Wikipedia:Today's featured article/December 28, 2012

Christopher Wallace (1972–1997), best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper/hip hop artist. Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and began rapping when he was a teenager. The release of Wallace's debut album Ready to Die in 1994 made him a central figure in the East Coast hip hop scene and increased New York's visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast artists were more common in the mainstream. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the East Coast/West Coast hip hop feud dominating the scene at the time. On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His double-disc set Life After Death, released 16 days later, hit No. 1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000 (one of the few hip hop albums to receive this certification). Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow", dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Two more albums have been released since his death. In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has certified sales of 17 million units in the United States. (Full article...)

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