Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. | Full Episode | A&E

♪ Woman: Gangsta rap world has been shaken again, this time by the violent death of the performer known as the Notorious B.I.G... Man: ...murder of the popular rap star known as the Notorious B.I.G. It happened early yesterday... -It was outside a Los Angeles automobile museum following a music... Woman: ...and was in his green Suburban when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting at 12:03 a.m.... Man: ...and later died of gunshot wounds at nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Woman: The rapper who came from Brooklyn, New York, was just 24 years old. Man: His music just went through our body, gave us chills, because he talked nothin' but the truth. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ [ Horn honks in distance ] ♪ [ Siren wails ] [ Crowd cheers ] [ Horns honking in distance ] Oh, my God. Are you serious? Oh, my God. Wow. I've never seen it before. He got his eyes. He did get his eyes. I'm humbled to know that there are people who really cared for him, really loved him, to make his face to be a part of Brooklyn wall. ♪♪ But there's so much hate out there because it takes hatred to take someone's life. ♪♪ And that's why I pity -- really, really pity -- the person who murdered my son. I really do. 'Cause to live with something like that... Man: You have to live with it, too, though. Yeah, but I think of his -- I think of the wonderful memories. You know? I have his beautiful memories. He doesn't have that. I have his memories. [ "Everyday Struggle" plays ] ♪♪ ♪ ♪ Whoo ♪ [ Horns honking ] ♪ ♪ Biggie Smalls ♪ Wallace: I came to America from Jamaica in mid '60s for education, for a better life. I worked during the day, go to school at night, and I loved every minute of it. Hard work never hurt anyone. ♪♪ The day he came into my life, they brought my baby to me, and I started to cry 'cause he was the most beautiful baby you've ever seen in your life. Took him home and loved him the rest of his life. ♪♪ ♪ [ Siren wails ] It was hard. I was always tired. But I just loved being a mother. I never wanted my son to grow up. ♪♪ 226. Right here. ♪♪ Wow. This place has really changed. This is where I used to sit. I usually sit here, watch him ride his bicycle on the sidewalk. If I'm not here, I'm up there watching him. I would just peek out the window and look -- "Are you there?" You know, "Please stay where I can see you." Coker: His mother, who is a Jehovah's Witness, was working one and two jobs simultaneously to not only keep him clothed and fed, but also put herself through school. She spoiled him by buying him video games and everything else 'cause she wanted to use that apartment as an oasis from everything else that was happening in the world. Wallace: Christopher went to a Catholic school since he was 6. I never wanted him to go into public school. I was very guarded because, you know, I don't know what's happening on Fulton Street. I don't know what's happening down Gates Avenue. [ Siren wails in distance ] Not safe. I see things I just didn't like and I didn't want that for my son. [ "Things Done Changed" plays ] ♪ Weren't a lot of opportunities out there, and everybody was just out there just robbing, hustling, shooting, killing. We were seeing people get shot in front of us. I've been seeing that since I was 11, 12 years old. ♪♪ [ Siren wails ] Bed-Stuy in the '80s was just a jungle, like a concrete jungle for real, to us. ♪♪ Marriott: There was a lot of violence. ♪♪ It was like you could see crack vials spread everywhere. You would see people that you knew that would just turn skeletal. You didn't feel like anyone was in control. Man: Crack is such a menace in New York, the city has declared war on it. But finding crack is still easy. It took Federal Drug Enforcement agents no more than 10 minutes in broad daylight. Marriott: There was a lot of money available and people at a very young age having to make these really heavy decisions about their life. We were getting hit with so many different images at a young age and going through stuff. You know, you could actually get robbed just coming from school. You got to learn that that's the world you're in, and we wanted to find a way to adapt. Chris was very artistic, very funny. He had all the big ideas. Around the age of 11 is when I got my first turntables, and I knew Chris was already writing, so at least by 12, we were at my house doing recordings, routines. And during that time on St. James, there were some jazz artists in the neighborhood. [ Saxophone plays jazz riff ] There was a guy named Donald Harrison that lived down the block from Chris, and he gave Chris his first studio runs. It was all about articulating, keeping your volume consistent, your flow tight, and keep your subject matter interesting. [ Rapping ] ♪ This is a whale of a tale to fulfill ♪ ♪ I have to pay my bills, and I will nail 'em ♪ ♪ Beginning to sell, the stuff I've seen ♪ If you really pay attention, Biggies was good at having a different topic, a different flow. That's jazz. ♪ Look in the sky, wonder why most MC's alibis ♪ ♪ Couldn't comply with my style of rhyme ♪ ♪ Or rhyming or rap, it's not a track ♪ ♪ My rhymes are snap ♪ Peace. Wallace: I heard him making noise in his room, knocking on things, playing with his mouth, and talking. And I would tell him, "Please stop the noise." He said, "I'm not making noise -- I'm rapping." He said it was gonna make him rich, make him famous. Sam: When I think about Chris's path direction, I think school was very boring to him. I saw how he passed tests -- like it was no problem. So I think the environment in the neighborhood, or gangsta stuff, was in his face so strongly over there that that world showed you you need money. And, you know, he was always about that. Even from young, get money by any means. Biggie: Being an only child, my mom's been gone all the time, so it left me a lot of time to, like dip and dab in all kinds of dangerous things. You know what I'm sayin'? Ain't nobody else taking care of me. What the [bleep] Who is somebody to tell me that I shouldn't hustle? It was inevitable. You know what I'm sayin'? I mean, all my peoples is hustling. Eventually, I was gonna be a part of it. You know what I'm sayin'? ♪♪ Prior to 13 years of age, he was just a-a son, a son that any mother would like. At 13, he became notorious. Uh-huh. Keep it real. [ Siren chirps ] ♪ I'm a bad, bad, bad ♪ ♪ Gimme the loot, gimme the loot ♪ ♪ I'm a bad, bad, bad ♪ Lil' Cease: Another day in the life. Fulton Street. This the man right here, Nino Brown. Woman: Talk about the sign. -Oh, man. -Oh, God. This block was basically drug dealing. Like, this whole block, like, that's all it was. A bunch of drug dealers, older guys. We was little kids, so we always wanted to come outside, so we always try to find our way over here, trying to be around the drug dealers. You wanted the same lifestyle that they was, 'cause it looked -- it was so much better than what you had. ♪♪ Lil' Cease: I think once he saw a glimpse of that and saw what he could do and see how all the hustlers before us was out there makin' money, feeding their families, having all the fly clothes, and something attracted him to that to where he wanted that. And he went out there and really pursued it and became one of the big-time hustlers from our age bracket out there. Wallace: Maybe he saw a lot of things, did a lot of things, too. You know? There are a lot of things I didn't know until he died. And I'm glad I didn't. Lil' Cease: Big was smooth. You know, Big ain't want to blow his spot up to let people know he was really hustling. Big didn't really want nobody to know about it 'cause he didn't want it to get back to Miss Wallace that he was hustling. And he cared about how she felt, so he never wanted to hurt her feelings. So he always tried to hide things from her that he knew that would make her mad. Once, I found it. I didn't know what it was. I thought it was mashed potatoes. Because I cleaned his room. And so I would clean the room, and I'd say, "My God, this kid." And I went and I -- shp-shp-shp! -- washed it out, turned my dishes down, walk about my business. [ Laughter ] ♪ After my son died, I read that story and I said, "Oh, my God. That's what it was." And if he wasn't dead, I would have killed him. ♪ Biggie: I been on the streets since I was 13, 12 years old, man. I got beat up by police, everything, man. Everything a mother[bleep] imagine or see, I done been through that [bleep] If I ain't been through it, my closest [bleep] been through it. You know what I'm saying? It's all real, man. Been in this hood for 22 years, yo, same [bleep] block, same-ass hood, man. Ain't nothing changed. Nothing. [Bleep] come home from jail, want some rah-rah [bleep] they going right back to jail or in a casket. This [bleep] been happening since '86, '85 when I was a little [bleep] ♪♪ Sam: '89, going into '90, when I would come visit, I would see the change. He was talking about he needed to make this money. You know, was focusing on having customers that were his customers. Taking care of his customers. And, you know, on Fulton Street, there was just treacherous waters. He was a good hustler. People liked him. He knew how to talk. He knew how to sell it. He wasn't one of the ones that was out there knocking folks over for it. Like, you know what I mean? Just basically came to him. People would look for him. He wasn't there, they'll come back. ♪ Lil' Cease: He was very young out there doing his thing. You know, got caught in the streets hustling and stuff. But he was still just genuinely a good person. That was Fat Chris. That's what they used to call him before the rap. "Where Fat Chris at?" The nicknames were flying, and he was a very jokey guy. A O.G. gave him that "Biggie Smalls" -- older guy rumored to be a pimp. So as time went on, he became known as Biggie from Fulton Street. Lil' Cease: And then, you know, we just started calling him Biggie, but that was just another dude that showed all the love to everybody on the block. That's how Big was. ♪♪ You know, I was one of them little kids that used to go around asking all the hustlers for money. "Let me get a dollar. Let me get 50 cent." You know, so he already knew off the riff. Like, but he would just, like, "Okay, you going to school? You graduating? Today is your day. You know, here. Get you some M&Ms. Get you a juice or something." You know what I mean? So he -- he was always like that. You know, from the day I knew him, he was always, like, that kind of person -- very just giving, and, you know, showing love to his peoples. You know what I mean? If he had it, you had it. My little man Lil' Cease, he down with Junior M.A.F.I.A. That's my -- That's my little heart right there. That's like my little son. D-Roc: Cease lived the next block from him, but Cease is, like, younger. Cease was way younger, so they took him under wing, and he was just with us. That was just, like, little bro. You know what I mean? That's like his little brother. Cease is definitely his little boy. Yeah. That's for sure. Every time I tried to, "Yo, let me hustle, yo. Give me some work so I can go out there and do that," he would, like, lie to me and be like, "Yeah, I'ma give it to you next week." Like, he always avoided me from getting into that life. I just guess he just, you know, like, saw something in me to where he was like, "Nah, this kid, he's -- he's cool. This ain't him. I got other plans for him." I mean, when you in the game, you know what I'm sayin', you're selling drugs or whatever, you automatically "considered" as, you know what I'm sayin', the worst person in the world. You know what I'm sayin'? They didn't even understand the situation before. I wasn't selling drugs just to be selling drugs. You know what I'm sayin'? I had a baby. I have to work. You know what I'm saying? Do my thing to feed my family, you know? ♪♪ Wallace: One day, he came to me and he goes -- [ Chuckles ] Geez. Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi. My life, Lord. He says, "Mom, Jan is pregnant." "Excuse me?" "Jan is pregnant." Sam: Jan and Chris had, like, the classic, neighborhood love affair -- you know, the fights, the love. They were just, like, classic. T'yanna was born. Cute little thing. He was a loving father. He was really a loving father. Christopher was the type of dad that T'yanna have to have seven pairs of sneakers for every day during the week. He was excited about having a baby, so it just makes you feel the need to win. Whatever it be, even if it was hustling, he was gonna hustle harder, write harder. Whatever it is he was doing to make money, he was gonna do it harder, he was gonna step it up. He wanted to make sure his child get everything she want and she wouldn't have to grow up in the struggle. And he was down to do whatever it took to make sure she was good. [ Car alarm wails ] [ Mid-tempo hip-hop beat plays ] One, two. [ Rapping indistinctly ] Brown: I started eventually hearing Big battle with people. Like, people would want to come in the neighborhood looking for Big to battle. ♪ Yo ♪ ♪ All right, now, come on ♪ They like, you know, say their little couple of words. He'd say, "What you wanna do? What you wanna do?" Then eventually, somebody start banging on the garbage can, and Big did what we never knew he could do. He spit some unbelievable rhymes. Lil' Cease: It was dope. He was already 16, 17, saying some crazy [bleep] You know what I mean? Like, all right, don't test that dude. Forget how he look. He-- He'll tear you up on that mic. [ Laughs ] He already had all of the things that you need to be a successful MC. He had poise and presence the way that he was holding the microphone, and just how he was into the beat at the same time that he's rhyming. He was the total package. [ Laughter and cheers ] [ Indistinct shouting ] Sam: It was a shocker to most people, but I knew he had skills in him, 'cause that was there since 10, 11 years old, you know? Nobody knew, but it was something big about to happen. ♪ [ Indistinct chatter ] Biggie: From what I knew, getting a record deal was some hard [bleep] You know what I'm sayin'? That [bleep] was like -- It wasn't no easy [bleep] But what I did was some drunk [bleep] Like, you know what I'm sayin'? Me and my [bleep] in the basement drinkin', smokin', and we just rappin' over turntables and [bleep] making this tape and [bleep] And then they make your move. Know what I'm sayin'? I never made no move to no record company a day in my life ever. He was not an artist that was out there seeking a record deal. He was really entrenched in the struggle of just being this young black dude coming up in Brooklyn during that time. Hip-hop wasn't on the front burner at all until he left Fulton Street and was on Bedford and met with 50 Gran. That's when hip-hop came back into his life. 50 Gran: The day I met Big, I was out here looking around for customers to make some sales. I see this guy coming up the block. It was Big. And Big says, "Yo, 50, I heard you know a lot of people. I want you to be my deejay." I took him straight to the basement. No hesitation. I wanted to see what this young boy had. We just, like, get drunk and high and go in his basement, and I used to just rap over instrumental beats, and 50 used to tape everything. I brung him to the basement, we smoked some L's, drunk some beers, threw the music on, got in the grove. Started throwing them Uptown beats on, and he just grabbed that mic and just went crazy. ♪ Hey, boy ♪ 50 Gran decided he was good enough to give the tape to Mister Cee, who was Big Daddy Kane's deejay, which was Chris's idol. 50 Gran: I went to Mister Cee crib for three days, sat on the stoop three days straight till he came off tour with Big Daddy Kane. I had to fight him to make him listen to that demo 'cause he wasn't leaving until he listened to that demo. The lyrical content and the -- the flow and what rappers call the cadence, how his punctuation and his flow was just in the pocket. Him being that young and to have that type of style and delivery was just amazing to me. Mister Cee let my man, Matty C, hear it from<i> Source</i> magazine... -Okay. -...and put us in the magazine. Then Matty saw Puff, Matt gave him the tape. Man: Boom. It's over. [ Laughs ] Over. Hylton: Puffy was working at Uptown Records. He was still the A&R there. You know, the Bad Boy label hadn't manifested yet. So he had just had the success of Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and, um, he was looking to sign a new artist to Uptown Records. I set up the meeting with Puff at Uptown. I will never, ever forget. It was a cold winter day, afternoon. -What's up, baby? -How you doing? -How you doing? -What's up, man? When he came in the door, I could tell like, you know, he was -- he was kind of nervous. And, you know, I asked him, like, what does he want to do in life? And he was just like, "I just wanna get up out these streets, take care of my family." Um, he was just like, "I just want to be the best." And he was like, "I know that you could take me there." And in the beginning of the meeting, Puffy just asks Big to rhyme right on the spot. His voice, first and foremost, was something that was so unique, and also his style, his -- his mental approach. I was like, "Oh, my God. I just --" You know, I felt like I actually discovered something, like I found something rare. And after Big kicked a rhyme to Puff, Puff was like, "I could have a record out on you by the summer. Would you be cool with that?" ♪ You know, Puff didn't want him to hustle. Puff was just like, "Yo, be patient. Just chill." But Big was like, "Man, I got a kid coming up." Mister Cee: Back then, he -- he would go out of town to states like North Carolina, and back then, he would call it pump and jumps. He was selling crack. He was hustling. And so who knows what would have happened if Big would have stayed down there. That's just by the grace of God. That's just a blessing that you got somebody like a Puff Daddy that got your best interests at heart. What's up? My name is Puff Daddy. This is my new artist, the Notorious B.I.G. And we here at the OutKast picnic just getting our swerve all the way on. We had a musical marriage, a musical partnership. And then on top of that, it was a friendship because I really wanted to get him out of the streets. I really wanted him to be successful. He was like the underdog. I really wanted him to win. And when you find a special relationship like that, then anything can happen. We bangin', baby. Bangin'. We gonna keep bangin'. We makin' music strictly for the streets. We appreciate y'all's support, and it's all good. A'ight. [ Horn honks ] ♪♪ ♪ Wallace: We had a serious talk one day. At those time, I think he was going back and forth to the studios, coming late in the morning. I said, "What are you doing with your life?" And he came into my room and he says, "I'm out there doing music." Said, "Who are you doing music with? You can't even sing." [ Chuckles ] "Ma, I told you I don't sing, I rap, and this is going to be big." "Who are you doing it with?" "This kid I know, and his name is Puffy." Oh [bleep] Puffy? What kind of name is that? I'm the Bad Boy -- President of Bad Boy Entertainment, Vice President of Uptown MCA, A&R, and Artist Development. This is my new act. Man: Right. You know? And so we out here representing Big, Biggie Smalls. The Notorious B.I.G. is gonna be dropping signs, performing... Okay. "Party and [bleep]" [ Rapping ] ♪ I was a terror since the public school era ♪ ♪ Bathroom passes, cuttin' classes, squeezin' asses ♪ ♪ Smokin' blunts was a daily routine ♪ ♪ Since 13, a chubby [bleep] on the scene ♪ ♪ I used to have... ♪ "Party and [bleep]" was like his first big break, like to be on something that was really legit, the "Who's The Man" soundtrack. My town was lit up because we had one of the hottest up-and-coming artists. And that was like that Brooklyn anthem with this, uh, this new cat. Like, it's this -- this -- This the new cat, y'all. We all got to get behind. ♪ 'Cause all we wanna do is ♪ -♪ [Bleep] and party ♪ -♪ Throw your hands in the air ♪ ♪ And throw your hands in the air ♪ ♪ And throw your guns in the air ♪ I like "Party and [bleep]" because it comes in with that thing in his voice, and he paints the picture. ♪ Hugs from the honeys, pounds from the roughnecks ♪ ♪ Seen my man Sage that I knew from the projects ♪ ♪ Said he had beef, asked me if I had my piece, sure do ♪ Nas: He was definitely our guy. He was the "straight off the block" thing, so me being "straight off the block" guy, we all recognized each other, like, "Oh, okay." ♪ Honeys want to chat, but all we wanna know ♪ ♪ Is where the party at, and can I bring my gat? ♪ "Where's the party at, and can I bring my gat?" Like, "I'm gonna have fun, but I'm always going to bring the drama." That's the Notorious B.I.G. persona in a nutshell. ♪ Can't we just all get along? ♪ ♪ So I can put hickies on her chest like Little Shawn ♪ ♪ Get her pissy drunk off of Dom Pérignon ♪ ♪ And it's on, and I'm gone ♪ ♪ Pass it down ♪ ♪ Party and [bleep] ♪ Well, I just rap about what I see, what I know. You know what I'm sayin'? Streets, man. That's where I was brought up. -Right. "Party and Bull." -That's it. Go beef it out. Party and Bull. ♪ And party, yeah, yeah ♪ Man: Big in this mother[bleep] B.I.G. in the house. Bad Boys [bleep] Combs: The concept that I had about launching him was, I wanted him to be authentic, and he -- he was hardcore rap, you know? It's the one and only Biggie Smalls, doing his thing in the rap world. That's right, baby. What's up, man? Even though I had ideas for more commercial type of records, I still wanted him to get his name out there in the industry as an MC and as a great MC. Tell me something real quick. You -- When I first met you, everybody's calling you Biggie Smalls. Uh-huh. Now it's Notorious B.I.G. Uh-huh. And I keep flipping back and forth. I mean... It's all good. It's all good. I mean, somebody else had the name, so I couldn't use the name. You know what I'm sayin'? The checks are signed Notorious B.I.G. B.I.G. But my peoples, you know what I'm sayin', they still call me Biggie. They -- They call you Biggie. It's all good. It's all good. Big was the greatest artist I ever worked with, and he was also, you know, my friend. I don't think people realize, like, how young we were. Big was just like 19. I'm just like, you know, turning 21. You know, so we're actually like kids in this multibillion-dollar industry. You all right? [ Chuckles ] You know, two young men that really had a chemistry, really got along, and were just really enjoying this dream that we had. And it was a dream that we had together and we made happen together. So it made our bond extremely close. He took me out of a dangerous game. You know what I'm sayin'? I mean, I was selling drugs real hard, you know? And when I got the record deal, all that got cut short. So it's like he Jesus to me, you know what I'm sayin', 'cause he just saved me. And it's real, and I go all out for him. No, I ain't saying none of that. I'm not Jesus. Jesus... To me, I look at him like -- I say Jesus -- And, uh, next question is... Whatever. Watch you out for the thunder out this mother[bleep] He saved me. Puffy and Big were like brothers. There was a genuine connection there, a genuine care. It's all good. Puffy really cared about Big. He cared about his well-being. And Big cared about Puffy, as well. We were just young kids with great ideas, a lot of drive, a lot of energy and creativity. ♪♪ The day Big and I met, there was a photo shoot for Puff and his artists that he had just signed to Bad Boy. Tell Big to come out the meeting! [ Indistinct shouting ] Yo, I need Big now! Lil' Cease: This was the first time we was meeting all the other new artists that was on Bad Boy. We didn't know that Puff signed a female. Combs: Hey. Hey. Lil' Cease: When Big saw, he was just like, "Yo, who is that?" You know, he went over there just start messing with her. Man: Notorious B.I.G. What's going on? Evans: On one of our breaks, I was looking through some photos that I had just developed, and he sat down and was asking could he see my pictures, you know, and was asking questions. "Is this your daughter?" Blah, blah, blah. And he ended up asking me, could I take him back to Brooklyn [Chuckles] you know, when