Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: Christopher George Latore Wallace ( May 21 , 1972 - March 9 , 1997 ) was an American rapper .
Simplified: Christopher George Latore Wallace ( May 21 , 1972 â `` March 9 , 1997 ) , better known by his stage name , The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls , was a American rapper .