This is Part 1 of a two-part Disgraceland episode on The Notorious B.I.G. To hear Part 2 now, for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland.

The Notorious B.I.G. entered adulthood as a crack dealer and left this world as one of the most famous hip-hop stars of all time. He was murdered mysteriously and before that was arrested almost too many times to count. He eventually altered the course of hip-hop with the release of his debut album, Ready To Die, an album that served as a soundtrack of sorts for the highly publicized, dangerous, violent beef between himself and his one-time friend, fellow rapper, Tupac Shakur. But that whole saga almost never happened. Find out what changed the course of Biggie Smalls’ life and ultimately led to his untimely demise in part one of The Notorious B.I.G. story.

To hear all episodes of Disgraceland, for free, visit amazon.com/disgraceland. Show notes are available at disgracelandpod.com. Follow us @disgracelandpod on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for music news, bonus episodes, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.