In life and death, Notorious B.I.G.’s rhymes remain a voice of a reason. For the rapper’s birthday and death anniversary, VIBE hits rewind on some of his most prominent lines that have become our words to live by.
1. “Stay far from timid/ Only make moves when ya heart’s in it/ And live the phrase ‘sky’s the limit'”
2. “Excellence is my presence/ Never tense, never hesitant”
3. “Considered a fool ’cause I dropped out of high school/ Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood/ And it’s still all good”
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4. “F-ck that beef sh-t, that sh-t is played out”
5. “But they don’t know about your stress-filled day/ Baby on the way, mad bills to pay/ That’s why you drink Tanqueray, so you can reminisce/ And wish you wasn’t living so devilish, sh-t”
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6. “As I open my eyes and realizin’ I changed/ Not the same deranged child stuck up in the game/ And to my niggas livin’ street life/ Learn to treat life to the best, put stress to rest”
7. “Lyrically I’m supposed to represent/ I’m not only the client, I’m the player president”
8. “Recently n-ggas fronting ain’t saying nothing/ So I just speak my piece, keep my peace”
9. “Never let ’em know your next move/ Don’t you know Bad Boys move in silence and violence?/ Take it from your highness/ I done squeezed mad clips at these cats for their bricks and chips”
10. “The lesson from the Smith and Wesson is depressin’/ Niggas keep stressin’, the same motherf-ckin’ question/ How many shots does it take, to make my heart stop/ And my body start to shake, if I should die before I wake”
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