If you’re a hip-hop head, it’s common knowledge that the greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th. I’m talking about the Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls.
PHOTOS: The Man Who Killed BIGGIE Revealed!
I remember buying my first mixtape from Canal Street and popping in that gray maxi cassette tape and hearing the original version of “Dead Wrong.” It was the last song on the DJ S&S mixtape, but I played it nonstop. Biggie was raw, braggadocious and able to weave in the luxuries of the ’90s into his music like no one else.
Biggie is the reason why rappers talk about expensive cars, designer brands and jewelry in their rhymes. The Black Frank White took mafioso headlines of John Gotti and Hollywood’s smoke and mirrors to create the soundtrack to the inner city in the ’90s.
PHOTOS: The 15 Most Notorious Biggie Pictures Ever!
Christopher Wallace crafted tales of the inner city dreams using reachable goals. Biggie’s rise to the top was fueled by dreams of pushing a Q45 Infinite and drug deals in a Nissan Sentra – a far cry from today’s Maybachs and Aston Martins.
Think about it, a Sentra today runs about 18-20 grand compared to a Maybach, which will set you back 200 – 250 grand. 20 gees compared to a quarter mill. It’s easy to be the man when you bought a $250 thousand whip!
Imagine how hard it must have been to floss on a $2 K budget! Biggie did it.
Sure the times have changed! Biggie’s Coogi sweaters would set you back a cool $200 bucks, but now Kanye West is rocking thousand dollar t-shirts with no logos.
On his last night on Earth, Biggie cruised the Los Angeles streets in a custom Chevy Tahoe, which only retails for $50 grand today. Still, there was no doubt that Biggie was sitting in the lap of luxury. So in his honor, let’s just take today to remember when hip-hop was actually affordable.
Xilla is the Sr. Entertainment Editor for GlobalGrind.com as well as CEO of the number 1 relationship blog BlogXilla.com/M2TB.com. He has been featured in XXL, The Source, Essence, LA Times and is considered one of the premiere bloggers in the industry. Follow him on twitter @BlogXilla
