Talk:The Notorious B.I.G./Archive 2

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

Archive 4

Archive 5

Needs more pictures

We need more pictures to go along with the article, since most of them were deleted. It makes the article look more interesting when there are pictures to accompany the text describing the situation being presented.

Objectivity Needs Work

I've only just began reading this article, and the "He can't hold a candle to Tupac" comment, while arguable, is an an OPINION, and thus has no value in an ecyclopedia entry about the facts of a person's life. I'm unable to edit it due to the locked status, so I'm hoping an Admin will notice this. Magicpanda32 (talk) 17:55, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

The last edit to the Biggie page is from Karen carpentry who removed a link echoing the introduction on the Who Shot Ya page because she states it "was recorded before that incident and this statement seems biased and extraneous." Yet the Who Shot Ya page information directly contradicts her reason for changing the content. Karen carpentry's post-locked status edit should either be removed or the Who Shot Ya page needs to be changed because they directly contradict each other. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.162.57.1 (talk) 23:55, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Greatest Of All Time

On and around the anniversary of his death, many people have given interviews stating that B.I.G. is the best rapper ever. This should be added to the article, especially if it can be put in the Tupac article.

This is a big issue. Now I know i have my own opinion, and Wikipedia is fact, not opinion based, but it is 100% fact that B.I.G. has been referenced as the best rapper of all time. I Think its amazing how 2pac fans will fight to the death to get it removed from Biggies page but will complain if the same line (complete with sources) is removed form 2pac's. ---MartyMart9297

No one had the vocals Biggie had, his voice speaks to your soul. His voice put the P in power. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.69.128.175 (talk) 00:32, 15 September 2009 (UTC)

I think someone should add that biggies lyrics were a story about people he saw and they were not actually based on his life. He did not sell crack when he was a teen, he was a bagger at a store. This can be proven by watching biggie and tupac documentry were biggies mom says that his lyrics are stories.

I am a Biggie fan also and in my opinion see him as the best rapper ever but putting that into the article will cause alot of conflict (with every day fans and credible sources alike) especially when many of the polls have listed him at #2 or #3 so?!...it's a tough one. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.193.63.144 (talk) 02:42, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

• • You are confusing things. Yes, when BIG was a youngster, he bagged groceries in a store. Yes, his mother worked hard for her money and Biggie didn't NEED to sell crack. He did sell crack, though. This is a fact, based on numerous biographies, including "Unbelievable", which is probably the most extensive bio on Christopher Wallace's life. Biggie might not have been the biggest dealer on the block, he was no Scarface, but the fact that he was a great rapper helped build him to be larger than life. His mother did say "he was telling stories", but you are being too literal. She wasn't speaking on anything in particular - Biggie was a known story-teller in his rhymes, and the perception of many who saw the same documentary you did, was that she was just talking about his ability to create concise and cohesive stories with his rhymes. Its not like he wasn't speaking from his life, though... Khal 16:06, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

In no way is he the best rapper of all time, There is much better rappers out there. If he hadn't of died he not get the credit he doe

It is NOT "100% fact that B.I.G. has been referenced as the best rapper of all time". Nor will it ever be. How can it? The "best rapper" concept is not a fact but an opinion. Please abstain from any references to this claim.Euphratees765 20:47, 18 June 2007 (UTC) Er - it is, in fact, "100% fact" that B.I.G. "has been referenced" as the best rapper of all time. I'm not saying he was the best rapper of all time, or that that's the consensus view on him; I'm saying that it's a fact that many people (including many journalists) believe Biggie to have been the best rapper of all time. MartyMart isn't saying it's "100% fact" that Biggie was the G.O.A.T. - he's saying it's "100% fact" that Biggie has been referred to in this way. Why are wikipedia editors always so stupid AND obnoxious? It's a really unattractive combination. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.45.211.182 (talk) 15:27, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree. Just because people claim someone is the best ever, it all boils down to personal taste. For example say most media articles say he was the best but most ordinary people may think he wasn't or vis versa. Its like music critics who slate bands and/or their albums - they mightn't like it but hey its their opinion, it may be the best thing ever to a group of other people. Mabuska 23:03, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Best Selling hip-hop Album ever

