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Shout to Brooklyn. I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days, so this gonna be A THREAD. Shout to @revolttv too. Biggie making it to the @RockHall is huge when you think about how it all started for him
“You never thought that Hip-Hop would take it this far,” is kinda cliche now, right?
We’ve been the biggest genre for a while, but if you think to back when BIG said it and consider who he ultimately became— he broke every barrier. And became a legend all by the age of 24.
We’ve been the biggest genre for a while, but if you think to back when BIG said it and consider who he ultimately became— he broke every barrier. And became a legend all by the age of 24.
All the way up until “Juicy,” BIG was a street legend in NY— an IYKYK type of artist.
Maybe you took notice on “Real Love” or “Party & Bullshit” or “Dreams” or on Heavy D’s Blue Funk album. He was undeniably dope, but an improbable GOAT
Maybe you took notice on “Real Love” or “Party & Bullshit” or “Dreams” or on Heavy D’s Blue Funk album. He was undeniably dope, but an improbable GOAT
PRESPECTIVE: When “Juicy” dropped BIG wasn’t even the hottest on Bad Boy— Craig Mack’s “Flava in ya Ear” was THEE record (RIP Mack). But with BIG it was never about one record, it was about how he captivated us in everything he did.
Ready to Die was a masterpiece top to bottom. And when BIG started to emerge as a pop(ular) star, he never lost the streets.
There’s this complex simplicity with his lyricism, where his bars are technically on par with any MC, but still simple enough for all fans to follow.
There’s this complex simplicity with his lyricism, where his bars are technically on par with any MC, but still simple enough for all fans to follow.
If you heard a Biggie song once, you could damn near recite the song word-for-word on the second listen. He had this ability to rule commercial radio, but never lose his underground appeal.
When it came to image BIG transcended in a way that no one could have envisioned— except maybe @Diddy.
Consider Big Daddy Kane and LL Cool J as two of Hip-Hop’s leading men in the late 80s and early 90s, then consider BIG as a ladies man—hard to imagine, but it worked.
Consider Big Daddy Kane and LL Cool J as two of Hip-Hop’s leading men in the late 80s and early 90s, then consider BIG as a ladies man—hard to imagine, but it worked.
It wasn’t just his musical influence, BIG shifted fashion through his lyrics and on camera. When he said “I put hoes in NY onto DKNY,” that wasn’t an exaggeration. He made that shit hot
And the way he covered up his lazy eye, turned Versace shades to a staple accessory. Seemed like BIG took all of his shortcomings, all of the things he may have been teased for as a kid, FLIPPED IT and made it all work in his favor.
Craziest part to me is that BIG was only 24 when we lost him in ‘97. He’s been gone for almost as many years as he was alive, yet he’s still as influential as ever! That’s wild
Two undeniably classic albums, unforgettable guest verses, and a DNA that you can find in just about any rapper who matters today. Rappers who were just babies when BIG was taken from us, still flip and interpolate his lyrics.
There’s still some people who may argue that Hip-Hop artists have no place in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, but that shit never stopped BIG. He broke every barrier they ever put in front of him... Kick in the door type shit.
WE DID IT BROOKLYN!
WE DID IT BROOKLYN!
