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The Notorious B.I.G.

How New York defined rap's attitude

MC Lyte, Young M.A, Jay-Z & A$AP Rocky. Collage by Jackie Lay / NPR. Frazer Harrison / Paras Griffin / Scott Gries / Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images hide caption

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Frazer Harrison / Paras Griffin / Scott Gries / Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

Hip-Hop 50: All Rap Is Local

How New York defined rap's attitude

Beneath the 8 million stories in the culture's birthplace lies a bigger one: the story of American Blackness, which crystallized in a music that can't and won't stop growing.

Like poppa, like son: Rodney Carmichael

Like poppa, like son. Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

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Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

Louder Than A Riot

Like poppa, like son: Rodney Carmichael

For Louder host Rodney Carmichael, interrogating misogynoir in hip-hop means confronting some hard questions — as a man, and especially as a father. As Rodney thinks about raising the next generation without replicating his mistakes, he's looking more closely at how hip-hop shaped his definition of masculinity. On this episode, something a little different: part meditation, part conversation — between Rodney and writers Kiese Laymon and Jamilah Lemieux — about beats, rhymes and life.

Like poppa, like son: Rodney Carmichael

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Notorious B.I.G. Is Forever Synonymous With Brooklyn

Melvin Blackman is a retired teacher who taught a young Notorious B.I.G in preschool. Mr. Blackman stands on St. James Pl. the block Biggie grew up on in his childhood. Russell Frederick for NPR hide caption

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Russell Frederick for NPR

Editors' Picks

Notorious B.I.G. Is Forever Synonymous With Brooklyn

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the death of rapper Christopher Wallace, the Notorious B.I.G. His rhymes were hugely influential and resonate, especially with those in his hometown of Brooklyn.

Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G. Among 2020's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees

Whitney Houston is the only woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. Other 2020 inductees include Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Biggie Smalls and T. Rex. Scott Gries/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Gries/Getty Images

Music News

Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G. Among 2020's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees

Houston, the only woman included in the 2020 class of a male-dominated institution, will be joined by Biggie Smalls, Nine Inch Nails, The Doobie Brothers, T. Rex and Depeche Mode.

'Slow Burn' Season 3 Turns Its Investigative Eye To The Murders Of Biggie And Tupac

Joel Anderson is the new host for season three of Slate's podcast Slow Burn. Lisa Larson-Walker/Slate hide caption

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Lisa Larson-Walker/Slate

Music News

'Slow Burn' Season 3 Turns Its Investigative Eye To The Murders Of Biggie And Tupac

The new season foregrounds conversations over conspiracy to shed new light on the murders of '90s hip-hop's biggest stars: Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.

'Slow Burn' Season 3 Turns Its Investigative Eye To The Murders Of Biggie And Tupac

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Biggie Smalls: The Voice That Influenced A Generation

The Notorious B.I.G.'s first rap name was MC CWest. Bad Boy Entertainment hide caption

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Bad Boy Entertainment

50 Great Voices

Biggie Smalls: The Voice That Influenced A Generation

The rapper died when he was only 24 years old. He only released two albums, yet he's one of the most revered, emulated and biggest-selling rappers in the game.

Biggie Smalls: The Voice That Influenced A Generation

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Music Interviews

A B.I.G. Life Writ Large In 'Notorious'

George Tillman Jr.'s sketch of the life and death of the Notorious B.I.G. looks at how the Brooklyn rapper changed hip-hop. Corey Takahashi takes a look back at the man who would become Biggie Smalls.

A B.I.G. Life Writ Large In 'Notorious'

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Law

LAPD Faces Civil Trial in Death of Notorius B.I.G.

A wrongful-death civil trial is the setting for a new look at the death of rapper Notorious B.I.G., the man also known as Biggie Smalls. Did the Los Angeles Police Department play a role in his 1997 slaying? Los Angeles Times reporter Chuck Phillips discusses the case with Ed Gordon.

LAPD Faces Civil Trial in Death of Notorius B.I.G.

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