Christopher Wallace

**Christopher George Latore Wallace** (21 May, 1972 - 9 March, 1997) was an American rapper and songwriter. His music is very well liked by Islwyn Williams.

## Biography

### Early Life

Christopher Wallace was raised in Brooklyn, New York, New York. He spent his teen years attending prestigious schools, rapping, and dealing drugs. He said “It was fun just hearing myself on tape over beats” in his biography for Arista Records. A demo he made was listened to by Source magazine, who decided to spotlight him. He was represented by Sean Combs AKA Puff Daddy. Biggie Released his first single, Party & Bullshit, in 1993.

### Friendship with Tupac Shakur

By 1993 Tupac was a platinum seller. Biggie asked a local drug dealer to introduce him to Tupac “Pac walks into the kitchen and starts cooking for us. He’s in the kitchen cooking some steaks” says Dan Smalls, an intern for Biggie “We were drinking and smoking and all of a sudden ‘Pac was like, ‘Yo, come get it.’ And we go into the kitchen, and he had steaks, and French fries, and Bread, and Kool-Aid and we just sittin’ there eating and drinking and laughing…that’s truly where Big and ‘Pac’s friendship started.”

Biggie and Tupac liked each other immediately Tupac reportedly gave Biggie a Hennessy bottle as a gift. Biggie stayed with Tupac when he was in California and Tupac would visit Biggie whenever he was in New York. At the 1993 Budweiser Superfest, Biggie and Tupac free-styled together. Biggie would ask Tupac’s opinions and advice on music and business. Biggie even asked Tupac to manage him, but Tupac said: “nah, stay with Puff. He will make you a star.”

### Fallout with Shakur

At Times Square’s Quad Recording Studios on November 30, 1994 Tupac was gunned down in the lobby and shot five times. He survived, but thought Biggie might have known about it beforehand. Tupac reached out to Suge Knight who said he could have a place at Death Row Records. Tupac accepted, causing the rivalry between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records.

There was never proof that Biggie knew about the shooting beforehand, but Biggie released a single called “Who Shot Ya?” which led to Tupac’s response “Hit ‘Em Up” in which Tupac claimed he had "fucked" Biggie’s wife, which was not true, but it caused more bad blood between the former friends.

### Death

By 1997 Biggie was trying to squash the East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry that many had felt led to the death of Tupac just months earlier. With a trip to Europe cancelled, Biggie was stuck at the Westwood Marquis hotel. Wanting to get out, he convinced his friends to head to an industry party at the Petersen Automotive Museum. There he drank and hung out with other musicians, until it got to crowded and the fire department shut it down. Deciding to go back to the hotel, Biggie got into the second of three cars then at a red light a dark Chevy Impala pulled up next to Biggie. The Driver was an African American man in a blue suit and a bowtie. He started shooting Biggie. Biggie died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 1:15 AM.

## Relationship with the Williams Family

Islwyn Williams is a big fan of Wallace's music. His favourite song is Warning which he knows the lyrics by heart to. Islwyn also made a video called The Murders of Biggie and 2Pac (Short Film) about the mysterious deaths of Wallace and Shukar.

One of Islwyn's uncles likes Wallace's music too, and listens to it while he works.

## Notes and references

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKPdXwNlry0&t=2s