March 9th marked the 18th anniversary of the death of Christopher Wallace, aka "The Notorious B.I.G.," "Biggie," or "Biggie Smalls." Known for his realest-of-the-real rhymes and husky baritone voice that gave light to the East Coast rap scene, Biggie is one of those artists that you always come back to – a legend solely because of his music.
Although he only released one album, Ready to Die, in his career, The Notorious B.I.G. remains a top contender for the title of the 'greatest rapper of all time.' Rapper Pusha T started it nicely in an interview with Rolling Stone:
He was a master painter with words. And his flow was just so effortless... Big had all these intricacies, all these colors, all these witty things – and it didn't sound like a rap. It was a conversation.
Fun fact: he was one of the few hip-hop artists to collaborate with Michael Jackson.
I made the playlist (above) called "Think Biggie" that features some remixes and mashups that blew my mind, and in my mind helps his music adjust to the modern age.
It's already been 18 years since The Notorious B.I.G.'s death, and his music continues to live on.