I Think It Was Actually The Fugees The Score I Belive it sold 18 million —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.66.42.98 (talk • contribs)

It was The 7 Day theory by 2pac which sold 28 million Pacaveli 00:11, 30 November 2006 (UTC)PacaveliPacaveli 00:11, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Ye hes rite, i rememberin readin bout it, either that or Eminem Show, but i doubt it was that--68.38.64.234 04:27, 2 December 2006 (UTC)Ludacrillionam'ron XPac Unit Aftermath

Criminal History

Now I am a huge biggie fan and i think that we could expand his article more if we put in his criminal history. he had various drug charges and i think that we should put something more of his history. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.107.62.162 (talk • contribs)

If you have citations, please feel free to do so. -- Mikeblas 19:48, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

South Park

The South Park episode is a parody of the Candy Man movies. The Bloody Mary and Beetlejuice references are only partially related. Can somebody with an account edit this please? 82.92.150.193 17:05, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

NPOV tag

The neutral point of view tag's been on this article for a few months now. Do any sections of the article still need improving to be made 'neutral' or can the tag be removed now? Laalaaa 17:59, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

As no-one replied I've removed the tag from the article. Laalaaa 19:19, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Duets: The Final Chapter

In this section, there is something mentioning the Ohio Players lawsuit. Though recent, it should be under Ready To Die, as that album is related to the lawsuit.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.115.160.173 (talk • contribs)

I agree. I'll rearrange the sections. Laalaaa 12:22, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

Album Information

cant you get rid of the parts about the album information (1997: Life After Death..., 1994: Ready to Die), they should be left as separate articles like other rappers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Changes 04 (talk • contribs)

I agree the sections are too big at present for the article but by removing them there's now no major reference to any of Biggie's albums.

Mariah Carey (a Featured Article) mentions all of her album releases within the text and gives chart information and detail of their critical acclaim/criticism, so I believe they should stay in this article, but should be more integrated into the article.

I've therefore reverted your edits to at least give people something to work with, and added that task to the To-do list. Laalaaa 19:10, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Trivia

It says that the third verse of Kick in the Door was directed at Nas, but it is actually directed at Raekwon, where he says 'why try throw bleach in your eye' it is a direct retort to Rae's 'on top of that i got beef with white, pick up bleach try to throw it in my eyesight' 69.132.75.74 03:10, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

• • Where did you get that info from? The general consensus has been that the entire song was directed at Nas... Khal 16:07, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Last I checked, Jay-Z was the one who never wrote lyrics on paper; but instead memorized the lyrics as he created them. Biggie picked this up from Jay, not vice-versa as this article would have us believe. Euphratees765 20:42, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Unreleased songs

Notorious B.I.G. also has several unreleased songs with 2 pac and a more recent song with black rob on dj sickamores mix tape called jeans and sneakers.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Whatuwannadu07 (talk • contribs)

.... The world "mixtape" kinda gives it away. But they may have made some songs together, but I doubt they were ever put together by their agents. Piyush90 22:39, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

GA nomination

I've passed this article as a good article. The editors of this page have done a very good job putting together a thorough article. Some comments if anyone wants to get the article to featured status:

• The article is a bit long. Certain parts could be cut down or eliminated (further collaborations comes to mind, as well as the theories on death section)
• In places, more context would be helpful. For instance, in the "Arrests, birth, and death" section -- what does "birth" refer to? And I had to go back to figure out who Voletta Wallace was, in the lawsuits section.
• The images and media have fair use rationales, but they aren't the best type of fair use images, particularly the publicity photo. He's dead, but publicity photos are somewhat frowned upon.

But I hope someone makes the effort, it will probably end up passing. Mangojuice^talk 04:47, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the suggestions. Re: the publicity photo, would the use of a cropped album cover (I'm thinking of using Born Again) like as done on The Supremes generally qualify as a Fair Use image for the artist page. Laalaaa 13:09, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

No, actually this is one of the examples given when describing what fair use is not (see point 2 here).--NPswimdude500 04:52, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

For the article to keep its new GA status, a source needs to be added to "Despite this, Jay-Z stated in an interview in the August 2006 issue of XXL that he believed Biggie was dissing Shakur in the song, and the closing lines to his third verse were originally "I'm warnin' ya/The most hated in California". or removed. --Nehrams2020 05:42, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

I've removed the sentence for now and will move it to the talk page Laalaaa 13:09, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Brookyln's Finest

"Jay-Z stated in an interview in the August 2006 issue of XXL that he believed Biggie was dissing Shakur in the song, and the closing lines to his third verse were originally "I'm warnin' ya/The most hated in California"."

Is anyone able to provide the article name or page numbers for the article this info appeared from. (I'm assuming it's in the August 2006 Reasonable Doubt issue). Laalaaa 13:37, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Gang ties

Was biggie a crip or did he have gang ties to the crips? biggie smalls was in the junior mafia.....

He wasn't a crip, he had crips as body guards though.

In his verse in "Juicy" he said...

"Call the crips same number same hood it's all good."

This would lead people to think he was a crip but he wasn't.

"I believe he said "Call the crib same number same hood" Jsaint1023 03:00, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

"call the crib, same number, same hood" is exactly what he said. How anyone got anything other than that out of it is beyond me.The Real Stucco 00:59, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Was biggie fake?

Did he really sold drugs or is that a lie?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-beoIhQ9exU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKtnGR9uPEw

"started dealing drugs from an early age."

That part should be deleted if he didn"t deal drugs? That documentary says that he didn"t deal any drugs. Many people still says that he did. So nobody knows that did he really sold drugs. I personaly think that he sold drugs. People just don"t want to say that he had gang ties and he sold drugs.

The dealing drugs sentence has a reliable source (The New York Times). If a written source can be found contradicting the point in question, it should be added to the article Laalaaa 19:43, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Do you really think that any rappers really do anything close to what they claim? A rapper may be talking as a character, not definately himself. He's known for Storytelling you know. I mean, he didn't really die like in Scarface in his Warning video.... although I bet he'd have wanted it like that instead. Piyush90 22:36, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

That documentery's data was revealed to be fraudulent. The information is unusable. --68.89.174.78 (talk) 03:22, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Business instead of Game

I cannot seem to find "B.I.G." to mean anything until right before his death. Additionally, the footnote after this sentence does not mention that B.I.G. meant this. Should this be deleted or moved to another section of the article? I had never heard him referred to this until this article. Ideas?

Good point. Unless it can be verified that thats what B.I.G. means, i think it should either be removed or stated that it may possibly unofficially mean that. Mabuska 23:06, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

"Heresay" [sic] of the crime

Is that supposed to be "Hearsay"? Even that is not a good topic header. "Theories on the Facts Behind the Murder" or something like that would be more encyclopaedic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.100.1.7 (talk) 03:12, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

The Crime

Years after his death, Smalls' murder continues to generate interest, and even inquiries. In late 2006, New Jersey State Police took seriously enough to launch an investigation an anonymous tip that his death was somehow related to a failed business deal in which he reneged on an agreement to purchase a warehouse in Bloomfield, NJ. No solid leads were ever developed subsequent to this initial offering. The source of the information was later traced to an unemployed waitress calling from a public phone outside the unnamed diner where she formerly worked on South Orange Avenue in Newark, directly opposite Al's Auto. Oddly enough, as of this writing both the waitress and the body shop seem to have disappeared. 102.34.56.252 18:52, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Pop References

Maybe there should be a section where we talk about Biggie Smalls in TV, and influence in other non-rap bands.

