The Notorious B.I.G: Gritty rhymes, gritty business

A life was plucked away from the trees in the garden of Hip Hop. At the young hours of March 9th, four shots lick off on an occupied car. The car windows explode. Caving into flesh, were bullets. The victim: 24 year old Christopher Wallace.


It's no shock that fans are still enamored with Big Poppa. The 300 pound plus Hip Hop artist with the gritty upbringing had a part in demonstrating how resilient East Coast Hip Hop in the 90's was— a period when the rap scene was enthralled by the West Coast. After clenching an award in California at the Vibe awards, Christopher Wallace appeared  to be at his pinnacle. Who was this imposing figure? The Notorious B.I.G. Draped in a mafioso outfit — akin to a black Al Capone —on the cover of now defunct Vibe magazine, Biggie embodied the rags to riches archetype that sunk its teeth into entertainment. He also sold seventeen million records worldwide. People empathized with him. His upbringing was like dynamite to his potent lyrics.

Big lay sprawled across the Source with the headline reading "King of New York". The King of New York is an apt metaphor. And Source was referencing the movie of the same name and Big's Frank White alter ego. On may 21st 1972, Christopher Wallace was born. His stars read Taurus sun and Virgo mooner. He called the Clinton Hills section of Brooklyn home. Which were on the outskirts of the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn. An apt backdrop to his rugged rap personal. As we remember life in the 80's New York City was turbulent. Crack cocaine played a role in torn communities. My own beloved mother succumbed to crack herself— grasping tightly to the pipe. The years that rolled by since were wintry. Ms. Wallace, Big's  mother was just as beloved. He expressed interest in music. He then, banded together a rap group with his friends, which he was the leader of. But from an early age, the seedier side of Bedford Stuyvesant lured him. Initially excelling in school, Biggie grew disinterested. He transferred from Bishop Loughlin high school in Brooklyn to another high school, before dropping out. He then sold drugs.

Biggie hit the strip to bubble .The crack game boiled his nostrils in the pot like white.
 
Although there are varying accounts of his reformed drug life. Some accounts, including from his mother, stated he was not living out his lines. Biggie had a practical imagination, and creativity. His Pluto conjunctions to his sun, mercury, and moon signs granted the mafioso words smith, a style his own.

He could be jealous and possessive, but also sensual, and warm as a Taurus. For instance, then wife Faith Evans was accused of cheating with Tupac. Biggie broiled into a rage. His indolent Taurus sun, accompanied by a Virgo moon is earthy. Virgos embody service, as the ruler of the sixth house. Taurus's domicile is the second house, and this house represents security possessions and values.

Additionally the moon and the sun form a harmonious aspect. Next, Jupiter opposes his mars and Venus. Saturn and Neptune are in opposition of one another. Uranus trines Saturn. Granting structure to grandiose schemes. His mercury trines his moon, which may denote an imaginative quality to his thoughts. Next his Venus sextiles his mercury, sun and moon. Which lended him a softer, ashtetic side to his personality. Further, his Mars sextiles his sun, mercury and moon. Making him aggressive. And Pluto trines Jupiter, denoting expansion in the areas of sex and regeneration. A lot of Big's rhymes were about screwing females. Lastly,Jupiter trines his sun moon and mercury. Denoting expansion in these areas.

Sean "Diddy" Combs, the wiz kid from Uptown Records played a role in discovering the aspiring rapper from Brooklyn. Diddy overheard Big on the Source magazine's unsigned hype mixtape. 
 
At the time, Diddy didn't know how Biggie looked. Biggie then signed onto Bad Boy Records, Sean Combs' record label. Their relationship has not been discussed in extent. Regardless Biggie quickly grew in popularity. As a rising Hip Hop star, Biggie got good press due to his appearances on Bad Boy's roster of R&B artists. Which I attribute to his helpful Virgo moon. Biggie dropped his first album in 1994. His gritty lines swallowed everyday folks into the underbelly of the ghetto." At the Source Awards in August 1995, he was named Best New Artist (Solo), Lyricist of the Year, Live Performer of the Year, and his debut Album of the Year. At the Billboard Awards, he was Rap Artist of the Year." A rift in his relationship with Tupac would propel a grueling feud.

The Hip Hop scene was engulfed in an East coast versus  West coast beef in 1995. Turmoil spelt over into areas of Tupac and Biggie's relationship. For example, Biggie and Diddy were accused of setting up Tupac in Quad studio, in New York City where Tupac was shot at. Although this claim has been repeatedly denied. And Jimmy henchman was implicated. Further, Biggie's then wife Faith Evans was accused of having sex with Tupac in his song Hit Em Up, which she denied. Big didn't respond back to Tupac. He stated that it wasn't his style.

"On March 23, 1996, Wallace was arrested outside a Manhattan nightclub for chasing and threatening to kill two autograph seekers, smashing the windows of their taxicab and then pulling one of the fans out and punching them. He pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. In mid-1996, he was arrested at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, for drug and weapons possession charges.

January 1997, Wallace was ordered to pay US$41,000 in damages following an incident involving a friend of a concert promoter who claimed Wallace and his entourage beat him up following a dispute in May 1995. He faced criminal assault charges for the incident which remains unresolved, but all robbery charges were dropped."

Biggie spoke of moving on:  " My mom... my son... my daughter... my family... my friends are what matters to me now". 
 
A night of frills concluded bloodier than a cock fight. At 12am on March 9th, Christopher Wallace, a father, and entertainer was slain. Biggie was riding a vehicle. Diddy was riding in another vehicle. Bad Boy Security was tailing behind. An impala then pulled up alongside Biggie's vehicle.A driver then pulled a gun— shooting Biggie pointblank. Four shots penetrated him. One bullet shredding through his heart. Big was hastily rushed to a nearby hospital. He would be pronounced dead. A funeral service was held in Brooklyn, where his body rolled through to a crowd of over one thousand. They felt like it was the death of a brother. They shouted "Big Poppa."