Notorious B.I.G

Jewel made entirely by hand by the Italian craftsman Gianmarco Fontana. This ring depicting Notorious B.I.G and can be made of 925 Silver is part of the "Famous Portraits" collection.

Christopher George Latore Wallace III, better known by the pseudonyms of The Notorious B.I.G. or more simply Biggie or Biggie Smalls (New York, May 21, 1972 - West Hollywood, March 9, 1997), was an American rapper.

He is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time as well as one of the most influential.

Growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, in the New York borough of Brooklyn, in the 1980s, when crack use was at its peak, Wallace began peddling drugs from a young age. When he released his first album, Ready to Die under Bad Boy Records, he was already one of the most important figures of the East Coast hip hop scene, and has the merit of giving greater visibility to New York at a time when the scene is dominated by West Coast artists [1]. The following year he brought his childhood friends to success with whom he formed the Junior M.A.F.I.A. During the recording of his second album he is heavily involved in the feud between East Coast and West Coast, which dominates the scene of the moment.

On March 9, 1997, he was murdered in a car shooting in Los Angeles. The double disc Life After Death was released 15 days after his death, quickly reaching the top spot on the American chart of best-selling albums, and winning a diamond disc in 2000. Wallace is known for his very loose flow, for the lyrics autobiographical and storytelling skills.

In the United States, he sold more than 17 million copies, MTV ranked him third on the list of the "greatest Masters of Ceremonies of all time", and three posthumous albums have been released since his death. The character has inspired a vast number of great rappers across America. In 2009 a film was made in his memory, entitled Notorious B.I.G ..