Mindless Self Indulgence

South Park

and others.

Just a thought.

Mustafarox 20:15, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Main page

I want to feature this article on the main page, but it lacks a free image. Raul654 13:53, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

I would like to see this on the front page too, but we can only work with what we have. Perhaps Image:Biggie grafitti.jpg should be adequate enough. Spellcast 02:12, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

Note

Just to help cleanup the article just though i'd say that when you use the <br> tag it can be used as <br>. Also full dates automatically generate commas so you dont need to put one. --¤ The-G-Unit-฿oss ¤ 17:26, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Article's image

Y Done

{{editprotected}} The articles image is too big. Can someone that is capable of editing semi-protected pages (since I can't yet) put it at its normal size (which is 150px)? Rappingwonders2 (talk) 15:43, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Business Instead of Game

I couldnt find anything that suggests BIG stands for business instead of game. In the track B.I.G. Interlude from the album Life After Death it is said "B.I.G. is making this cream. Bitches always say what the hell does that mean? B is for the bitches, who can't understand How one fly nigga became a man. I is for the way it goes in and out. One by one I knocks em out. G is for the way the game goes in the gutter. Other MC's man they ain't sayin nuthin. Rockin on, to the break of dawn. Make the bitch give the pussy get the mouth I'm gone" (sorry swears meant to be edited out or is it ok?) anyway thats the only reference i could find to what those letters stand for. Here is download link to the song if you want to listen. i think it should work. http://www.sendspace.com/file/pzk8b3

I honestly don't know if I'm doing this correctly, but I did want to clarify the meaning of the initials "B.I.G." While I'd have to go back and find actual documentation, I have an incredibly distinct memory of the Notorious B.I.G. claiming in a television interview (possibly with MTV) that B.I.G. stands for "Business Instead of Gimmicks." My own Google search has found the aforementioned "Business Instead of Game" in numerous entries; still, I clearly remember Biggie claiming the "gimmicks" instead of "game."

Family

Being an article about a person, not only a BIG, there should be a more clear section on his kids and women: i still don't know how many kids he had, at a glance. Jimifloydrix (talk) 00:04, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

Name Used in Article

Throughout the text of the article, sentences read "Biggie did so and so." But shouldn't he be referred to as "Wallace" throughout the article consistent with the practice in other articles. I think referring to him as Biggie throughout is the less preferred approach for a couple reasons. First of all, it's a stage name rather than his real name. And why chose that stage name when one arguing that one of the other is more prominent. Second, even within the stage name, Biggie is the first name of sorts. Use of first names like that is overly informal and friendly, and not consistent with the practice in biographical articles here generally. --JamesAM (talk) 03:29, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

What you're saying does make sense. I believe Tupac Shakur is utilising "Shakur" because of the name issue (i.e., "Tupac", 2Pac", "2pac", "Pac", etc.) and therefore I agree that the actual surname should be in practice in the context of the article, not a pseudonym. Lord Sesshomaru (talk • edits) 17:24, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Okay. It seems like a straightforward change, but I'm going to wait briefly to see if any airs a counterargument here before changing "Biggie" to "Wallace". --JamesAM (talk) 15:51, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

I noted that you didn't finish [1]. Are you saying that you'll get to the rest if nobody contests it? I don't see why anyone would, but whatever floats your boat. Lord Sesshomaru (talk • edits) 08:02, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

It seemed to me that no one contested it, so I went ahead with changing. Apparently, I missed some. I look for what I missed, and I think anyone else should feel free to change one's I miss. One thing to look out for is direct quotations, which shouldn't be changed because it wouldn't accurately affect the quote. --JamesAM (talk) 03:39, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Link to movie

{{editprotected}} I suggest putting a link pointing to the movie:

This article is about the rapper. For the film, see Notorious (2009 film). 69.152.180.5 (talk) 09:02, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

Why? There's no urgent need to hatnote anything, see WP:NAMB. "Notorious" does not redirect here, and the title of this article is not obviously confusable with anything else. Lord Sesshomaru (talk • edits) 08:02, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Not done: {{editprotected}} is not required for edits to semi-protected or unprotected pages.. Martin 14:44, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Should we add Fonzworth Bentley as a possible suspect in the murder of BIG?

