The Notorious B.I.G.

The Notorious B.I.G. was an American rapper active in the 1990s, known for a deep, resonant voice, a relaxed but assured delivery, and vivid storytelling that mixed street-level detail with personal reflection. Emerging from Brooklyn, he became a central figure in East Coast hip hop, noted for dense, narrative lyricism and a knack for blending gritty themes with melodic phrasing. His career and untimely death in 1997 are often discussed in the context of mid-1990s East Coast–West Coast tensions in U.S. hip hop.