Kevin Marshall's America
The Notorious Big Guy, a famous rapper who died and whose music video for "Hypnotize" served as an inspiration. Image via Wikipedia
I’ll never forget where I was when I started pretending to love the music of Mr. Big Smalls, aka the Notorious Big Guy, aka real name Chris Wallace.
It was my sophomore year of High School and like every hot-blooded American male, I was rocking hammer pants and jamming out to Sheryl Crow and 98 Degrees. I had heard rumblings of a Great War between the East Coast and the West Coast rappers. Back then, you see, all you needed for a conflict to qualify as all-out war was two guys and their respective entourages. They were simpler times.
When I heard that the Notorious Big Guy had passed away, I didn’t know how to process it or who he was.
Thankfully, like every other proud white teenager, I did my best to pretend. I dialed in with my 56K modem and spent the next eight hours downloading the music video for “Hypnotize.” I was blown away and couldn’t believe what I was missing, and thus began my lifelong passion for pretending to be familiar with his work.
I let people know about my sadness and outrage.
“The Notorious Big Guy was quite possibly the greatest and most influential lyrical artist since Coolio,” I’d say, “and we need to stop this damn war before we all get taken on that one final Fantastic Voyage.”
Now, fourteen years later, I look back fondly on the memories I pretended to have and wish, out loud, so everyone can hear, that he was still with us today so that I could continue underappreciating him.
O Biggie, my Biggie. I will be missing you.
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14 Responses to Dead Poets Society: on the anniversary of the Notorious Big Guy’s death
Leave a Reply to Tony Barbaro Cancel reply
STALK ME
G.O.A.T – no question about it. Gone way too soon….. over some dumb $^&t….There was so much more music left in him. RIP BIG….the funny thing is, all the other proud white people only know the hook from his songs and never the lyrics….thats where he was his brightest and if the only part of Hypnotize that said proud white people know is “biggy biggy biggy cant you see” then you cannot claim to like him.
Wigga PLEASE!
Wow I can’t believe it’s been that long and I remember the day and how sad I felt over it.
What about white people (like me) who actually knew about him and liked him when he was still breathing?!
What about you?
I suggest we all remember the passing of BIG by going into the bathroom tonight turning off the lights and saying “Biggie Smalls, Biggie Smalls, Biggie Smalls” in front of the mirror.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_on_Earth_2006
You disregard my white brethren who actually liked the alive Biggie!
A hex on you KMA!
I remember I was getting my shoes shined when I heard about Biggie…
“All I wanna do is smoke a little chronic
Slam ya like Onyx,
and get ya hooked on this Biggie Smalls phonics,
102. How to squeeze 22’s in them Reeboks shoes, HUH?”
I remember when Slick Rick wrote that song.
Somewhere BIGGY and 2-pac are busting caps in eachother’s a$$es…while Elivs, John Lennon and JFK look on in confusion…
O-ver RA-ted.
In Kevin Marshall’s America there is no West Coast.
More like the Waste Coast, I say.