Rolling Stone has called him the "greatest rapper that ever lived", and Billboard named him the greatest rapper of all time. With two more posthumous albums released, Wallace has certified sales of over 28 million copies in the United States, including 21 million albums. It reached number one on the Billboard 200, and eventually achieved a diamond certification in the United States. Wallace's second album Life After Death, a double album, was released two weeks later. On March 9, 1997, six months after Shakur's death, Wallace was murdered in a drive-by shooting while visiting Los Angeles. Following Tupac Shakur's death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996, speculations of involvement in Shakur's murder by criminal elements orbiting the Bad Boy circle circulated as a result of Wallace's public feud with Shakur. The following year, he led his protégé group Junior M.A.F.I.A., a team of himself and longtime friends, including Lil' Kim, to chart success.ĭuring 1996, while recording his second album, Wallace became ensnarled in the escalating East Coast–West Coast hip hop feud. Wallace was awarded the 1995 Billboard Music Awards' Rapper of the Year. The album made him the central figure in East Coast hip hop, and restored New York's visibility at a time when the West Coast hip hop scene was dominating hip hop music. His debut album Ready to Die (1994) was met with widespread critical acclaim, and included his signature songs " Juicy" and " Big Poppa". īorn and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Wallace signed to Sean "Puffy" Combs's label Bad Boy Records as it launched in 1993, and gained exposure through features on several other artists' singles that year. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration. Wallace became known for his distinctive laidback lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap traditions, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper and songwriter. Follow Behind The Hedges on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Upstairs, a large bedroom suite features a spa-like bathroom, as well as access to a second-level pool cabana.Īn adjacent 6-acre parcel is also available, making it possible to create a total 15-acre compound.Įmail with further comments, questions or tips. The mezzanine level offers a workout room, three-bedroom suites, and a media room. The kitchen has been renovated to feature white-glass flooring, custom contemporary cabinets, white stone counter tops, and chef-caliber appliances.
The ground floor begins with a dramatic entry, a living room, gallery and a dining atrium. The seven-bedroom, six-and-a-half bath home has been on and off the market with various agencies and brokers for years. It’s certainly an estate to be seen - whether you are into hip hop or not. Another aerial shot of the Setsuo Ito-designed home. Roberts, who starred last summer in the Netflix show Million Dollar Beach House, is now the the head of Private Client by Nest Seekers, a boutique practice at the brokerage for high net-worth buyers. “There were tentative plans to bring it back to market, but there’s the possibility the property won’t make it back to market, and could trade without a public listing.” “We wanted to pull it off market and work confidentially behind the scenes with some best-in-class designers to reimagine what could be constructed there,” Roberts explains. But the nine-acre parcel came off the market in late June. Roberts listed it for the current owners in April for $5.95 million. By 2012, it was back on the market for $10.975 million. The property later sold for just $3 million. In 2007, Ito priced the home at a staggering $30 million. Ito boasted to The Times that 100 people could gather by the pool without feeling cramped. Other scenes show a crowd of people partying by the pool and lounging under the pyramid. Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood “Lunches, brunches, interviews by the poolĬonsidered a fool ’cause I dropped out of high school The perfect spot for Biggie to deliver this verse: