February 21, 2014

The Notorious B.I.G. "Next" Feature In Vibe Magazine (August, 1994)


"Fulton Street (or the avenue, as it's known in Fort Greene, Brooklyn) looks like one of those New York City ghetto neighborhoods you see on the Box or MTV: kids making trips to the corner store, drinking 40s, smoking blunts, and playing C-Lo. There's Biggie picking up the dice with his right hand, taking a wide step backwards, shaking his hand furiously - and with a twist of his wrist, the dice spill onto the concrete as he snaps his fingers and lets out a satisfied "Hah!" Rolling out a 4-5-6, he wins the bank of $6. It may not seem like much, but as a new-to-the-rap-game hustler, Biggie is happy to collect. On the regular, the Notorious B.I.G. (also known as Biggie Smalls) can be found on Fulton Street - he used to be there more when he was hustlin' full-time. Twenty-year-old Biggie first appeared last year on the Who's The Man? soundtrack. Even though the movie flopped, Biggie's debut, "Party and Bullshit," will not be forgotten..." Cont'd below along with some bonus remixes...



"Surprisingly, Ready To Die is nothing like "Party and Bullshit." The album's beats are an East Coast interpretation of West Coast pimp flavor. There are a lot of lyrics about suicide ("Ready To Die" and "Suicidal Thoughts"). "I'm just trying to touch on angles that other brothas is scared to touch," he explains. "Ain't no brotha I know that been hustlin' or been f#cked up in the street shit that can tell me they ain't never wish they was f#cking dead. I know plenty of nights I laid down and wished it was just over. For now, he's only just begun, and what's real for Biggie is making a better life for himself. This means moving out of Fort Greene, getting a record deal for his boys (the Junior Mafia) and buying a house for his mother (in Florida). It also means selling a lot of records. "Whatever I got to do to make this paper," he says. "Can't make no moves when you're broke." - Vibe, August 1994.