyone is making a lot of money
No one considered a leech
No one is seen as a parasite
Think about it now, that's damn near 1 point 5
Consider it now, that's almost 1.5 million
I kill 'em all I'll be set for life
If I eliminate them all, I will be financially secure
Frank pay attention
Frank, listen carefully
These muthafuckas is henchmen
These individuals are henchmen
Renegades, if you die they still get paid
Outlaws, even if you die, they still receive payment
Extra probably, fuck a robbery
Probably additional payment, ignore a robbery
I'm the boss
I am the leader
Promise you won't rob 'em, I promise
Promise me you won't steal from them, I promise
But of course you know I had my fingers crossed
But of course, you know I was lying
Niggas bleed just like us
People of our race bleed just like us
Picture me bein' scared of a nigga that breathe the same air as me
Imagine me being afraid of someone who breathes the same air as me
Niggas bleed just like us
People of our race bleed just like us
Picture me bein' shook
Imagine me being frightened
We can both pull burners, make the muthafuckin' beef cook
We both have guns and can engage in a shootout
Niggas bleed just like us
People of our race bleed just like us
Picture a nigga hidin'
Imagine a person of our race hiding
My life in that man hands, while he jus' decidin'
My life is in the hands of that man, while he is deciding
Niggas bleed just like us
People of our race bleed just like us
I'd rather go toe to toe with all of y'all
I would prefer to fight each and every one of you
Runnin' ain't in my protocol
Running away is not a part of my plan
Since it's on, I call my nigga Arizona Ron
Now that it's happening, I contact my friend Arizona Ron
From Tucson, push the black Yukon
From the city of Tucson, driving the black Yukon
Usually had the slow grooves on
Usually played laid-back music
Mostly rock the Isley
Mostly listen to The Isley Brothers
Stupid as a youngin', chose not to move wisely
Ignorant as a young person, made unwise decisions
Sharper with game, him and his crooks, caught a jooks
More skilled at criminal activities, him and his gang attacked a robbery target
Heard it was sweet, 'bout 350 a piece
Heard it was easy, about 350 thousand dollars per person
Ron bought a truck, 2 bricks laid in the cut
Ron bought a vehicle, hidden in it are two kilograms of drugs
His peeps got bucked, got locked the fuck up
His associates got arrested and imprisoned
That's the raw vantage
That's the risky situation
Came back, speakin' spanish
Returned, speaking Spanish
Lavish habits, two rings, 20 carats
Extravagant lifestyle, two rings with a total of 20 carats
Here's a criminal
Here is a criminal
Nigga made America's Most
He became one of America's most-wanted criminals
Killed his baby's mother's brother, slit his throat
Murdered his girlfriend's brother by cutting his throat
The nigga got bagged with the toast, weeded
He got caught with the gun, high on marijuana
Took it to trial, beat it
Went to court, and was found not guilty
Now he feel he undefeated
Now he believes he can never be defeated
He mean it
He is serious
Nothing To Lose, tattooed around his gun wounds
He has the phrase 'Nothing To Lose' tattooed around his gunshot scars
Everything, the game, embedded in his brain
Everything about the criminal lifestyle is ingrained in his mind
And me I feel the same for this money and diamonds
And I feel the same way about money and diamonds
'Specially if my daughter cryin', I ain't lyin'
Especially if my daughter is crying, I am not lying
Y'all know the signs
You all know the indicators
We agreed to go and shootin' silly
We decided to go and start shooting recklessly
Because niggas could be hidin' in showers with Mac Billy's
Because people could be hiding with Mac-10 submachine guns in the showers
So I freaked 'em
So I scared them
The telly manager was Puerto Rican
The hotel manager was of Puerto Rican descent
Gloria, from Astoria, I went to war with her
Gloria, from the neighborhood of Astoria, I had conflicts with her
Peeps in '91, stole a gun from her workers
In 1991, I stole a gun from her employees
And they took drugs, they tried to jerk us
And they stole our drugs, they attempted to deceive us
We blaze they place, long story
We set their place on fire, it's a lengthy story
Glo' seen my face, got shook
Gloria saw my face, got afraid
Thought a nigga was comin' for the safe
