An Interview with Christopher George Latore Wallace

By: Blake Bryan

Give a brief description of where and why you are interviewing your
subject.

Im interviewing him on-air in Dallas, Texas because nobody really

knows much about The Notorious B.I.G.

How did you get the name Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G.?

So when I got released from jail, I made a demo tape under the name
Biggie Smalls, a reference to a character in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again.

Why did you drop out of high school?

I was in a gang, makin me a tona cheddar, so I figured Id drop out of

school since I was smart enough to make a living.

Do you think you would be in the same place if you didnt join that gang?

No, In fact I would be in a much more terrible place.

How many total records have you sold?

As of 1993, 10 million total records.

When did you decide that you wanted to rap, and why?

When I got released from jail, I knew I had been headed in the wrong
path. To fill my errors, I did something more positive that I loved and that the
people of my city loved too. That was rapping.

When did you become recognized by major artists?

In 1992, The Source magazine wrote about me. Shortly after I started
becoming noticed by other record dealers and got invitations to record with
other unsigned rappers. I pretty much blew up after that.

How did you cope with your stressful lifestyle?

 In some ways, I put the things I went through inside the lyrics of my
songs, giving the people that listen to my music the knowledge of my
struggles.

What was the name of the Gang that you joined?

The Crips.

What kind of things did you do in your Gang?

Drive bys, sellings drugs like weed and cocaine, sometimes bank robberys.

What was your childhood like before middle school and high school?

I was taught in a strict private school that my mom worked very hard to get me
into.