Biggie Smalls also known as the Notorious B.I.G. is one of the most popular artists from the 1990s. Not only that, he is arguably one of the biggest artists of all time. His life was tragically ended at just 24 years old after a tragic shooting incident. And because of that, Biggie has become a historical figure. In a lot of ways, even mythical. For as much as people know about Biggie, there is perhaps more information that they don’t know.
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Below, are four fascinating facts about the late rap star.
Biggie & Tupac Were Friends Before East, West Coast Beef
The most well-known fact about Biggie was that he was at the epicenter of the 1990s beef. Between the East Coast and the West Coast. The catalyst was a shooting at Quad Studios in 1994 where rap star Tupac Shakur was shot multiple times. Tupac blamed Biggie and Bad Boy Records for setting him up and then the coastal war ensued. But what you may not know is that Biggie and Pac were great friends leading up to the shooting. Because Tupac was already established as a star before Biggie hit the scene, the Brooklyn-born artist actually viewed Pac as a mentor in the rap game. Unfortunately because of their untimely deaths within months of each other, the two never reconciled.
Biggie Had An Extensive Dating History With Female Music Stars
Biggie’s entire persona was that there is nothing that you can’t have without money, including women. And Biggie had a lot of them. Despite his nearly 400-pound frame, Smalls dated some of the most beautiful women in the music industry. He has been known to have romantic dealings with famed radio host Wendy Williams as well as Lil Kim, Charli Baltimore, and Faith Evans. Shortly after Evans was signed to Bad Boy, she and Smalls began seeing each other and ultimately wed in August 1994. They also share a child, Christopher “CJ” Wallace Jr.
Smalls Was Set to Release a Clothing Line Before Passing
Prior to his death in 1997, Biggie was looking to extend his portfolio beyond the music business. After boosting the sales of several brands such as Versace and Coogi, the Brooklyn-born artist was looking to create a clothing line of his own. Brooklyn Mint was a clothing line that sold plus-size clothing which was on par with the branding of the nearly 400-pound Smalls. Biggie’s managers Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow ultimately launched the clothing line with a promotional boost from Jay-Z.
Biggie’s Son Played Him in Notorious
The life and times of Biggie went mainstream when his biopic Notorious hit the big screen in January 2009. The movie chronicled the late rap star’s life from his childhood upbringing in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn in the 1980s all the way to his untimely death in 1997. If you are a Biggie fan you more than likely have seen the movie, but what you may not know is that young Biggie was played by his actual son Christopher “CJ” Wallace Jr, whom he shares with R&B legend Faith Evans.
