Some rappers wish to have a hit song, some rappers wish to be celebrities, some rappers wish to be the best, Biggie just wanted to rap and make music. While it is a sad day for some because March 9th marks the 14th anniversary of rapper The Notorious B.I.G.’s death and still there has never been any resolution to his murder, I choose to celebrate his career. B.I.G. changed music in many ways, and his presence is definitely missed in Hip-Hop.

Biggie might say that he isn’t a role model, and is just your average Joe, but he wasn’t. Others might say that he wasn’t a deep rapper because he didn’t talk about world issues.

Biggie was more than that. He was conflicted like all of us, and you see it through his lyrics. He was all about representing his borough, talking about his struggle, putting on the people that had been with him from his childhood, and most importantly making music.

When someone says something ignorant like “Biggie only talked about drugs and sex” I would always get annoyed because that meant that they only saw his lyrics on the surface, or only knew his popular singles that made him one of the most commercially successful rappers of all time. Biggie meant more than “drugs & sex”. His impact on the culture of Hip-Hop is everlasting, and his impact on all music is eternal.

Everyday Struggle

I’m seeing body after body and our mayor Giuliani
Ain’t trying to see no black man turn into John Gotti
My daughter use a potty so she’s older now
Educated street knowledge I’m gonna mold her now
Trick ‘er little dope buying young girls tringes
Dealing with the dope fiend binges
Seeing syringes in the veins
Hard to explain how I maintain

Rafael Canton can be reached at [email protected]. To read more from Rafael, visit his website What You Know About That .