ED NOTE: Twelve years ago today, The Notorious B.I.G. was brutally murdered at the all-too-young age of 24. Since his untimely death, VIBE has been at the forefront of remembering Biggie Smalls. We continue by digging into our archives and reproducing a special commemorative package, which was first seen in our October 1999 issue.
Part 3 appears below. Check back at 6:00 p.m., for part 4.
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1996-1997
“SKY’S THE LIMIT…”
Biggie’s debut, Ready to Die, went multi-platinum. As Biggie went to work on his second album, Life After Death, relations between him and Tupac became strained. After Tupac was shot five times at a Manhattan recording studio, he claimed he was set up and that Biggie knew about it and had failed to warn him (Biggie told VIBE in September 1996 that he had nothing to do with Tupac’s shooting). Pac later got in an altercation with Big at the Soul Train Music Awards in March 1996. Sources claimed Tupac drew a gun on Biggie, but Biggie and members of Tupac’s crew denied the charge. Two months later, Tupac released a song on Death Row Records called “Hit ‘Em Up” on which he rapped: “That’s why I fucked yo’ bitch/ You fat muthafucka,” fueling rumors that Pac was seeing Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans.
Charli Baltimore: We met after a concert in Philly. We talked for a minute and then he asked to take a picture of me. [I fell in love with him] because he was so sincere, friendly, and honest.
Lance “Un” Rivera: Big fell in love hard and quick. It wouldn’t take more than five minutes for him to fall in love. And he meant it. I had to cover up and patch shit up for him a few times. Once he made [Lil’] Kim so mad that she wouldn’t come to the studio. He called me and was like, “I fucked up and Kim’s mad.” I’d call her and say, “C’mon, you know he love you,” and she’d be like, “So why he treat me like that?” And I’d have to smooth shit over.
Sybil Pennix: You know how Big was depicted in that video for “One More Chance”? Well, when girls were around Biggie that’s how it was. They were rubbing his back or his neck, whatever. He was really Big Poppa like that.
Charli Baltimore: I cared about [him seeing] other girls, but he would lie and I believed him. I knew Faith as his wife, but he said they weren’t together anymore. One time Big was on the radio and he said, “I don’t mess with Lil’ Kim, and I’m not with Faith. My girlfriend’s name is Tiffany [Charli’s real name], she’s from Philly.” And the next day Faith was on the same radio station talking about, “Yeah, the Illy from Philly.” That’s how I got that label.
Faith Evans: I still cared about [Big] even after I knew the marriage wasn’t going to work. It’s like I gave up hope. I tried and tried and tried, acting like this or that didn’t happen. But I never stopped doing for Big. He was my husband and he would still call on me when he needed something.
Charli Baltimore: One time we got into a fight and I pulled off this diamond ring he’d given me and threw it at him. So Big took the ring and put it in his mouth, swallowed it, and then started choking and grabbin’ his chest. I got so scared and started freakin’ out and cryin’. I screamed for Damion to help me, so he ran in and Big was on the floor. We were trying to get him to the hospital, but I guess D figured out that Big was playing. Big had the ring under his tongue the whole time. When I found out, I was mad as shit.
DJ Mister Cee: Biggie wasn’t as angry on the second album as he was on the first. You can hear it in the vocal delivery, and it’s not just a matter of him being older. When you’re coming from the streets you got a lotta things to get off your chest. He did that on Ready to Die and he was a little bit more relaxed while recording Life After Death.
dream hampton: Big said, “I wanted [Tupac] to hear [Life After Death]. I wanted him to see that there’s nothing on here about him.”
Damion Butler: Big never understood why [Tupac] was talkin’ all the stuff that he did. And after Tupac was killed, Big was real mad. He was pissed off because [Tupac] didn’t deserve that ‘cause [Tupac] wasn’t that type of person. Big always had love for Pac.
DJ Premier: “Ten Crack Commandments” was the last song we did for [Life After Death]. His son, [Christopher Jr.] had just been born, and Charli Baltimore was there. He said, “I’ma be dancing around in videos and stuff.” When he finished the song he said, “It’s done, I’m the greatest.” And that’s the last time I ever saw him.
Biggie went to Los Angeles in February 1997 to film the video for his single “Hypnotize,” to promote his new album, and to attend the March 7 Soul Train Music Awards.
Lil’ Cease: Filming the video for “Hypnotize” [in Los Angeles in February] is my favorite memory. Just seein’ that nigga smile. That was the first time I could say he was, like, happy happy. He was happy before to be livin’ and doin’ his thing, but this was the first time he let people see that side of him.
Damion Butler: We were shooting “Hypnotize” and [actor] Christopher Walken called Big’s room and said, “This is Frank White.” Big was like, “Yeah, right,” and hung up the phone. Big thought he was playin’ since Frank White was also his little nickname. And then [Walken] called back like, “No, I’m serious. I’m Christopher Walken and I’d like to come meet you.” Big was so happy, but they never met.
Mark Mahoney: I did a Bible Psalm on his right forearm [that read: The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the truth of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies and foes, came upon me to bite my flesh, they stumbled and fell]. It was one week before his murder, his first and only tattoo, and it was a whole lotta work, it was probably as much writings as I ever did.
The night after the Soul Train Music Awards, Biggie attended a party at the Peterson Automotive Museum that was sponsored by Qwest Records, Tanqueray, and VIBE. He left the party sometime around 12:30 a.m. and got into the passenger’s seat of a GMC Suburban. As the truck pulled up away from the museum, a dark sedan pulled up alongside and a gunman fired six to 10 shots through the passenger’s side door. Big was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. He was 24.
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