Notorious B.I.G.

[WATCH] Diddy’s Former Bodyguard Says Snoop Is Lying About His Relationship With Biggie

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In an exclusive interview with Art Of Dialogue, former Bad Boy bodyguard Gene Deal calls into question as to why Snoop’s version of his relationship with the Notorious B.I.G. wasn’t privy to the public ntil after his death.

“That’s something that sounds good for the media,” he said of the Doggfather’s accounts of his friendship with Biggie. “You know, ‘I’m the peacemaker. I’m the one that’s showing love. I’m the one that’s out here when everybody else is dead, wishing that I coulda did something to put the shit together.”

“It wasn’t all that love until ‘Pac was dead,” Deal continued. “Wasn’t Big out in California three, four weeks and Snoop never saw him? Snoop never came and smoked nothing wit’ him. Snoop never came and ate nothing with him. But it was a lot of love? Come on, man.”

Snoop has spoken several times about his relationship with Biggie and even talked about the moment they shared after hearing the news about the death of Biggie’s friend-turned-nemesis, Tupac Shakur back in 2018. The alleged conversation took place after a shooting in Times Square during the filming of the Dogg Pound’s “NY NY” video, of which he felt B.I.G. was responsible after announcing on NYC Hip Hop station HOT 97 where the video shoot was taking place. The two allegedly bumped heads in ATL and came to a resolve.

“It’s just me and him, one on one,” Snoop Dogg recalled. “And he giving me the rundown about how much he loved 2Pac and he didn’t wanna see cuz die. And a lot of shit that he said and did, he was wrong for. He just was apologizing like a man, to me.”

“Just getting an understanding on what he did, ’cause I never tripped on him for what he did,” he continued. “That was a Dogg Pound video, that wasn’t a 2Pac video. And we got shot at, and the direct shot came from him. But nobody got hit so we let it go. So with him apologizing to me, we became friends again.”

When asked to confirm if that conversation actually took place, Deal says he was not present, therefore, he couldn’t confirm or deny if the convo actually went down.

The post [WATCH] Diddy’s Former Bodyguard Says Snoop Is Lying About His Relationship With Biggie appeared first on The Source.

New Notorious B.I.G. Statue Unveiled Steps From Brooklyn Bridge

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Notorious B.I.G.

The newly erected nine-foot statue, in honor of the late rapper, The Notorious B.I.G.,  stands steps from the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge. The rapper native dons a crown and a mic in his hands. There’s love in the city’s heart for Brooklyn’s own Christopher Wallace, also affectionately known as Big Poppa and Biggie Smalls. […]

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Jadakiss Names The Top 5 Voices In Rap In The First Clip From Uproxx’s ‘Fresh Pair’

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While Jadakiss has long been considered one of hip-hop’s most underrated figures, he’s also got one of the genre’s most recognizable voices. His gravely tone has graced some of rap’s most beloved hits for nearly three decades, as demonstrated by his standout performance in The Lox’s Verzuz battle with The Diplomats, and he’s still a favorite go-to for a feature verse for contemporary artists who need his signature sound to bring some New York grit to their own work.

In the upcoming debut episode of Uproxx’s newest show, Fresh Pair, Jadakiss breaks down his own top five voices in hip-hop with hosts Just Blaze and Katty Customs. It’s a fascinating look into one of the most underrated facets of rap success from one of the most successful but underrated artists in the business.

“Nobody never asked me who I think got the top five or top three or any kind of voices,” he exclaims before settling into deep thought. “It took me a while… [to learn] how somebody’s voice can add on to what they bring to the table.”

He cites a few classic MCs as influences to his own unmistakable tone, but we won’t spoil it here. You can check out his answers in the video above and catch the full episode of Fresh Pair on Wednesday 9/28 at 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT.

Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 28 Years Ago

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On September 13, 1994, Notorious B.I.G., alongside producers Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier, Poke of the Trackmasters, and none other than “Puffy” (as Diddy was called then) as the executive producer, released the Hip Hop masterpiece known as Ready To Die.

As Big’s debut album, this highly anticipated release shows the lyrical prowess of the Bed-Stuy big man, and besides Method Man’s assistance on the epic “The What?” track, Mr. Wallace made it happen all by himself. Other than Nas’ Illmatic, no other solo emcee accomplished that feat during that era on the East Coast. Recognized as “The King Of New York” and as seen on a vintage 1995 Source Magazine cover, Big’s legacy was etched in stone with this LP.

