Biggie and the Influence of ‘70s and ‘80s Rap and Pop on his Music

Biggie Smalls, also known as The Notorious B.I.G. was an American rapper known for hip hop and rap genres of music. Biggie Smalls was an artist who was active from 1992 to 1997 before he died from gunshot wounds in 1997. Being a famous and successful rapper during his time, the musician incorporated various elements of hip hop and rap into his music. Even after his death, Biggie Small’s legacy still remains to date as several musicians have followed his footsteps in the industry. Hip Hop music evolved significantly in the past years and influenced The Notorious B.I.G.’s lyrics and style. The ‘70s and ‘80s Rap and Pop had a significant impact of Biggie Smalls’ music content, form, and stylistic features present in his songs.

Hip hop is a common genre of music in the current world as many youths love it. Some of the stylistic features characterizing hip hop include rapping, synthesis, scratching, and beatboxing. This type of music dates back to the 1970s and is still common today. Rap music involves MCing or emceeing, and this is where a musician speaks lyrically in rhyme and verse (Forman & Neal, 2012). Biggie Small’s music had the above features that defined his songs and attracted fans. His songs incorporated rapping, scratching, and synthesizing using electronic elements. Biggie Small’s songs became dominant during the 1990s because of the stylistic features of Hip hop.

Biggie Small’s genre consisted of east coast hip-hop, also known as New York Rap at times. The origin of east coast hip hop is from block parties that were thrown in New York Streets in the 1970’s (Peterson, 2007). Biggie Smalls mostly performed in parties as was the norm of east coast hip-hop music. This platform was a source of attracting and entertaining several fans who came together for special events. The only transformation in the 1990’s songs was that some parties were held in houses rather than the streets. Biggie Small’s first single music, “Party and Bullshit” was influenced by the life that he saw in parties during performances (Peterson, 2007). The choice of words reflected the kind of lifestyle in these events and helped him gain more followers. Block parties defining east coast hip hop significantly influenced Biggie Small’s music starting from composition to performance of songs.

The popularity of block parties in New York that influenced the emergence of hip hop was influenced by African Americans and Puerto Ricans. During the block parties, deejays played popular genres of music like funk and soul music and with time, the DJs started eliminating percussion breaks of the common music (Forman & Neal, 2012). Biggie Smalls reinvented east coast music and advanced them to reflect the block parties and attract more audience (Peterson, 2007). Another element presented in hip hop influenced by deejaying is that of turntablist techniques like scratching, mixing or matching and juggling beats. The features of the turntablist led to the creation of a base that musicians could rap over (Smith, 2016; (Forman & Neal, 2012). Biggie was a rapper and the incorporation of turntablist techniques influenced his career choice. The base that was created by these elements provided him with base that he could rap over in his lyrics. Deejaying and turntablist techniques influenced Biggie Smalls’ music in the rap genre because they offered him a chance to recite lyrics amidst songs.

Turntablist techniques also influenced the direction of hip hop music as this genre developed. Remixes emerged, and this feature allowed musicians to loop, sample, and remix someone else’s music. During the time, individuals would remix the song without the consent of knowledge of the original artist (Forman & Neal, 2012). The feature still exists to date in the hip hop music genre. One song that Biggie remixed was Mary J. Blige's “Real Love” that he recorded with Uptown Records (Peterson, 2007). The turntablist techniques made it easier for Biggie to reproduce the song, only that he used different beats and loops. Remixing which is a feature of hip hop music influenced Biggie Smalls’ music and allowed him to sing other musicians’ songs.

Jamaican immigrants had a significant influence on hip hop music in terms of the vocal style of rapping. DJs gave musicians a chance to rap at parties and the inspiration behind this act was the Jamaican tradition of toasting. The DJs and MCs added call and response chants that has a basic chorus, and the technique allowed performers to collect their ideas (Forman & Neal, 2012). The element of a basic chorus is seen in Biggie Small’s music. His songs have a chorus that is accompanied by rapping in each of the lyrics. After the chorus and pausing for some seconds, Biggie then raps, and this element is present among artists to date. DJs and MCs’ use of basic chorus in block parties influenced Biggie’s music as he incorporated them in his music before or after rapping.

