Happy Birthday, Notorious B.I.G.!

There are many things that have changed in hip-hop, but the game’s respect for what the Notorious B.I.G. accomplished in his short time on Earth will always remain. Today we celebrate Biggie’s 43rd birthday (May 21).

There’s barely a paean to write that hasn’t already been written about the gifted MC. He’s one of the greatest and gave the people of Brooklyn, N.Y. something to be proud of. His supporters sometimes forget he was also prodigious. Biggie was only 22 when Ready to Die dropped and became an immediate classic.

The 2Pac vs. Biggie comparisons are too often misused. 2Pac’s passion and poetry was elite, but Biggie was the better storyteller and a rapper from a technical standpoint. His flows were always slick and the number of quotables he had lined up were endless. Since his death in 1997, next to no one has touched his greatness.

The Notorious B.I.G. switched up his style a bit with his final album, Life After Death.The autobiographical lyricism subsided for a player, mafioso persona. Some people prefer this album, but the context leaves many wondering where would Biggie go next.

No one will know. Biggie’s death on March 9, 1997, left an empty seat on the King of New York throne, but he at least symbolically handed it down. Biggie’s co-sign was a big boost for fellow Bed-Stuy native Jay Z’s early career. Their collaborations — “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “Young G’s” and “I Love the Dough” — gave Jay Z a lot of attention.

Hove is now one of New York City’s greatest, but even he’s well-aware that he’s no replacement.

Source: theboombox.com