the photo shoot was over because I had a car of my own, and he did not. And he was with four other guys from Junior M.A.F.I.A. [ Indistinct chatter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ When I dropped them off, and, you know, after all the jokes and smokes [Laughs] he said, "I'm gonna call you tomorrow." And I was like, "Yeah, okay." But I hadn't given him my number. And the next day, he did call me. So I asked him, "How did you get my number?" You know, he's like, "I got my ways," which I thought was kind of cute. And so, uh, he continued to call me, and I would come to Brooklyn pretty much every day after that. And the first thing he would usually say when he called, "What are we gonna eat today?" ♪♪ Needless to say, every one of those times, Cease, Nino, at the very least, were in tow. It was a package deal. Now, I remember coming, getting the orders from you and Big, and coming here and get the food. They like family to us, this spot. You could call them, and they know who they talking to. "Come pick that up." Y'all used to eat a lot because I would come and pick up like 10 orders, and there was only four people. [ Laughs ] So... Oh, yeah, we used to... It was probably four orders for Big. They used to show a lot of love, too. You would come in here -- You could come in here with $3 and eat good. Like, they know they gonna see us again. We'd come back, pay them the next day. -Mm-hmm. -That's how we used to do. That's all we did was bug out, hang out all the time. Lil' Cease: She was coming around, hanging out all the time. You know, that was his girl. He was in love with her. You know what I mean? Something about her that was making him feel good about hisself, made him feel love. H-He wanted to be around her. He embraced her. This my woman. This my woman right there. That's my people. I think he wanted somebody that was on the same level as him as far as like, you know, chasing the same dream he was chasing, successful like him. I think that's what really made them gel. ♪ Evans: He was very sexy to me because of his personality. From the first time we had a conversation, you know, there was something that I felt that was really cool about him. And, um, shortly after that, it may have been about five, six weeks, something like that, and he was like, "I'm gonna marry you." I'm like, "Are you serious?" He asked me again the next day, and less than a week, probably, August 4, 1994, we drove up to Rockland County, Upstate New York, to the Justice of the Peace and went in a little room with a clerk, and we got married. [ Chuckles ] ♪♪ He was like, "You know I'm marrying Faith." And I was like, "What are you talking about?" I thought it was a joke. [ Laughs ] I just thought they were both crazy. The honeymoon was the next morning when I came back to Brooklyn [Laughs] in the back room while Miss Wallace was at work and Cease and anyone else was not around, okay? [ Laughs ] The most privacy we got in them early days was somebody going outside to wait outside while we go in the room. Like, "Cease, go outside for a minute." "Go to the car." "Get to the store." Like, we can't do nothing without them. I got used to it. It's all good. But I'm like, hey, in certain moments, like... Yeah, it's to the point where you... [ Laughter ] Yeah. ♪♪ [Bleep] changes. You know what I'm sayin'? Everything happens for a reason. And I think me hustlin', sellin' drugs, it schooled me to the streets a lot. You know what I'm sayin'? I learned a lot. You know what I'm sayin'? I learned there's some things you can do and some things you can't do. And sellin' drugs forever is something you can't do. You cannot do that. You will eventually die or go to jail. That's a fact. ♪ I love it when you call me big poppa ♪ ♪ The showstopper, the rhyme dropper ♪ I got involved with this music thing. You know what I'm sayin'? It changed my life around, took care of my family. Now I'm straight making music for the people. ♪ I see you shiverin' ♪ ♪ Check the flavor Biggie Smalls is deliverin' ♪ ♪ Lyrical lyricist flowin' lyrics out my larynx ♪ ♪ Chubby competitor, quick to kick a chump in the chest ♪ I eliminated all the [bleep] All the drugs, all the street [bleep] all the extra [bleep] That's out of my life now. It's strictly business and entertainment. ♪ It's Bad Boy ♪ ♪ Right ♪ ♪ Hard to the core ♪ ♪ Lord, me can't take it no more ♪ Big was known -- he's known -- he was highly anticipated definitely before his album dropped. He had enough records out there that you knew he was next up, you know? People had their eyes on him. Coker: John Singleton tells a story of being in a limousine with Tupac, and on endless loop for hours was "Party and [bleep]" It was like Tupac was obsessed with the song. And that's one of the things that led to him reaching out to Big, and that was really kind of the birth of their friendship. ♪♪ Lil' Cease: The day Tupac came, it was crazy out here, man. We see this limo pull up right over there where that -- where that yellow sign is, that Golden Krust, that used to be a pizza shop. When he pulled up and got out that car, I mean, it lit my hood up. ♪ That was our first time, like, really seeing somebody that we actually liked and respected actually come to a real neighborhood. Chopped it up, kicked it with us, smoked a blunt with us, and took all of us to the -- to the show with him. He had a show at The Ritz that night. He came up here to pick up Big, and he came out here and showed love to everybody, man, and he showed his love to B.I. That's when I knew how important that B.I. was to him. Marriott: Pac was in New York making records, filming "Juice." They became really, really close friends. Big would sleep on Pac's couch. Coker: Pac was a year older, but essentially the thing was was that they both identified with lack of central father figure, being hot MCs at the same time, naturally intelligent both in the street sense and in book sense because both were well-read. Um, they just had a lot of fun around each other. Ready [bleep] You want to set it off? Man, I'm scared to do some freestyle. I'm scared to do some freestyle. Pac respected Big as an artist and as a person. He knew Big was real. He knew -- He knew Big was down. And Big embraced him the same way. Like, they was -- they was really cool. ♪ I got my [bleep] B-I to the G beside me ♪ -Yeah. -♪ [Bleep] on my [bleep] ♪ ♪ You know the [bleep] gonna rock me ♪ ♪ My other homies out here like Spike Lee ♪ ♪ They got the camera on the [bleep] ♪ ♪ Guess they like me ♪ ♪ But now I'm about to pass this mother[bleep] on ♪ ♪ 'Cause this Tanqueray is getting hella strong ♪ ♪ Unh, unh, unh, money, hos, the clothes ♪ ♪ Blunt smoke comin' out the nose ♪ ♪ It's all a [bleep] knows, flippin' on fools ♪ ♪ Puttin' tags on toes, watchin' the stash grow ♪ ♪ Clockin' the cash flow ♪ ♪ I'd rather make a buck, drive a phat-ass truck ♪ ♪ Grab the nine, two clips, and run amok ♪ ♪ You know it's even when I choke ya, you stop breathin' ♪ ♪ When police come, I'm leavin' ♪ Peace and love. Here we go. ♪♪ ♪ Biggie: He schooled me to a lot because he knew a lot, you know? He told me, "Yo, you could do a whole lot of things in this game. You could be the broke rapper or you could be the rich rapper. You know what I'm sayin'? You could rap as hard as you want on your album, but just make sure the radio got some joints. You know what I'm sayin'? Make sure you got those radio-friendly records that the girls is gonna like, that the radio's gonna like. It's gonna help you sell your album." Mm-hmm. ♪♪ Marriott: Pac was almost, like, mentoring Big in the beginning. To understand Big and Tupac is really to watch this kind of Gemini quality, you know? They were both Geminis, and they attracted each other and then, of course, you know, it repelled. I'm kickin' it with the Notorious Big. You know what I'm sayin'? Uptown MCA. What's up, baby? Bad Boy Entertainment Management Group. What's happenin', homey? Chillin'. Same thing every day, you know? Yeah. So as far as your album go, your debut album, that's gonna be dropped? September, man, September. What's the title? "Ready To Die." "Ready To Die"? For all the black dudes. You know what I'm sayin'? Buck wild. The album is called "Ready To Die." It's just a big pie with different slices of things that happened in my life. You know what I'm sayin'? Woman: Why Ready To Die? Because. Because...? Um, I guess they thought -- I figured it out like this. If you wake up in the morning, you know what I'm sayin', and you ain't going to school, you ain't workin', you hustlin' every day tryin' to get some money, you're riskin' your life every day. And you're doing it every day without any hesitation, so you ready to die. You don't really care. You're just tryin' to get paper. That's the only thing that's on your mind. That's the only thing that was on my mind, so I wrote a song about it. We wanted to make a movie on wax about this kid from Brooklyn who had nothing to lose, and he was ready to die, and that was the mentality that was going on -- coming out of the '80s and out of, you know, out of crack and, you know, everybody losing their families and, you know, not seeing any light on the horizon. "Ready To Die" is about, in terms of the persona, a kid who was born to a broken household, who is out on the street fending for himself. Goes through the whole journey of the record trying to become this big hustler. Becomes a big hustler and then is so disgusted with himself, at the end of the record, kills himself. ♪ Yes, I'm ready ♪ We finally had a rap artist that was inadvertently the personification of 70 years of thought about black life, personified by the kid that had been completely abandoned and now had a voice and now had a record that put him on a map in the way that I don't think really has been duplicated because it managed to both be gangster and political simultaneously. ♪ Yes, I'm ready ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm ready ♪ ♪ I'm ready ♪ ♪ Yes, I'm ready ♪ This right here is my office, my little -- This is where -- This is my little lab. I'm just living out a dream. You know what I'm sayin'? Young black man just living out a dream. Combs: It was just a great experience launching a hip-hop artist's career that had so many different dimensions and levels. If I had McD-- a McDonald's job, most of the songs would have been about Big Macs and fries and, you know, stuff like that. I hustled, That what's my -- my game was, so that's what I was rapping about. That's how I was gettin' down. ♪♪ Combs: You got to really understand how deep he has to dig to tell these stories that he's telling. This is what a black man is going through in their consciousness and in their heart and their spirit. And his thing is like, "I'ma make you deal with it." And my thing was like, "I'ma put the music underneath it to make you dance to it and make you feel it as you're dealing with it." Woman: Is he giving you the freedom to be Big? The man that you are and do your thing? [ Chuckles ] I know -- We all know how Puff is. I'm saying, he want to make hits. That's what he thrives on. Exactly. He let me know that from the beginning. He thrive off hits. You know what I'm sayin'? And the record speaks for itself. So whatever he tell me to do, you know what I'm sayin', if it ain't too outlandish, I'll roll. You know what I'm sayin'? I'm down. Enuff: I don't care what nobody says, those two together were the ultimate duo. Biggie had the artistry, and Puff had the vision. When you put it together, it was just magical. Puffy said, "Okay, let's take this R&B sound, let's put hardcore hip-hop on top of it, and let's put it out to the masses." ♪♪ Easy Mo Bee: I remember at the end of the recording for "Ready To Die," Biggie had all of these rough and tough, you know, gritty hip-hop songs. And here come Puffy in with this one record. It's like, "This is your radio record." Combs: And he was like, "No, the record is -- I'm not getting on anything like that. That record is too soft." But I was like, you know, "Trust me. Just trust me." ♪ It was all a dream ♪ ♪ I used to read<i> Word Up</i> magazine ♪ ♪ Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine ♪ Mister Cee: "Juicy" was the