Timeless classics from that four and a half mic-er include the DJ Premier produced “Unbelievable,” the back and forth storytelling adventures of “Warning” and “Gimme The Loot,” and the eerie title track itself were just a few of the highlights of this legendary project. That’s not to forget the mainstream success of singles such as “One More Chance,” the Brooklynplayalistic sound of “Big Poppa,” and of course the hood inspirational, Mtume-based “Juicy.”

We only had the chance to get one more album(prophetically named Life After Death) out of one of the game’s greatest lyricists before he was prematurely killed in Los Angeles in 1997. Still, this album will always remind us that B.I.G. was “Ready to Die” because his talent was and will always be larger than life.

Salute to Big (RIP), Premier, Easy, Poke, Lord Finesse, Diddy, Lil’ Kim, and the entire Wallace family for this classic masterpiece!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Notorious B.I.G.’s Debut LP ‘Ready To Die’ Dropped 28 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Former Bad Boy Prez Kirk Burrowes Speaks on Diddy Releasing “Who Shot Ya” Aimed At Tupac

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Former Bad Boy Records President Kirk Burrowes spoke to The Art Of Dialogue candidly about what kept the beef between rap icons and former friends Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. alive, saying that Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya?” record was one of the riff’s major culprits.

Burrowes says that the record was never directed at Tupac, but Diddy took it upon himself to take advantage of the recent shooting and robbery of ‘Pac in Quad Studios and drop a record that could easily be misconstrued as making Shakur the target.

“The way it was marketed by the company and released, in the succession of things that were going on that we were dealing with, on all the levels that we were dealing, that record did what it was supposed to do,” said the former Bad Boy executive. Burrowes continued,“That’s a perfect example of how my former business partner works and thinks. And if you could remember that three-dimensional type of thinking, then you could start to pierce through a lot of the common things that are being told and get to what’s really behind those things.”

The post [WATCH] Former Bad Boy Prez Kirk Burrowes Speaks on Diddy Releasing “Who Shot Ya” Aimed At Tupac appeared first on The Source.

Junior Mafia’s ‘Get Money’ Video Gets Some ‘React Like You Know’ Appreciation From BIA And Coi Leray

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It’s been a minute since we last dropped a React Like You Know video, so you know we had to come back strong. Not only do we have a new panel featuring Uproxx cover star Coi Leray and fan favorites like ASAP Tyy, BIA, Kali, and Kidd Kenn, but we’ve given our millennials/Gen Zers an absolute classic video to rock with: Junior Mafia’s “Get Money” featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Lil Kim.

For some readers, it might be mind-boggling to realize that many of today’s rappers weren’t even born yet when Biggie was shot to death in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. But his impact still reverberates through their lives and music — even if some of them aren’t even aware of it. The same can be said of Lil Kim, whose influence is one of the common threads in the recent resurgence of female talent in the hip-hop world.

Coi even acknowledges as much, nodding to her own homage to one of Kim’s iconic outfits in her recent Uproxx cover shoot. Meanwhile, Lakeyah sums it up best: “She definitely opened doors for girls like me,” she explains. “She a tough rapper and she owns her sexuality. She knew she was a sexy bitch.” Of course, for a generation that wasn’t raised on the same MTV as the rappers whose videos they’re watching, some of the aesthetics are certainly eye-opening.

When Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson asks whether the rappers back then were raunchier than the ones today, Kidd Kenn wholeheartedly disagrees. “The girls today are disgusting,” he jokes. “I’m one of the girls.”

You can watch our panel react to the “Get Money” video above.

Happy Birthday To The “Queen Bee” Lil Kim!

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Lil Kim Unveils Pretty Little Thing Collection

Born on this date in 1974, Bedford-Stuyvesant native Lil’ Kim has certainly paved the way for female rappers to gain traction in a highly male-dominated world of hip-hop. Making her name, sound, and style notorious (no pun intended) in her appearance on Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s debut album, Conspiracy.

Backed by hardcore lyrics filled with provocative and liberating content, Kim’s attitude and determination broke down gender barriers (which female rappers currently still face) that excelled her respect in the game.

