The Notorious B.I.G.

“There's gonna be a lot of slow singin' and flower bringin' / If my burglar alarm starts ringin'.”

Christopher Wallace combined the deep, swinging rhythmic pocket of a jazz drummer with razor-sharp Brooklyn storytelling. Composing intricate multi-syllabic verses entirely in his head without pen or paper, Biggie could pivot seamlessly from club anthems to chilling two-character crime thrillers.