Wallace, Christopher George Latore “The Notorious B.I.G.”
1972-1997 · Contribution: 1994-1997
Rapper
Revived New York City's East Coast hip-hop scene with his 1994 debut album, Ready to Die, and became one of the most influential rappers in the genre's history, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020

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Quick facts
- Born
- 1972
- Active since
- 1994
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- "Ready to Die"Revived East Coast hip-hopRock & Roll Hall of Fame
Impact on the world
Biggie's effortless flow and vivid storytelling set a standard for lyrical craft and revived East Coast rap. His brief career reshaped hip-hop.
Sources
- Britannica
2 more sources and references are available to members.
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DJ turntablism techniques (scratching, breakbeat manipulation)
Robinson, Sylvia
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Produced "Rapper's Delight" (1979), the first commercially successful rap single -- the first to reach the Billboard Hot 100 and to sell a million copies -- and "The Message" (1982); founded Sugar Hill Records and is known as the "Mother of Hip-Hop"