Thought I was coming to steal from the safe
Now she breakin', shut up, 112, what's shakin'
Now she is panicking, be quiet, call room 112 and find out the situation
A Jamaican, some bitches I swear
A Jamaican person, some women, I promise
They look gay
They appear homosexual
In a black Range Rover
Driving a black Range Rover
Been outside all day
Have been outside the whole day
If it's trouble let me know, I'll be on my way
If there is a problem, inform me, I will come over
Please I got kids to feed, I done seen you make niggas bleed
Please, I have children to support, I have seen you hurt people
Nightmare, this bitch don't leave
Nightmare, this woman doesn't go away
Ron, get the gasoline
Ron, retrieve the gasoline
This spot, we 'bout to blow
We are about to cause an explosion at this location
Let's get the cash before the cops and Range Rover cats know
Let's acquire the money before the police and the people in Range Rovers find out
It's room 112
It's the hotel room 112
Right by the staircase, perfect place
Right next to the staircase, an excellent spot
When they evacuate, they meet they fate
When they leave the room, they will face their destiny
Ron pass the gasoline
Ron, give me the gasoline
The nigga pass me kerosene
He passes me the kerosene
Fuck it, it's flammable
Screw it, it's combustible
My hunger is unexplainable
My desire is insatiable
Strike the match, just what I expected
Ignite the match, exactly what I anticipated
The dread kid ejected in seconds
The dreadlocked guy was thrown out in seconds
And here come two
And here come two people
Opposite sexes
Different genders
One black, one Malaysian
One black person, one person of Malaysian descent
We in the hallway waitin' patient
We are waiting patiently in the hallway
As soon as she hit the door we start blastin'
As soon as she opens the door, we start shooting
I saw her brains hit the floor
I witnessed her brain matter falling to the floor
Ron laughin'
Ron is laughing
I swear to God
I promise
I hit Maxi Priest at least 12 times in the chest
I shot Maxi Priest at least 12 times in the chest
Spint around, shot the chick in the breast
Turned around and shot the woman in the chest
She cryin', headshots put her to rest
She is crying, the gunshots ended her life
Pop open the briefcases, nothin' but Franco faces
Open the briefcases, only find stacks of money
The spots hot, sprinklers, alarm systems
The location is hot, has sprinklers and alarm systems
That's when other guests start to slip in
That's when other guests start to enter
It's time for us to get to dippin'
It's time for us to leave quickly
I know them niggas in the Range is on they way up
I know those guys in the Range Rover are on their way here
Flippin', pistol grippin'
Handling a gun with a firm grip and preparing to shoot
I know they clippin'
I know they are armed
The hallway, got real loud and crowded
The hallway became noisy and filled with people
They walked right past us
They walked directly past us
I don't know how they allowed it
I don't know how they let it happen
The funny thing about it
The amusing aspect of it
Through all the excitement
Despite all the commotion
They Range got towed, they double parked by a hydrant
Their Range Rover got towed because they illegally parked next to a fire hydrant
Stupid motherfuckers
Stupid idiots
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CARLOS DARONDE BROADY, CHRISTOPHER WALLACE, NASHIEM SA-ALLAH MYRICK, SEAN COMBS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@arawfranco9247
That " she crying, headshot put her rest" line was cold asf!! ๐ฅถ
@robelgebre2698
popp open the briefcases nuttin but franklin facess !!!! like Nas said BIG HAD THE GAME ON HEADLOCK !
@KtotheG
@@robelgebre2698 Nas had some cold stories, too... "The Set Up," "Suspect Witness," and "Shootouts" were all movies and vignettes. I used to think they were low key competing against one another back then to see who could be the best Martin Scorsese or Alfred Hitchcock of rap.
@riddley39
@@KtotheG โsuspect witness donโt come outside you might get your shit push back tonightโ
Love that shit!
@1295shawnlewis
Turn Me ๐ https://youtu.be/ZBzUF8Y5x14
@DaChefIzPoppN
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
@stevelumumbashabazzz5087
No one was better than this dude. And no one will. Heโs the best MC ever!!
@TPositivevibes
The goat
@neyunyan3207
God bless you
@anointedone5154
Pac will always be the greatest