Contact High is an essential new photography book edited by longtime journalist (and FADER contributor) Vikki Tobak. Billed as “a visual archive of hip-hop,” it pairs legendary photos from the genre’s 40 years with unedited contact sheets and commentary ...

Why only certain rap hits endure—and why “Juicy” may be the exception.

One of my many favorite things about “Juicy,” the Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 classic that ranks fifth in Slate’s New American Songbook, is that Biggie himself didn’t even like it. When Sean “Puffy” Combs declared that the song would be the lead single from the rapper’s ...

Longtime Brooklyn resident and artist Leroy McCarthy continues his fight to have a Clinton Hill street renamed after legendary rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as The Notorious B.I.G.

On Thursday, McCarthy will present his second proposal to Community Board 2 (CB2) to co-name a section of St. James Place near ...

Hip-hop artists have always worn seriously cool designer shades. These days, we've got Offset rocking Bugatti, Drake and Wiz Khalifa favoring Saint Laurent and Future flossing with Temple and Bridges, just to name a few. But no one showed more loyalty to his favorite sunglasses ...

Many remember the Philly native (“Philly people sort of have a resilience about them to overcome any obstacle that’s in thejr way,” she says) as the Notorious B.I.G.’s former girlfriend who ended becoming an accomplished rapper in her own right. But after rocking with Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. (a new tour for the 20th anniversary of Ja Rule’s debut album is in the works), after leaving Undeas Entertainment, Charli pretty much went strictly behind the scenes.


Her new reality show, Charli Knows Best, explains exactly what ...

Sometimes, when I'm really anxious before a date — which is every time — I rap along to the Notorious B.I.G. in my car. It helps me forget how nervous I am around women. And although I had managed to start dating a girl I really liked, we were having difficulties. So I was listening to a lot of Biggie.

I was telling all this to my therapist in North Hollywood. I told her that I was trying to get better at dating, that I was trying to become more confident with women.

My therapist listened patiently. Then she ...