Kim’s resume includes many Hip Hop greats, timeless tracks, fashion moments, and jaw-dropping lyrics. As the musical heiress of the Notorious B.I.G. legacy, Kim has continued to rep the memory of “the greatest rapper of all time”, even naming her sophomore 2000 release Notorious K.I.M.

Morphing from a femcee from Bed Stuy into the iconic figure she is today is a trail that has only been traced by the likes of Cardi B, Megan The Stallion and today’s entire female rap roster. They all have to salute the Queen B.

The Source Magazine sends a supreme born day shout to the Queen on her Birthday!!

The post Happy Birthday To The “Queen Bee” Lil Kim! appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Method Man Says He Stole Nas’ Flow on “The What” With Biggie

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Wu Tang Clan member and actor Method man opened up on Math Hoffa’s podcast My Expert Opinion about his appearance on “The What” from Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album Ready To Die.

Meth explains that when he entered the studio to record the song in 1994, “By the time I got [to the studio], Biggie’s verse was written and he told me that he wanted to end it with, ‘You can’t mess with M-E’ and I was supposed to go, ‘T-H-O-D.’ But I overlapped him because it didn’t fall on beat doing it that way. That’s where the ‘T-H-O-D Man, here I am/I’ll be damned if this ain’t some sh*t.’”

Meth added, “I wrote that shit quick as f**k. Who was I biting there? Whose flow was I [biting]? Nas. That’s biting Nas’ flow. ‘I’ll be damned if this ain’t some sh*t/Come to spread the butter lyrics over hominy grits… Coming where you rest at, surrender/Step inside the ring, you’s the number one contender/Looking cold-booty like your p***y in December.’” 

See the interview below.

The post [WATCH] Method Man Says He Stole Nas’ Flow on “The What” With Biggie appeared first on The Source.

DJ 50 Grand, Produced Notorious B.I.G.’s Demo Tape, Dead At 55

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According to several confirmed reports, DJ 50 Grand, the man who produced and put the “Microphone Murderers” demo tape from Biggie Smalls in the hands of Mister Cee, has passed away. 50 Grand, whose given name is Kevin Griffin, was 55 years old.

Griffin first learned of a 15 year old emcee that lived nearby in his Bedford-Stuyvesant and eventually connected with the young wordsmith through a mutual friend who used to sell drugs with the late Christopher Wallace in 1991. it didn’t take long before Biggie was in 50’s basement on Bedford Avenue and Quincy Street recording what would become the launching pad to the career of the game’s most revered emcee in its history.

Griffin managed to get the tape into the hands of DJ Mister Cee, Big Daddy Kane’s DJ, who slipped the tape to Matteo “Matty C” Capoluongo, who ran the “Unsigned Hype” column in The Source Magazine. The feature article caught the attention of a young exec at Uptown Records by the name of Sean “Puffy” Combs and the rest is history.

50’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood showed out for the legendary neighborhood DJ, coming out in droves to the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Monroe Street to show their respects to their fallen legend. Salute to 50 Grand and condolences to his family and friends.

The post DJ 50 Grand, Produced Notorious B.I.G.’s Demo Tape, Dead At 55 appeared first on The Source.

Diddy: Biggie’s “Hypnotize” Video Shoot Was First Time We Tried Ecstasy

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While posthumously celebrating the 50th birthday of the Notorious B.I.G., Diddy participated in TIDAL’s Twitter Spaces convo about the King Of New York, where he shared some of his most memorable experiences with the late Brooklyn legend. One memory that has raised eyebrows, especially during the country’s opiate epidemic, is Diddy telling the story of when he and Biggie first tried Ecstacy on the set of the “Hypnotize” video.

During the TIDAL convo, Diddy said, “Ah man, the video was fun.” He continued: “That was like the first time we both tried ecstasy. I mean, it was an experience, you know what I’m saying? Ayo, Biggie’s 50. Check this out, we have nothing to hide. That was a long time ago… it was the first time. It was just a little nibble, it was all right. It was a little nibble. But we was in extra high, high spirits. Yeah, this breaking news and s**t. F**k it. On his 50th birthday, I wanna let y’all know that.”

Hear the entire convo below.

The post Diddy: Biggie’s “Hypnotize” Video Shoot Was First Time We Tried Ecstasy appeared first on The Source.