all-time male Cinderella hip-hop story. "I went from the hood to just being successful." You know, that's every rapper's dream. ♪ Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight ♪ ♪ Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade ♪ Easy Mo Bee: You listen to the lyrics of "Juicy," he's basically speaking of the things that he wanted to exist. The cars, the house -- all of that wasn't true. But when you speak positively, you receive positively. ♪ I made the change from a common thief ♪ ♪ To up close and personal with Robin Leach ♪ ♪ And I'm far from cheap, I smoke skunk with my peeps all day ♪ ♪ Spread love, it's the Brooklyn way ♪ ♪ The Moet and Alizé keep me pissy ♪ ♪ Girls used to diss me ♪ ♪ Now they write letters 'cause they miss me ♪ You can't do nothing but listen to his story and ride with him on his journey from a dream to becoming the king. That's what that song is -- a celebration. ♪ And my whole crew is loungin' ♪ ♪ Celebratin' every day, no more public housing ♪ Combs: What came out of him was his honesty. "And you a black man? And you're, like, being vulnerable?" And this is like, you know, in the early '90s. This is like really, really unheard of expressing yourself like this to the world, you know? ♪ Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood ♪ ♪ And it's still all good, unh ♪ I was like, I know I've been involved in a lot of things, but I just knew, like, this -- this thing right here was gonna -- it was gonna change our lives. Everybody, come on! [ Crowd cheering, music plays indistinctly ] ♪♪ Biggie: And everybody showed me love and bought the record, and it stayed on the charts for a long time. I got love for them, so I'ma keep doing it. Lil' Cease: Blew up straight from the gate. A lot of people ain't blow up their first album. Big came out, sold millions of records just from the rip. Straight out the hood, a [bleep] did good. [ Indistinct chatter ] Wallace: There was a Valentine party, and Christopher was performing. He said, "Ma, you've never seen me in concert. Please, please come." And I went. ♪ I never thought it could happen, this rappin' stuff ♪ ♪ I was too used to packin' gats and stuff ♪ To be honest with you... I wasn't impressed. [ Chuckles ] I hate rap. ♪ Indo for weeks ♪ ♪ Sold-out seats to hear Biggie Smalls speak ♪ I saw all the girls goo-goo ga-ing over his performance, and I sent the message that it is time for me to go. So the car -- car was out there waiting for me, and then the limo driver told me there was something in the back for me. And, um, when I was coming out, it was a beautiful arrangement of flowers and a bottle of champagne. "Thanks for coming to my concert." That was from my son. And I thought that was a lovely evening. This my mom's crib. This where I was born at. I ain't seen her in a couple weeks. Tell ya, when she comes down, she's gonna be doing a lot of talking. She talk a lot. Wallace: He could drive you bonkers. Yes, he could. Hear about my four Source Awards? Oh, I heard about it. I sent you a congratulations. You did not even call me back. That's why I'm furious with you. You ain't furious with me. I'm not? But he was my friend. I miss just talking to him. I miss his jokes 'cause he -- You know, he always -- he's always -- have something to say to you to make you laugh. You know, I miss that. I miss that a lot. You know, and that's why some -- And that's when I look at his picture and I smile because I think of the -- the good times. ♪♪ You know, I can look at his picture and smile. ♪♪ ♪ Combs: You know, I got a lot of pushback on "Juicy," but he did it, and people really loved it so much, and he kind of saw the way people started looking at him differently. 'Cause you could tell, like, oh, this guy is about to be a superstar. So people started treating him like that. And his change went overnight from army fatigues to Coogi sweaters and [Chuckles] and, you know, just being a little bit flyer, and being a little bit more fashion-conscious. Big's style in the beginning was very, very Brooklyn, New York hip-hop. Hardcore, bandanas, Timbs, oversized jeans. But as his sound evolved, his look evolved, as well, and he sort of became this Brooklyn hustler, mac daddy, ladies man. ♪ To all the ladies in the place with style and grace ♪ ♪ Allow me to lace these lyrical ... in your ... ♪ ♪ Who rock grooves and make moves with all the mamis? ♪ ♪ The back of the club sippin' Moet is where you'll find me ♪ I just wanted to show that we didn't always have to have do-rags on. We didn't always have to have guns in our videos. We didn't always have to be doing things in broken-down, vacant lots or the projects. I was taking a page from Motown, how tailored their artists were and how their artists represented the finer things in life. ♪ How ya livin', Biggie Smalls? ♪ ♪ In mansion and Benzes ♪ ♪ Givin' ends to my friends, and it feels stupendous ♪ ♪ Tremendous cream [bleep] a dollar and a dream ♪ Combs: I was just telling my truth as he was telling his truth. And together, you know, we came and made something that wasn't just hip-hop, but just -- it was also culture. ♪ Straight up, honey, really, I'm askin' ♪ ♪ Most of these [bleep] think they be mackin', they be actin' ♪ ♪ Who they attractin' with that line ♪ ♪ "What's your name? What's your sign?" ♪ Combs: He was the first rap artist to get the guys and the girls, and people don't realize that. ♪ If you got a gun up in your waist ♪ ♪ Please don't shoot up the place ♪ ♪ Why? ♪ ♪ 'Cause I see some ladies tonight ♪ ♪ That should be having ♪ What? ♪ My baby ♪ What? Audience: ♪ My baby ♪ They were screaming for him just like they would scream for New Edition or Justin Bieber. ♪♪ That's how they were screaming for Biggie. ♪♪ ♪ First things first, I poppa, freaks all the honeys ♪ ♪ Dummies, Playboy bunnies, those wantin' money ♪ ♪ Those the ones I like 'cause they don't get Nathan ♪ ♪ But penetration unless it smells like sanitation ♪ ♪ Garbage, I turn like doorknobs ♪ Jay-Z: The juxtaposition of this big guy who was like a sex symbol. Like, what's going on here? You know? ♪ Girls pee pee when they see me ♪ ♪ Navajos creep me in they teepee ♪ Jay-Z: He would take things that you would use against him and just, like, defuse you. ♪ I'm black and ugly as ever, however ♪ ♪ I stay Coogi down to the socks ♪ Done. Now you can't say it 'cause he just defused the whole thing. His confidence gave so many guys confidence. ♪ Baby ♪ You could tell how he was gettin' down. [ Chuckles ] You could tell how he was gettin' down. He was our savior, man. Big was like me. You're dark. You're heavy. We don't come up through the girl system with the girls being all over you, so all he had was how sharp his lyrics could be, cutting through. ♪ I got that good love, girl, you didn't know? ♪ ♪ All I need is one more chance ♪ [ Indistinct chatter ] Biggie: That's temptation right there. Temptation. Burns: Ladies loved Biggie. Loved him. I mean, if you wasn't secure with yourself and you hung around Big, you would have a problem. Lil' Cease: Big was the man on tour, man. He embraced that part of the life, man. We had a lot of fun with a lot of chicks, man. MAN: Whoo! [ Indistinct conversations ] Lil' Cease: Hotel parties. Backstage parties. Show parties. It was a [bleep] of a good life. -All righty, then. -[ Laughs ] Hylton: Big had access, um, to a lifestyle that he didn't have previously, and a lot was happening really quickly with the women and the traveling and the attention, and Faith was his wife. And that's not easy for any wife to handle, let alone a young wife and a new wife. ♪ What I was up against was being 21 years old, married to another artist who happened to just out the gate be really popular and really, um, in demand in more ways than one. When Faith was finding out about things, oh, it was different ballgames. Homegirl was comin' into town, was kickin' in doors. He would always, you know, check in and make sure he called me once he got to whatever state. And this particular time, he called, and it was just weird to me because he was, like, um, "I'm just letting you know I'm letting such-and-such use my room." Brown: Big was just playing, you know, trying to be smooth with it, but he just went about it the wrong way. Evans: And it was just strange to me. I mean, just my common sense, like, "Okay, you got a suite. Everybody else probably has a single. You're gonna let somebody use your suite for what?" Faith wasn't playin'. Faith came out there quick. Made my way up to the room and, you know, I knocked on the door really lightly and then I heard somebody say something like, "Who is it?" And I was like, um, "Housekeeping." My room was across the hall from his. It's way too early for housekeeping. So I go to my peephole and I look out, and it's Faith. I'm like, "Oh [bleep] The chick opens the door... And I just started swingin' on. ...and she lays her out. She put hands and feet on that girl. And then he said something like, "I didn't even [bleep] her." I'm like, "Really? This is the line you're gonna go with to your wife after she finds you in a room with somebody?" And I was like, "You should have," and then I grabbed my stuff and I left, and I got on the next flight back to New York. He was like, "Yo, dawg, Faith just came here and beat up the chick." I was like, "It's 9:00 in the morning. What are you talking about, Faith just came here?" He's like, "Yo, I'm not -- Dawg, look. And the girl was sitting there covered up, and like...all crazy, talkin' about she pressin' charges. It was really real. I swear to this day, people be like, "Yo, did that happen?" I'm like, "Yo, dawg, it really happened." Yeah. Faith is the illest, bro. Yeah, that was gangsta how I handled it. Then he comes back lookin' for me and huntin' me down all throughout Brooklyn. And, you know, I don't know. I think in a way, it kind of made me feel like that's my man even more. Hylton: Big would call. He would be like, "Yo, Mis, talk to her, man. Like, talk to her. She's not speakin' to me. I need her. I love her so much. I need her to understand me." Evans: He just still had this thing about him that I just couldn't stay mad at him, you know? Couldn't stay angry with him. Biggie: She was really pretty, what I saw. You know, she was talkin' to me. I wasn't [bleep] with her like that. She was pushin' up on me, like, all... -I was cool. -I would expect him to be mean, but he was real cool, and that was attractive. You know, we were in it. Things were happenin' so fast, so it was more of a, "I'm not trying to not be with my husband who I love," type of thing. Yeah, he says nice things all the time. He's a real nice person. That's why I love him. You know, more fight for my relationship literally and figuratively. [ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪ Yo, check it out, straight from Brooklyn ♪ ♪ Represent, throw your mother[bleep] hands up ♪ ♪ Throw your mother[bleep] hands up, check it out ♪ ♪ Who the [bleep] is this? ♪ ♪ Pagin' me at 5:46 in the mornin' ♪ ♪ Crack of dawn, and now I'm yawnin' ♪ Jay-Z: Somebody bought "Ready To Die," and I just rode around listening to it. You know, it's like, "Oh, this is special." ♪ Heard the intricate plot ♪ ♪ [Bleep] want to stick me like flypaper, neighbor ♪ ♪ Slow down, love, please chill, drop the caper ♪ He just made movies almost like Hitchcock. They was these tales that were disturbing sometimes, but they all had a purpose and a meaning. And sometimes, they were dramatic for effect. ♪ Call the coroner ♪ ♪ There's gonna be a lot of slow singin' and flower bringin' ♪ ♪ If my burglar alarm starts ringin' ♪ He was, uh, Langston Hughes. He was Donald Goines. He was the -- the one. He was the one. He had more than just rap. He had the look. He had the presence. He looked like a king. ♪ [Bleep] wanna stick me for my paper ♪ ♪ [Bleep] wanna stick me for my paper ♪ ♪ [Bleep] wanna stick me for my paper ♪ Yo, where Brooklyn at?! [ Crowd cheers ] ♪♪ Jay-Z: Big was a brilliant songwriter, had a beautiful vocabulary, and he used words that wasn't typical for the lexicon of hip-hop. Like in "Who Shot Ya?" You know... ♪ I can hear the sweat tricklin' down your cheek ♪ You don't typically hear "tricklin'" in hip-hop. When he made "Who Shot Ya?" I wanted to quit 'cause... ♪ Heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet ♪ ♪ Thunderin', shakin' the concrete ♪ ♪ Then the [bleep] stop when I foil the plot ♪ ♪ Neighbors call the cops 'cause they heard mad shots ♪ It's like, "Okay, yeah." It was beautiful, it was so menacing that the dark chords and then his voice over them, and it was just like the hardest song you've ever heard. [ Gunshot ] Nas: Biggie had his foot on everybody's necks from a musical standpoint. We needed him, and he had a -- he had the game in a chokehold. Jay-Z: He was tellin' my story, you know, and he was telling it in a way that was super clear. You know, like, the angst and the frustration, you know? And 3 minutes and 30 seconds could just change your life. You listen to a song and you go, "Oh, man!" You're thinking change. I remember hearing... ♪ And being broke at 30 give a [bleep] the chills ♪ And thinking, "Oh," 'cause I was, like, still almost in the life coming out, like, thinking about trying to be a rapper, playing with the idea of it. And seeing my friends go to jail, 15 years, 20 years, this person get killed, all our childhood friends. And then thinking, "Man, I can't be doing this at 30 years old." ♪♪ And so those sort of phrases change your entire life. Really changed my life. Like, literally made me say, "Okay, I got to figure this out." I'm not saying that I wouldn't have arrived at this point, but if I had 99 things, that was the 100th one that just pushed it over and said, "Yes, I got to go, and I got to do this." And I know he's done that for countless people. ♪♪ All the artists that were out from New York at that time did not have what it took to carry the city at the moment because it was Dre, Snoop, and Tupac. That's what was crackin'. And Biggie brought the music crown back over here. ♪♪ -Entering the dark box. -Oh, you ain't seen that. ♪♪ Larceny: And it was like New York was back. <i>Source</i> put him on the magazine, "King of New York." He was ready to go. It was on. -Get the plaque. -Get the plaque and the people holding the plaque. -What's it say? -Look at the plaque. We was hungry. Everybody got to eat. You know what I'm sayin'? I found something I was good at, I'm just trying to flip it, yo. Keep it going. You know what I'm sayin'? I ain't trying to slack at all. Trying to present for my peoples, my borough, and my family, and I'm hot. Man: And for those who don't know, who -- Tell, you know -- Tell our audience about Junior M.A.F.I.A. and what, uh -- what you're gonna do. Yeah, Junior M.A.F.I.A. is nine people from around my way that I promised once I got on, I was gonna put 'em on. I got on, so they on. They about to blow, but we all gonna eat. Larceny: He told us to meet him at his house. We sat on the -- the doorstep of his house. He pulled up with the Kangol on, with the level on, he had the briefcase with the -- the Biggie on it. He said, "Yo, I just got Junior M.A.F.I.A. deals on." I know it was real for us. Combs: Junior M.A.F.I.A., these were the kids that he grew up with. He didn't want to just leave 'em in Brooklyn. He didn't want to just leave 'em behind. He wanted to take 'em with him, and so he made 'em into a rap group. This is Junior M.A.F.I.A. Larceny: Big saw us heading the wrong direction and really tried to fix us up and get us out of here before we got caught up. We was just steps away from, you know... Yeah. ...really being in the mix out here. Like, he really just scooped us up young. Before we could really get deep into it, we was on stage and on tour. [ Crowd cheering ] Traveling, seeing the world, you know? Man: We in Detroit on the way on another mission. Lil' Cease: You know what I mean? It's something we never thought we would be doing. Big did that for us. -What up, dawg? -What up [bleep] Man: Nothing. 1421 is Cease. Lil' Cease. [ Kicks door ] Let poppa do his thing. Come on, man. [Bleep] is all waiting for you. They're downstairs. All right. Lil' Cease: It wasn't about talent. That was just people that he cared about and loved, and he wanted to see them on top and living a positive life. Let him get pretty. He ain't get pretty in awhile. Let him do his thing. Let him do his thing. Man: You just look -- There you go. Let it last you, baby. That's all you gettin'. After that, you cut off. He was like, "I'm gonna write you some raps. You gonna be a superstar." And I was like, "Okay. I'm down. I-I'm with it." [ Indistinct rapping ] Mister Cee: He kind of made Cease the first point person of Junior M.A.F.I.A., and then Kim came in after that. ♪ I used to pack Macs in Cadillacs ♪ ♪ Now I pimp gats in the Ac's, watch my money stacks ♪ ♪ Yes, it's the lyrical thing, shake your hips ♪ ♪ Playas, grab your genitals, proteins, and minerals ♪ Then the next thing you know, song was coming up. History was being made. ♪ D-K-N-Y, oh, my, I'm jiggy ♪ ♪ It's all about the cliqué ♪ ♪ Come on, we got Biggie ♪ Junior M.A.F.I.A., baby! All you mother[bleep] are keeping it real. [ Crowd cheering ] ♪♪ Kim: Me and Biggie, that's our family right there. We'll never turn against each other. We've been closer than friends. We always gonna be closer than friends. I'm like the little sister. He gonna make sure I'm all right, you know what I mean, and look after me like that. ♪♪ Lil' Cease: Kim and Big's relationship started from the neighborhood, you know? Kim grew up where we grew up from. She's from St. James, just like we was from. And one day, my sister's like, "You know Kim rap, right?" I was like, "She rap? Get out of here. No, she don't." And I said, "Well, I'm gonna go. I'ma tell Big." And I told Big one day, Big was like, "What? Pretty little Kim, she rap? Tell her come down here. Let me hear her rap one day." ♪ Nines in the stores, Glocks in the bags ♪ ♪ Maxin' mini-markets, gettin' money with the stacks ♪ I remember when Big was first working with Kim, Kim was straight, raw, hardcore rap. ♪ I kick the rilli with my peeps all day ♪ ♪ 325's roll by with the windows down halfway ♪ And Big had to change her up to where, "Okay, I want you to be hard, but I need the sexiness, too." ♪ Better grab a seat ♪ ♪ Grab on it quick as the [bleep] get deep ♪ ♪ Deeper than the...of a girl 6 feet ♪ ♪ Stiff ones feel sweet in this little petite ♪ ♪ A young trick from the street ♪ So he basically got her to start rhyming about sex appeal, about being a-a bad girl out here, being the -- being the baddest one out here. ♪ You wanna be my main squeeze, baby, don't ya ♪ ♪ You wanna get between my knees, baby ♪ ♪ Get money ♪ ♪ [Bleep] get money ♪ -[Bleep] Nino, what's up, bro? -What up? Lil' Cease: He came and changed all our lives the same way he changed his. That's just who he was. You know, he didn't have to do what he did for us. Biggie: It's Lil' Sleaze. [ Light laughter ] [ Speaks indistinctly ] You don't find that type of loyalty and generosity in people today. So, that was love. Man: Oh. Uh-oh. [ Laughs ] Feet out. Ooh. Oh, the feet out. [ Indistinct chatter, laughter ] The more money you make, the more problems you get, and jealousy and envy is -- is something that comes with the territory, man. A lot of people -- It's just negative energy like my man Puff say. It just surrounds you and makes you depressed, you know, so I got to rap about it. And that's one of the bad things about the game is when you get large, even your friends will turn against you, man. ♪♪ ♪ Quad Studios. We haven't been up in here in like, what, two decades? [Bleep] there about. I get the old feel of -- of when we recorded here. You know what I'm sayin'? Like, those memories come back. Like, I always think about Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s first session ever any time I come in Quad. [ Indistinct chatter ] Woman: Oh [bleep] The [bleep] burned me! I should kill her, dawg! Brown: When we came in here, it was straight playtime. Like, we brung all our homeboys from the block. It was like a playhouse. [ Indistinct chatter ] [ Rap music playing indistinctly ] [ Laughter ] [ Chatter continues ] Lil' Cease: We was on the eighth floor, and, um, me and Nino just went outside to go smoke real quick and just, you know, kick it. This was the spot right here. We used to come and blow it down right here. Looks scary now, though. I happen to look over, and I seen Pac walking up the block. And I just start yelling down at him, like, "Yo! It's Cease!" He's like, "Cease? What's up?" I'm like, "Yo, we in the studio. Come around the corner. I'ma come downstairs and get you." And that's how I went. I walked back -- I came back in the room, and I told Big. I'm like, "Yo, Big, Pac downstairs." He like, "Yo, go downstairs and get him." We was excited. We thinkin' we about to go kick it. You know, he had some Cali weed. All of a sudden, I hear a noise. [ Gunshots ] ♪ And before we could walk out, one of the dudes came from the corner just pointing a gun at us, told us to get back in the elevator. Me and Nino stepped right back in here. And once we were back in the elevator, me and him was just still looking shocked. You know what I mean? Just like, "Yo." We were looking at each other. "Like, is that really happening right now?" Like, the only thing we could do was go upstairs and tell Big. Like, you know what I mean? We was kids. "Yo, Big, Pac downstairs getting robbed right now." Big was like, "Y'all lying." I'm like, "No, we dead serious." And he saw it in our face, like -- The first thing he did was to make sure we was all right. "Don't come downstairs. Y'all stay right here. I'll be right back." When he ain't come right back, we came downstairs. [ Police radio chatter ] Lil' Cease: All the police had all this locked up and every time you came down, they will line you up, tell you you couldn't leave, get all your information. They want your I.D. and everything. They brung him out on the elevator right past us. He come out, look around, stuck up the middle finger, they put him in the ambulance. And we was just curious, like, what's that supposed to mean? Like, was that middle finger to us? ♪♪ Coker: From Tupac's perspective, he said nobody would look him in the eye, and that the people that were upstairs must have known that he was gonna be ambushed and robbed. And so he basically accused all the people in that room of being part of the conspiracy. ♪♪ ♪ ♪ Marriott: Pac said some very provocative things in the Kevin Powell interview for<i> Vibe</i> about Puffy, about Big. You know, Big should have known that he was getting set up, and he didn't warn him. The Tupac article have me [bleep] off. You know what I'm sayin'? And the rumors that's spreadin' is all some tip like we set him up. You know what I'm sayin'? And that's crazy. That's just ridiculous. You know what I'm sayin'? But I also understand that if you was to get shot five times, your mind is just completely spinnin'. You know what I'm sayin'? You're real confused about your situation. So it'll cause you to say things that you really don't mean. Evans: He was really hurt, and, in a way, really looking forward to being able to connect with him and sort it out before it all got way too deep. Marriott: Once Suge Knight got involved, once Death Row got involved, then it became a completely other thing. It became a war. It's a funny thing. I kind of realized how powerful Tupac and I was. You know what I'm sayin'? Because we two individual people. We waged a coastal beef. You know what I'm sayin'? One man against one man made a whole West Coast hate a whole East Coast and vice versa. You know what I'm sayin'? And that really bugged me out. Like yo, Duke don't like me, so this whole coast don't like me. You know what I'm sayin'? Right. It was sad, man. To see all of that unfold with Pac and Big, I was -- I was sad. It just -- It devastated me because I knew how much Big really loved Pac. I really feel that it was outside sources that decimated that relationship. ♪♪ Marriott: Once Suge Knight got involved, once Death Row got involved, then it became a completely other thing. There was blood spilled and threats made, and a lot of that really started at the Source Awards. [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ Yeah. Straight up Brooklyn in the house! Representin'! [ Cheers and