In this riveting account of Biggie's remarkable life, hip hop journalist
Cheo Hodari Coker tells the story you've never heard about the dramatic,
tension-filled world of Biggie, Tupac, Puff Daddy, and Suge Knight,
tracing their friendships and feuds from the beginning to the bitter
end. Despite the clash of personalities and styles, all four were key
players in a volatile and creative era of hip hop, a time when gangsta
rap became popular music.
Before he rocketed to fame as Biggie, Christopher Wallace was a young
black man growing up in Brooklyn with a loving single mother. An honors
student who dropped out of school to sell drugs, Biggie soon discovered
that he had a gift for rocking the mike. Coker's narrative is based on
exclusive interviews with Biggie's family and friends, some of whom have
never spoken publicly about Biggie before.
Compellingly written and brilliantly illustrated, with rare color and
black-and-white photographs from VIBE's archives and Biggie's family,
this is an in-depth look at the life and afterlife of an icon whose
music is as powerful and prevalent as ever. A virtuoso of flow as well
as a master storyteller, Biggie was arguably the greatest rapper of all
time. We've heard a lot of speculation about Biggie's death. Now it's
time to remember his life and celebrate his work.