Today marks the 12th year of Christopher Wallace’s passing and since then a lot has changed. The slang, the style of dress and even the “pop culture” referenced metaphors have been altered since the Notorious One was laid to rest.
With all the discussion of who’s the best, who’s king and who’s overrated – The Urban Daily has taken particular notice about the ascension of Lil Wayne. The self-proclaimed “best rapper alive, since the best rapper retired” is a mixed bag of nuts for many in this hip-hop game. But we’ll give three reasons why even though B.I.G. is gone from this earth, he’s still light-years ahead of the game’s most beloved alien.
Influence:
Christopher Wallace was responsible for the entire considerable wealth that Diddy amassed before and after his passing. Mr. Wallace was the reason why Diddy had the loot to create his own clothing line and his pen game helped to make Sean Combs a “respected” rapper. The Bad Boy CEO got a Grammy for No Way Out that B.I.G. was heavily featured on, gave Lil Kim her start and was the only competition Jay-Z faced that mattered.
When Weezy started, he was the baby of the Hot Boys and although he started his own imprint (Young Money Entertainment), he hasn’t really directly influenced anyone other than Kanye West, but we know Mr. West isn’t a subscriber to anyone else’s modus operandi.
Slanguistics:
Wayne said that he came up with the term “bling-bling” which sparked a million imitators. From songs to wack commercials, “bling” was king for a few years. But B.I.G.’s “ashy to classy” – first heard on “Sky’s The Limit” off of Life After Death – is still cool to say after 12 years in rotation. Go on… say “bling bling” around a girl right now and see if she doesn’t give you the wicked screwface.
Music:
Despite only just having two albums – Ready To Die and Life After Death – before losing his life on March 9th, B.I.G. came, saw and conquered New York hip-hop and ultimately the game with a crazy style of lyricism that blended storytelling with real life escapades. His signature designs made his one to envy, as well as imitate.
On the flip-side, Weezy F. has made six studio albums and tons of mixtape collectables that helped him to achieve his considerable commercial success. Yet, still fails to hold down Top 10 honors in any weight class. Juvenile and B.G. may have fallen off the bottom of the map, but still gain the respect commanded of true veterans of the game in Louisiana. Scarface may have retired, but he is lightyears ahead of Wayne in the storytelling department and many consider T.I. to be the “King of the South.” It is up for discussion if Lil Wayne can even rightfully be considered the heir to Jay-Z with so much work not producing the same quality and sales as the Brooklyn heir to B.I.G.’s throne.
BIGGIE’S PRODUCER CARLOS BRODY DISAGREES WITH KEV! CLICK TO READ WHAT HE HAD TO SAY….
Check out these videos and you be the judge:
