With today being the 13th anniversary of Biggie Small’s death, it’s crazy to think that as a 23-year old that literally grew up with hip-hop, that B.I.G. has been dead more than half my life.
March 9 is always a day where radio blows the dust off Biggie records that aren’t just singles but the meat of the legacy he left behind. Ironically, one of the most compelling points I heard on radio this morning actually came from Sports Talk radio.
On Sirius this morning, Bomani Jones likened the short length of his career and the lasting musical footprint to being like hip-hop’s Jimi Hendrix. Both died in their 20s and produced timeless music in a span of about three or four years, so that’s just a little nugget to chew on. I think about my relationship with Biggie’s music and I always laugh because unlike 2Pac, who I definitely didn’t understand as an artist until years later, Big was easy to digest lyrically. Plus, because Moms knew the samples, she’d definitely let that ride in the car before something like “Hit ‘Em Up.”
Anyway, for today’s National Hip Hop holiday, I’ll share one of my favorite Biggie tracks of all-time, a freestyle from ’94 he did with Funkmaster Flex, I present to you, “The Wickedest” (they talk for about a minute first so let it ride, trust me it’s worth the wait).
R.I.P. Big.
This article appears in Mar 9-15, 2010.
Hey Mike,
U keep it real, I too sometimes wonder where hip hop would be if Biggie was still alive. It’s hard to beleive it’s been 13 years already. No Big Papa, I do get to hear him every day say ” I love it when you call me Big Popa,” it’s my BD’s ringtone, and he call about five times a day, but that’s a differnt story.
On a related note>> your Prince is dead story,LMAO. I think I would’ve had to punch that dude in the face on GP, because he didn’t know s-it, and was starting some s-it. Just not knowing the difference between Mike and Prince was enough grounds for a ass kicking. But you good, because I would have blamed it on the Alcohol. I can only imagine the look on your face when he said he did’nt know the difference. My 9yr old twins know the difference.
Oh yeah by the way this chick called my ring tone old school, I told her it is the only school. It really saddens me to think about what we’ve lost, but it saddens me more to think that after 13 years there is no one arrested for this crime.