applause ] Coker: Death Row rolled in deep. I mean, they -- they flew in planes of people. Uh-oh. We gonna have some trouble, here. The DRE. Dr. Dre! Some of them are dressed Blood wise, some of them also have a Crip persona. And they come to New York, they're getting boos when they're coming up for some of the awards. [ Crowd booing ] -What? -Wait, wait, wait. The East Coast don't love Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg?! And Death Row?! We know y'all East Coast. We know...we at. [ Booing continues ] And then Suge set it off because when Suge comes out on stage, he makes a direct diss at Puffy. [ Cheers and applause ] I'd like to tell Tupac keep his guards up. We ride with him. And one other thing I'd like to say -- Any artist out there want to be an artist and want to stay a star and don't want to have to worry about the executive producer tryin' to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancin', come to Death Row! [ Crowd cheering, booing ] Nas: That was impressive. Get on a microphone on stage putting down the guy with the other big record company in his own city. Everybody went crazy. Lil' Cease: Big had 30, 40 Brooklyn people at the Source Awards ready to just like, "All right, we about to turn this mother[bleep] out. This [bleep] about to be over." But, you know, Puffy was like, "Yo, nah, that's not the route we go. We're not gonna do that. We gonna be positive." I'm the executive producer that a comment was made about a little bit earlier. I'm a positive black man, and I make this music to bring us together, not to separate us. And all this East and West, that need to stop. Combs: We didn't want any part of it. You know, we didn't want what would come if we fed into this. Hylton: The Source Awards escalated a situation that was already brewing. It's like if you have a-a pot on the stove, the fire just went up. ♪♪ MARRIOTT: When<i> Vibe</i> put East Coast vs. West Coast, the whole thing was coined, and you can choose your side. Woman: Recently, you were at the Source Awards and there was this whole East Coast-West Coast thing. Man: When did this sort of East Coast-West Coast thing sort of start, to sort of fractionalize music? Burns: The media kept throwing gasoline on the fire, and then had the nerve to sit back and go, "Why is it so hot?" Now, you say it's not a East Coast-West Coast thing, but you can't deny there's sort of -- It's not a problem. Man: Do you think the media has overblown the whole... No doubt. No doubt. When it all go down, don't look at me and Biggie and be like, "Why is there a big East Coast-West Coast war?" when you're -- you're shooting this to 300 countries telling 'em about a East Coast-West Coast war that they would never know exists. The whole time, I was like, "This is not good. This is dangerous." Dr. Dre: To me, they better kill it right now because if it keeps going on, nobody from the East Coast is gonna be able to come to L.A. and be safe. And nobody from the West Coast is gonna be able to come to the East Coast and be safe. Burns: It went from being a great time being on the road, Big smoking as much as he wanted to and being with women and loving it, to now you got to watch your back. You know, you don't know who's with who, how it's gonna go down. He was getting some of the hate mail. You know, uh, the same people that liked you in L.A. don't like you no more now 'cause you beefing with Death Row. It was just a lot of stuff now to where that it was happening. You're getting crank calls. People calling you, threats and [bleep] things like that. Every day, it's real. That's how real it is. I think somebody's trying to kill me. I be waking up paranoid, I be really scared. I just be paranoid. That's just the way I am. You know. You be seeing me. Scared to death. ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Evans: We should have waited a little longer to get married. I mean, you know, it was difficult. Looking back, I would certainly have said just wait a little while and get to know one another. Wow. This is very nice. Very nice. Look what they've done. It looks a lot more... like a home. Livable. [ Chuckles ] Right. It's a lot more cozy. It was very open and kind of cold. Like, you know, it was -- it wasn't -- I didn't -- First of all, I never fully furnished the place, though. Soon as y'all moved here, Big went on tour. Right. I was just like, "I ain't about to put all my time into this. He's not even coming home [chuckles] anymore." [ Both laugh ] "Why am I here?" I remember you paging me, and I called you. We were in the airport, and you was crying. And I was like, "What is the matter?" You was like, "Big cut up all my clothes." And I'm like, "Big, why did you do that?" "Well, ask her why did she throw all my clothes out the window?" And that was when we went to Europe, and then when we came back, you had a gun. [ Laughs ] And you was downstairs, and you must've shot at Big. [ Chuckling ] Oh, my God. [ Chuckles ] And that was -- that was my last memory in this house. [ Laughs ] And you put the gun in the garbage can. Yeah, I remember that. How long did I even last in this apartment? Probably about six months. I know it wasn't a year. Now, the crazy thing is, when you moved out, I don't remember you moving. I just remember you taking your clothes. I didn't. I left -- I left everything. Remember? I left... Flowers-Briggs: You just took your clothes. ...all the furniture... And your shoes. ...all of his stuff, and I took my stuff in my hockey bags. I moved out of our apartment in Brooklyn because of just kind of him not being there as much. So I kind of just, like, moved out, doing my rebellious thing. Like, "Okay, well, if you don't want to come home, then I'm out of here." It wasn't until that that I actually found out about Kim. Man: Let me just ask you finally just about your relationship with Biggie in light of what you say about Faith on the record. What's the relationship like right now? Kim: Me and Biggie, we got a lot of love for each other. You know what I mean? When you see us, there's a closeness there. Kim was on the radio, and she mentioned something about Biggie and Faith, and we broke up. And I'm, like, "That's very strange. Like, why would she be saying anything?" And I just probably felt that whole feeling of like, uh, duh. [ Laughs ] Like [As Ricky Ricardo] Lucy? [ Normal voice ] You know what I mean? So I kind of just in my spirit realized it, like, "Ooh, he's [bleep] her." Like, "Oh [bleep]" [ Laughs ] Who influenced your rap style? Biggie. That's my mentor, my best friend, my love. I love him. That's my baby. He's all of that. Lil' Cease: She was an attractive chick, and, you know, he was the boss man. So, you know, sometimes certain things would just happen. And I think just us being on the road and us working together, he got a chance to see another side of Kim. Mister Cee: The only thing that I said to Big is, "You really shouldn't have never messed with your artist." And Big was like, "Well, it's done now, Cee." I felt like as much as Big felt that he had it under control, he didn't have it under control. Big was really in love with two women at the same time. I wouldn't say it was an ever "I hate you" relationship, though. It definitely wasn't. Even in the worst times of me finding out, for example, even that him and Kim were involved, because even in those moments, you know, he was honest. But I knew in my mind that things were different, like, after that. I totally felt like, "Okay, I'm not really feeling this no more." [ Crowd Cheering ] Man: Make some noise! ♪♪ Evans: Shortly thereafter, Puff put together this big Bad Boy tour. So when they reached out to me about doing the tour, I think I already knew in my mind I didn't want to do it. I'm not about to be fighting, and my husband and his mistress on it. You know what I mean? I'm like, unh-unh. I'm not going through that. So I decided not to do it. And I got a opportunity to come to L.A. to write for a producer and his new group. And we all went out one night, and that night is the night I met Tupac. Tupac said, "Oh, my God. Nice to meet you. I love your music." And, um, I think probably a photographer wanted to take some pictures. And then by the end of the night, he said he wanted to do a song with me. And I gave him my manager's info, and, you know, we hooked up the session, and I went to the studio. Probably from some other people's view, it looked a little... But I was looking at it like it was, "I'm about to get this $20,000, $30,000 for singing a hook, and nobody told me 'Don't do it.'" I just didn't know all the other dynamics of that particular situation. Faith didn't really understand that this was going on, but Tupac was really finding a way to attack Big in this new, dastardly way. ♪♪ Been about 10 hours to get that part with Faith. -Oh, yeah. -Why it took so long? It took awhile man, 'cause, you know, once you got that much love in the studio... Yeah. ...hey, it take a while to get it down on wax. -Oh, that's what it was? -For me and her, it took awhile. Faith my homegirl. I just want to send a shout-out to Faith. [ Laughs ] Hey, girl. Faith and Bad Boy Records. [ Clicks tongue ] Pac is making a lot of tongue-in-cheek references to Faith, and, um, it just all kind of built up. And then later, he would say that they slept together, which obviously caused a lot of problems not only in Big and Faith's marriage, but nationally amongst the hip-hop faithful. When Tupac releases "Hit 'Em Up" and that hits the streets, everybody's talking about it because of the fact that Pac, in no uncertain terms, said that he had sex with Faith and went entirely at Big's persona, questioning his integrity as an artist, questioning his integrity as a man, going directly against their friendship. I mean, it was just one of the harshest rebukes in the history of hip-hop. Money L: Puff like, "Yo, you got to hear this." And we all went to the parking lot, and he put it in. And the first thing he said is, "That's why I [bleep] your [bleep]" And that [bleep] was like, whoa. And Big's just listening, but Big was just like slumped in his seat like... ♪♪ Evans: He came to my hotel, and he was really upset. I mean, I could tell by the knock [Laughing] he was angry, like... And as soon as he walked in, I just saw him, and he grabbed me and put me in the bathroom and put me against the wall like, "What the [bleep] You're messing with him?" I'm like, "What are you talking about? Like, no! That's not what happened." They was really going hard. Like, it really bugged us out 'cause it was like, wow, like, what we gonna do? I mean, at that time, we was hyped up. M.A.F.I.A. wanted to do a song. [ Chuckles ] You know, Kim wanted to do a song. Even I was like, "Yo. Let's go." Do something. Lil' Cease: Big was like, "Yo, if anyone of y'all do a response record, I'm not messin' with you no more. Do not do that. That's not what we do." He was like, "Nah, I know where this is going. Not gonna feed into that energy. That's not the sort of energy that I want. I want it different." So, like, he saw something else for himself. ♪♪ [ Laughter ] Man: Right. [ Crowd cheering ] What up, what up, what up, what up, what up, what up, what up, what up, what up? Money L: We was out in L.A. for the Soul Train Awards in '96. After the show, we came out to the parking lot and then, like, right in the front of us in our path, somebody comes out the window, and it's Tupac, and he's just, like, rippin', talkin' crazy, reckless. "Yeah, mother[bleep] y'all on the west side, the best side." And we all like, "Oh [bleep] What the [bleep]" Lil' Cease: Pac jumped out the window. Suge jumped out, and they claimed, you know, they wanted to talk to Big and, you know, all the security. The Muslims got in between everybody. So Pac's still rippin'. He's still going off. "Blah, blah, blah, you mother[bleep] Yeah, mother[bleep] West Side, mother[bleep]" Lil' Cease: Big didn't say not one word. He just was looking at him like, "Come on, you trippin', dawg. Like, why you buggin'?" Burns: Word got back to Don Cornelius that everybody was outside. Don told people, "Y'all don't cut this out, y'all mess up my money, it's gonna be a problem for everybody