This is not an accusation of a crime. This is a discussion about whether or not we should discuss the possibility of adding Fonzworth Bentley as a possible suspect in Wallace's murder. Many people point out the similarity between Bentley and the police composite sketch as seen below:

Exhibit A, Biggie's murderer's composite sketch: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/Composite-of-BIG-shooting-suspect.jpg

Exhibit B, Bentley's new show: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:From_gstogents.jpg

Exhibit C, random Bentley shot: http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/vel16/uploaded_images/fonz-768179.jpg

Can we have an up-and-down vote on if we should add this to the article? PeterCrapsody2 (talk) 03:33, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Add it for sure! Of course, only if you have a reliable, verifiable source. Otherwise, even if you have strong evidence, you can't make an assumption on the article; too much point-of-view. Cheers, Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP! :D} 04:09, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Has anyone come across any appropriate sources discussing this idea?PeterCrapsody2 (talk) 04:21, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Does anyone know about the LA Times story that this video refers to? [[2]] It says the LA Times wrote a story that had a source claiming Sean Combs was aware of the murder plot, and that some of his associates may be involved. I know that a similar LA Times story is referenced in the article, but was there another story the paper retracted and perhaps removed from its website? PeterCrapsody2 (talk) 10:37, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Obit-Mag.com Article on Biggie and the new film Notorious

Ben Popper wrote a story about the new Biggie biopic "Notorious." He explores some new ground here. It would be a good addition to the External Links section of the Biggie page. The story can be viewed at: http://www.obit-mag.com/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5249.

Obitgreg (talk) 15:42, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Semi protection

Put this page back on semi protection to avoid vandalism. —Preceding unsigned comment added by VasOling (talk • contribs) 23:41, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

They did not get married after nine days.

They did not get married after nine days. I am reading the book Keep the Faith by Faith Evans. On page 136 she says- "Big and I had known each other for barely two months. And we were now married. I don't know where the legend of us getting married after nine days comes from. Granted two months isn't a long time either. But unlike what's been printed so many times,we didn't get married nine days after we met. I don't know if getting married two months after meeting is any better. But still. I need to clear that up." I don't think there is a better source on their marriage than Faith Evans herself.--65.1.220.194 (talk) 17:16, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

Also if you read Faith Evans page on Wikipedia it states-"Next to her recording career, Evans is widely known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, whom she married in 1994 two months after meeting at a photoshoot." So the fact that they got married after nine days is wrong and needs to be changed in the Christopher Wallace article. I cannot change it since the article is locked.--65.1.220.194 (talk) 17:42, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

The article mentions the commission and its members, but left out the good fellas group, consisting of LOX (sheek, jada, sp) and Biggie's group. 1love —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.80.105.24 (talk) 23:36, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Source

The source for the article retraction is right here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/business/media/08paper.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1255473213-ZrRiJTMN9Eno2hA0mdd/sQ

I made the necessary changes to the article, but I don't know how to cite statements within the article so if someone who is more familiar can add that, it would be appreciated. Wikipediarules2221 00:25, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I found a main picture we can use!

I've noticed that several Hip Hop pages on Wikipedia have gotten their pictures from this site. It seems like the people who own this site (or the rights to the pictures) are pretty generous with Wikipedia using their pictures. Anyway, I'm not sure how to upload photos, so to anyone who knows how, the picture is in the "T" section (it's marked "THE Notorious B.I.G." (NOT "Notorious B.I.G.") This picture is far better than the graffiti one that's currently up.--Blastmaster11 (talk) 06:29, 13 November 2009 (UTC)