out here." Pac was just like, "Yo, I'm just trying to sell some records, man. I'm just trying to sell some records. That's it." It's just really unfortunate that it wasn't a thing between those two guys. It really wasn't. It was some outside forces, and, you know, just really unfortunate how it -- how it all unraveled. ♪♪ Bigs left room open to see if he could fix things with Pac because that was his friend. He felt like if he saw Pac again, they could have fixed that situation and settled it. Just so happened they never got a chance to see each other after that. ♪ [ Siren wails ] [ Police radio chatter ] Woman: Rap artist Tupac Shakur is reported in critical condition this morning in a Las Vegas hospital. I was watching something on TV, and I saw it. It was like a news flash or something. I called Big, I'm like "Yo, Big, come down here. Yo, come here." Williams: Rap star Tupac Shakur died last night after a brief life in a rough business. Big just sat there, was just like, watching the screen of the TV and just quiet and just, like, shook his head. ♪ You're nobody till somebody kills you ♪ Woman: Fans had held a vigil outside his Las Vegas hospital. He was 25 years old. ♪ You're nobody till somebody kills you ♪ Biggie: When he died, I was just like, whoa. You know what I'm sayin'? Kind of took me by -- I mean, even though we was going through our drama, I would never wish death on nobody, you know, 'cause there ain't no coming back from that. ♪♪ ♪ I don't wanna die ♪ [ "Legacy" plays ] ♪ I knew from the very first moment ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, yeah ♪ ♪ It's the king and I ♪ ♪ That you were a king fit just for a queen ♪ ♪ And I could tell from day one you were for me ♪ Evans: I think about him every day. ♪ Who know that this love be the legacy? ♪ I think over the years, I've noticed that I have had more emotional moments in the more recent years than back when we first lost him. ♪ My whole life was changed instantly ♪ Typically, my memories of him are funny, you know? ♪ I ride through thick and thin ♪ ♪ And I love you, too ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ It might be a conversation that I may have just had with Cease or Nino. You know, I kind of keep in touch with all of those guys. ♪ We can't go back ♪ ♪ We can't turn back the time ♪ -Yo, what up, Faith? -Hey, hey, hey. We often talk about different things about him. -[ Laughs ] -Everything was Cease. Cease was probably there when CJ was conceived. I think I was. [ Laughs ] Cease just walked out the room. That's when I went to visit him in New Orleans. I remember y'all was in New Orleans. -Oh, you remember exactly? -I remember. We were separated. I had moved out. They were on the road, and I remember y'all had a show, and he called me. Now -- Now, thinking back, he was probably beefing with Kim. 'Cause we weren't -- Me and Big wasn't even really seeing each other like that. And he just called me and was like, "I want you to come see me." It was around Valentine's Day. -I was like, oh, you know. -Okay. He told me to come see him in New Orleans, and I went. "Okay, I'm coming." And, I mean, I had -- We hadn't been together for awhile before that. She still loved him. But I know for a fact that's when CJ was conceived 'cause we probably wasn't together for awhile after that, either. [ Laughs ] Always be like that. Y'all beefing, y'all going through something, and you create something to keep that mother[bleep] in your life forever now. [ Laughter ] Yeah. Just when you think you're about to leave somebody, like, y'all done, y'all good... And little did I know, or I definitely wouldn't be making a visit for that, like... [ Laughter ] ♪♪ Wallace: The day he was born, Faith and I said we should call him Christopher. Okay. He said he didn't want a Junior. So he said, "I like Jordan." So I said, "Okay, we'll just call him Christopher Jordan." He said, "Oh, think I'm gonna call him CJ." And that's how it is. That day, all three of us named him. And, like, I never seen him that happy. He was so happy. And I could close my eyes right now and just see him in the room telling me roll up, just -- just happy. ♪ Enuff: I think Big, at that moment, was entering a new chapter. New baby. Not just his biological baby, but his second album was dropping. ♪♪ Biggie: Well, I got the "Life After Death" double CD dropping March 25th, and I just -- I just want my spot back, you know? ♪ Hah, sicker than your average ♪ ♪ Poppa twist cabbage off instinct ♪ ♪ [Bleep] don't think [bleep] stink ♪ ♪ Pink gators, my Detroit players ♪ ♪ Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn ♪ Go, Biggie! Lil' Cease: Loved it. He felt like that was some of his best work 'cause he was happy, he was cool. You know, uh, he wasn't in the same predicament he was when he did "Ready To Die." That's why he always say "Ready To Die" was from the inside looking out, and "Life After Death" was from the outside looking in. Jay-Z: I remember when he was doing "Life After Death" and he sent me four songs in the demo stage. And I was like, "Oh, my God. Oh, we got a problem." I-I was happy for him, and I was upset for myself. I was -- I was a little worried for myself as -- as an artist. ♪ I can fill you with real millionaire [bleep] ♪ ♪ Escargot, my car go 160 swiftly ♪ ♪ Wreck it, buy a new one ♪ ♪ Your crew run-run-run, your crew run-run ♪ Jay-Z: As an artist, he pushed me because, you know, we both, like, wanted to be the best. It was, like, healthy. You know, it was like two competitors on a court that play basketball and then, like, after the game's over, like, yo, let's go to the movies or something, you know? ♪ Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can't you see? ♪ ♪ Sometimes your words just hypnotize me ♪ Can't rhyme about being broke no more. [ Chuckling ] I ain't broke. ♪ Guess that's why they broke, and you're so paid ♪ He was feeling very, uh, optimistic about the future. [ Barks ] Just tryin' to just keep blowin' up. You want to keep blowing up? [Bleep] straight. It's all good. He was telling me, "Yo, after this, you know, I drop my album, we gonna do the commission, we gonna do, like, a group together. And we, um -- we gonna get a big house in Atlanta. You move next to me in Atlanta." So he was very hopeful about the future and had plans on where he was going. Very clear. Very clear what he was doing, you know? ♪ Cali, unh ♪ Combs: I remember when he came to L.A. for the trip, I wasn't sure about it, but I wanted to give peace a chance. I wanted to kind of heal wounds. We had already lost Tupac. And I just came over tryin' to, like, basically squash this East Coast-West Coast thing. ♪ I got to be the one to flip it and take my -- my power and flip it like, "Yo, they got to be dead." He was really trying to go out there and let people know like, "Yo, listen, man, it was just something that was just a East Coast or West Coast thing that the media stirred up." Don't feed into it. If you feed into it, it's gonna do nothing but escalate. You know what I'm sayin'? I just want to let everybody know that all the rumors, you know what I'm sayin', you shouldn't be the one to sit back and listen to rumors. You know what I'm sayin'? Just take -- take a chance to know the person before you judge the person. -He was just trying to fix it. -Try to get the facts first. I'm here, me and my man Caesar Leo, we just gonna do our thing forever. Forever and ever. ♪ I'm going, going, back, back ♪ ♪ To Cali, Cali, Cali, uh-huh ♪ It sounded like the right thing to do. You know, in hindsight, you know, that -- that's something that I know that we should have been more careful. -Whoo! -Yo, West Coast is hype, son. West Coast is hype! I love the West Coast. <i> East</i> Coast is hype! Biggie: Where the East at? [ Crowd cheering, booing ] Lil' Cease: We knew where we was at when we was in L.A., so, you know, at times, you would get people that would, you know, yell "West Side," or you know, throw the symbol up at you sometime. Money L: They didn't want us out there. They didn't want us out there. Period. Like, you felt it. I know there was a level of mistrust out there, a level of a lot of negativity out there. And I-I would say, "Please be careful." ♪ Nas: I saw him in the mall. There were people kind of following him through the mall and bothering him. But for just some dumbass reason, we just played it too cool to come and talk to each other. And I hate that memory because we could have talked. And I know I wanted to just tell him, you know, probably what a lot of people was telling him, was he should go back home because it's not a good time to be in L.A. fresh off of the war between these coasts. Um, I never got to tell him. ♪♪ Lil' Cease: We was hanging out with Puff. He was like, "What y'all want to do from here?" This is when we was deciding if we wanted to go to the museum for the<i> Vibe</i> party. And Big was like, "Yo, you know what? We ain't been out in awhile. Maybe we should go there, have some fun, and go chill out." He was like, "You know, we never hang out anymore," you know. And so I said okay. ♪♪ It was kind of against my better judgment, but I didn't feel in danger. You didn't really think that going to a party for Quincy Jones in Beverly Hills -- You -- You would think that that -- that, you know, okay, if we gonna make any move, that's gonna be a safe move. Um, but it wasn't. ♪ [ Horn honks ] Lil' Cease: Big was like, "Yo, you know what? We ain't been out in awhile. Maybe we should go to the museum for the<i> Vibe</i> party, have some fun, and go chill out." ♪♪ It was great, man. It was fun. It was one of the best parties we ever been to, man. We just sat there and drunk a lot of Dom Pérignon, and they played "Hypnotized" about 15, 20 times. And every time they played it, people jumped around, they loved it, and it was just all love. You know what I mean? It was just -- Everything was just smooth and cool. Combs: That night, we felt like we turned the energy around. Like, everybody was in there. Everybody started to just relax and, you know, you could see, you know, the players from the East Coast and the players from the West Coast, male and female, starting to talk and interact with each other. You know, we didn't take it serious enough. Um...the only way we could have took it more serious was by living in fear, and we were too fearless and too young to live in fear at that point in time. I remember Cease coming over to where I was at with my friends, you know, and they all like, "He's coming over here. Big sent him over here." You know? He's like, "You good? You good, Faith? You know, you need any -- All right. You know we over there, right? You saw Big." He was trying to be funny, though, because, you know, of course he knows I saw him. I'm like, "Yeah, I saw Big. I see him over there." But Big and I never, you know, directly said anything to each other. We may have kind of looked past one another a couple of times. It was such a crazy [Chuckles] thing we were doing. ♪♪ [ Indistinct chatter ] Police was making everybody clear out, saying it was too crowded, over capacity. And, uh, that's when we started leaving. When Big car came, we all got in the car, and we followed Puff. And when we first got out and pulled out at the light, Puff caught the light, and we didn't. And we were stopped at that light. The next thing you know... [ Gun cocks ] ...this car pulled up... [ Gun cocks ] ...and just started firing shots in the car. Didn't yell. Didn't say nothing. Just pulled up and just -- We just heard shots. -Y'all get down! -Somebody got shot. -Biggie down. -Somebody just got shot. -Y'all get down. -Biggie got shot. -Ooh! Puff. -Puffy. Woman: Yo, crank up the car, please. I'm ready to go. Woman #2: Yeah, we got to get out of here for real. [ Siren wails ] ♪♪ Lil' Cease: Once we got to the hospital and we pulled up there, Big still ain't say a word. By that time, he was unconscious. You know, some of the other people jumped out the other truck to help get him out. ♪♪ Evans: When we left the party, Heavy D called me over to the car and he said, "I think something happened to Biggie. I think you should go to the hospital." And so it was just... I immediately kind of started panicking. ♪♪ We got to Cedars-Sinai, and then the doctor came and was like, um, "Ms. Wallace, I'm sorry. He didn't make it." And... I remember just kind of going numb, and I was in this room with all the guys, and I just sat in the chair and stared at the floor, and I didn't know what to do, you know? It was just -- I didn't know what to do. I came in the room, and somebody was like, "Yo, Big ain't make it." I was like, "What?" You know, this was somebody that like, you know, took me out my neighborhood and raised me since I was a kid. ♪♪ I just -- I ran back outside and just started crying. ♪♪ It was just, like, how one second can change your whole life. And the one second went from, as people will tell you, the greatest party ever to, you know, the worst tragedy imaginable. Grown men on the floor crying, man, like, you know, like babies. And then we all had to sit there and go, "All right, who's about to call his mother and tell her that her son is dead in California?" ♪♪ Wallace: Sunday morning... the phone rang... and I heard a grown man crying. "Miss Wallace, Miss Wallace." ♪♪ So I said, "What's wrong with my son?" ♪♪ And he goes, "Miss Wallace, Miss Wallace," and I screamed at him, "What's wrong with my son?" 24-year-old rap artist known as Notorious B.I.G., Christopher Wallace, was shot early Sunday morning and later died of gunshot wounds at nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Money L: Next day, me and Miss Wallace, we caught a flight out together, and we met up with everybody out there. But that was sad. You know? We picked her up from the airport like 7:00 that morning. It was saddest day ever, bro. ♪♪ I went to the hotel. Hmph. And when I walked into that hotel, what I saw on the bed was Christopher's tuxedo spread so nicely on the bed. ♪♪ And I said to myself then, "I think he's playing a joke on me." Because he would do that. But I said, "Would he do something so cruel?" I said, "No, he's gonna come out of that room and say, 'Gotcha!'" And I was wishing for that. "Please, Lord, let him come out and say that so I can kick him." ♪♪ And while I was there, I got a call -- I don't know who called -- but to go and identify the body. They didn't show us. They showed us a picture, which, to me, was even more awful. I remember just a quick gasp from Miss Wallace because you could kind of see in the picture that he was -- he looked like he was fighting. He looked like he was fighting for his life. He did, you know? So...yeah, that was, uh -- that was crazy. ♪♪ And then we just worked. Work, work, work, work. "Let's get him home. Let's get him home. Let's get him home." I hated California. Hated it with a passion. It took something dear from me. I don't think there are words to express to tell you how much I miss him. ♪♪ He was my friend, my son. ♪♪ And there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. ♪♪ Sometimes happy thoughts. Sad thoughts. Angry thoughts sometimes. Not a day that goes by. ♪♪ ♪ Man: Mm-hmm. Wallace: I don't even remember being here. I was so out of it. Lost. Empty. My chest was hurting. My head was hurting. You know, just driving through Brooklyn so Brooklyn can say goodbye. And, boy, did Brooklyn say goodbye. [ Crowd cheering, shouting ] Lil' Cease: They let the kids get out of school for a half a day. [ Cheers and applause ] People was on top of cars, hanging out their windows, on roofs. You know, like, I was like [bleep] you know? ♪♪ Enuff: To bring him back to Brooklyn was everything. It was everything. It was just... [ Sniffles ] And you know everybody had love for him, but you saw it that day. You saw it. It hurt me to my heart to see one of one of my brothers pass away. I knew Big. I used to live right over here on the corner of St. James for a little while. [ Crowd cheering ] ♪♪ Wallace: When we reached St. James Place, the cars slowed down, the crowds were here. Waving. Windows. Waving. Standing on the side. I mean, people. It was like a nest of ants. [ Crowd cheering, shouting ] Right as the car got to St. James and Fulton, someone put on "Hypnotized." [ "Hypnotized" plays ] ♪ Unh, unh ♪ ♪ Unh, come on ♪ Marriott: It was a riot, but, like, a love riot, a resurrection ritual. ♪ Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn, dead right ♪ Wallace: That's when I said to my friend, "My God, I never knew my son was this famous." You know, I just whispered, "My God." ♪ Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can't you see ♪ ♪ Sometimes your words just hypnotize me ♪ It made me feel so good to see her realize how many people he touched. ♪ Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can't you see ♪ -Biggie Smalls. Brooklyn! -Brooklyn! ♪ I just love your flashy ways ♪ ♪ Uh-huh ♪ ♪ Guess that's why they broke, and you so paid ♪ ♪♪ And it remains. [ Chuckles ] ♪♪ They say, like, time heals all wounds. You know, I kind of wait for that day. But I also think that -- that, you know, time doesn't heal some wounds. Some things you have to live with, you know, and sometimes, that's God's will. ♪♪ Man: His music just went through our body, gave us chills. because he talked nothing but the truth. Woman: You know, it don't make sense. That was somebody's son. That was somebody's father. You know what I'm saying? When we gonna stop? Man: When I first heard Biggie Smalls died, my first reaction was ultimate shock. He represented Brooklyn to the fullest, and I'm sad that he's gone. And I was also sad Tupac is gone. Man #2: Tupac, that was enough. Should have ended right there. They should have just left it alone. ♪♪ He ain't deserve that. That wasn't for him. And I felt like he tried everything in his mind and his body to try to avoid that negative thing. You know what I mean? Like, he tried his best to stray away from it. That wasn't who he was. I just felt like he got jerked of his life, and that made me a bitter person for a very long time. Jay-Z: Man, he did everything to avoid that. People in life, most people run to it. Here, this man, he's not only avoiding it, he's using his talent to put so many others in a better position so they can avoid the pitfalls and the perils and [bleep] that happens where we come from. And this happens to him. It's like one of those things that make you question everything. Big got killed for nothing, man. Over some [bleep] Literally, over some [bleep] ♪♪ In Los Angeles, police tonight are investigating the gangland-style murder of gangsta rap music star Biggie Smalls. It got to do with East Coast-West Coast for sure. Woman: Police are investigating rumors... ...may in some way be payback for the September killing... Man: ...had numerous witnesses, but so far, most have been scared silent. Woman: Brand-new evidence is surfacing that may link L.A.P.D. Rampart Officer... ...that there was clearly a cover-up going on. And another jailhouse informant with another frankly preposterous story. There have been no arrests in the case, and the result for Biggie's friends and family is frustration and speculation. ♪♪ Kading: The L.A.P.D. is done with the case. You know, 15 years of investigative effort, and they just have an attitude of indifference. There's a lot of leads that have been left unfollowed. Wallace: My mission is for all the authorities that were involved to make an arrest. They know the truth. Evans: I feel like we, as a family, feel like the L.A.P.D. knows. And we feel like they've -- you know, over time, different things have been divulged to make us feel like we can point a finger in one direction. Wallace: And for me now to think of the person who took his life away, I wonder if they have feelings, you know? I would like to know how he felt. You know, is it a happy feeling? Are you glad that happened? How do you feel? You know? But my question is always, why? And that's -- that's always gonna be my puzzling question -- Why? ♪ ♪ Evans: There's so many people that knew him and loved him genuinely. So just his loss, the fact that he's not here, is the biggest tragedy. ♪ Remember back in the days when [bleep] had waves ♪ ♪ Gazelle shades and cornbraids ♪ ♪ Pitching pennies, honeys had the high-top jellies ♪ ♪ Shooting skelly, mother[bleep] was all friendly ♪ Big represented the heart and soul of Brooklyn. ♪ With the neighborhood crews hanging on the avenues ♪ Lil' Cease: He means everything to Brooklyn. Big is the savior, he's the boss, he's poppa, he's the believer, he's the one that is the culture of Brooklyn. He's the one that let you know, yo, follow your dreams. You can make it. You can do it. ♪ Smoking blunts in the project always ♪ ♪ Shooting dice all day ♪ ♪ Waiting for [bleep] to step up for some fighting [bleep] ♪ Brooklyn has a remarkable amount of love, respect, and dedication to Biggie Smalls. ♪ But you don't hear me, though ♪ Spread love is the Brooklyn way. ♪♪ Biggie's the reason why we listen to punch lines, and when you spit, there's a flow. ♪ Back in the day ♪ Ain't nobody touching Biggie. He was the freestyle artist up there on Fulton Street. He's the man. ♪♪ Biggie Small, we miss you. ♪♪ Funkmaster Flex: 20 years after Biggie died, we will continue to use the word "greatest." His lyrics, his thought process, the way he sees things, the way he saw things. Combs: His legacy is his lyrical skills. Nobody has come close to the way Biggie sounds, to the way he raps, to the way his tone is, to the feeling that he gives you, to the frequency that he hits. ♪♪ Nas: Biggie represents Brooklyn, New York City, America, the black experience, the young man who was just trying to figure out a way where they tell him, "No. Your hair doesn't work for us. You can't dress like that. You can't talk like that. You can't walk like that. You can't hang with your friends. You can't stand on this corner. You can't be." He said [bleep] that. Not only am I gonna be, I'm gonna be the best. The human side of him came through his music, and I think it moved the molecules in the world. You know? I know for a fact, you know, that it moved and pointed me in a direction, and I'm sure that's happened to millions and millions of people worldwide. It's what the prophets are. It's what the prophets are since the beginning of time -- just poets and musicians. They would tell tales through song, and because they wasn't preaching to you, you let down your guard a bit. You liked the melody. You relaxed. Then you got fed. ♪ Sky is the limit and you know that you can have ♪ ♪ What you want, be what you want ♪ ♪ Sky is the limit and you know that you keep on ♪ ♪ Just keep on pressing on ♪ ♪♪ Wallace: When my son died, I went up to the country, and I was in the house all by my lonesome. I was so torn apart. I was an emotional wreck. And I said, "You know what? I'm gonna listen to this music." And I rested my head over the stereo. I listened to that. I cried like a baby. I had a river of tears coming down. I digested the art of the music. I heard him telling a story. And it took a talented human being to do this. I said, "My God, if he wrote this, that was a brilliant man." And I think from then on, when it comes to the rap music, I try very hard not to judge it, but to look at the human being behind it. That's a woman's son, a man's son. Those are human beings there, and let's focus on the art. Let's focus on the talent. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

Channel: A&E

Views: 3,446,693

Rating: 4.7516174 out of 5

Keywords: a&e, aetv, a&e tv, ae, a&e shows, biggie, biggie Smalls, motorious, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas, p diddy, diddy, sean combs, rap, hip-hop, new york city, nyc, cultrue, music, tupac, tupac shakur, faith evans, voletta wallace, christopher wallace, west side, full episodes, full episode, Jay-Z and Nas speak, Hip-hop moguls, Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G., Biggie full episodes, biggie A&E, Biggie clips, A&E biggie, Notorious B.I.G, Life of Notorious, late Christopher Wallace

Id: -wHykvMFR3U

Length: 121min 41sec (7301 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 28 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/jensyao]

trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POTXOwRZu-8

[u/ObieUno]

Commenting so I remember to come back later and watch this