Biggie rapped in most of his songs using a deep voice. The element was influenced by hip hop features during the early 1970s as DJs and MCs promoted local musicians and performers. Biggie had the ability to pile several rhymes on top of one another without any major concerns or issues. He had the ability to produce multi-syllabic sound that attracted the audience and made his music stand out. As the hip hop music started, deejays would offer a chance to performers to think about their lyrics. For instance, they would utter or count one, two, three or calling the names of musicians accompanied by beats. In his music, Biggie incorporated the element of onomatopoeic vocables that allowed him to prepare for the lyrics. Some of the words that Biggie Smalls used included “uhhh” in the song “Hypnotize” (Peterson, 2007). Another starting line that he used was “whaat” in various rhymes in his songs. Deejaying at the beginning of hip hop music genre had a significant influence on Biggie Smalls’ choice of words and lyrics.

Biggie incorporated various elements from the 1970’s hip hop music. He had intense and complex flows in some of his music. In other instances, he incorporated the use of single-line rhyme scheme. This element allowed Biggie to add diversity and attention to the flow of his songs (Peterson, 2007). Given that hip hop music was influenced by street life in New York, the artists of this genre incorporated easy vocabulary that would be easier for the audience to understand. Most targeted populations of the genre were immigrants. Biggie followed this suit he used simple language that would make it easier to relay the message. Biggie Smalls had a complex yet uncomplicated flow of lyrics that the creators of hip hop influenced.

One feature of early hip hop was collaboration of artists, especially between former gangs, to produce music. These partnerships were integral for musicians to gain popularity among their audience (Smith, 2016). In 1995, Biggie collaborated with Michael Jackson on the song “This Time Around” (Roberts, 2011). During that year, he was the only musician to collaborate with another artist, and this made him to be the best selling male-solo artist. After his death, Biggie released a double album posthumously. The song titled “Life After Death” which Bad Boy released had collaborations with artists like Puff Daddy, Jay-Z, 112, Lil' Kim, Mase, R Kelly, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and Angela Winbush. The prominence of the song earned it nominations into three Grammy Awards. The hip hop evolution into collaborations influenced Biggie Smalls’ music and made him to work with other artists in his career.

East coast hip hop music has various elements that make it stand out among other songs. Even though this genre has undergone various changes and musical surgeries, one feature that remains is that of lyrical (Hess, 2009). Biggie Small’s music has the element of lyrical dexterity as his lyrics are uttered skillfully. Biggie organized his words in such a way that reflected the topic that he addressed in his songs. East coast hip hop have complex wordplay and incorporate the use of metaphors in most instances. This genre of music also has multi-syllabic rhymes and incorporates a continuous free-flowing delivery (Hess, 2009). The elements presented in east coast music that started earlier influenced Biggie Small’s choice and use of lyrics as well as the mode of delivery.

Biggie Smalls recorded his music in studios and produced them to his listeners. Transitioning hip hop to recording began in the late 1970s and some of the first songs recorded were The Sugarhill Gang‘s “Rapper’s Delight” and The Fatback Band’s “King Tim III (Personality Jock).” The trend of recording in the industry became later as several musicians recorded their songs beginning in the early 1980’s. Biggie started his career as a teenager and made a demo tape that later found its way to the Arista Records (Weiss & McGarvey, 2013). The recording led to Biggie’s invitation to record with unsigned rappers in Uptown Records. Later, the artist started getting into deals with producers who would record and produce his musing. The prominence of recording of hip hop influenced Biggie’s music career and recording of his songs for the audience. 

Creativity was a common feature of hip hop music and musicians were expected to develop music that had unique features. The concept influenced Biggie’s music as it made him deviate from his usual style in some songs. During collaborations, he would modify his style to match that of the artists that he was working with in producing the music. The adjustments allowed his music to rhyme with those of the partners. A deviation from the usual norms led to better songs and eliminated boredom. The audience does not have to listen to songs with similar styles often (Smith, 2016). The need for creativity and innovation in hip hop music influenced Biggie to change his styles in music.

As the popularity of hip hop grew, the genre started becoming complex in styles. Diversification of the music stared and continued in the 1980s as some albums had completely sampled tracks. During this period, hip hop music was fused with electro whereas others had a “slow jam” that influenced reverb and echo. The impacts of these styles led to the production of playful sound effects (Forman & Neal, 2012). In his music, Biggie incorporated the use of these effects to make his songs attractive to the audience. Occasionally, he would make noises between rhymes or lyrics, especially in base. As he advanced in his career, Biggie became deeper in his base and the features of his songs. He incorporated several elements to his style and lyrics to reflect the complexities generated in the past decades. The diversification of styles influenced Biggie’s choice of lyrics and styles to use in the production of his music. 

With time, the lyrical content of hip hop evolved as numerous styles came to existence. During the 1980s, music was replaced with metaphorical lyrics that played over complex, multi-layered instrumentals (Forman & Neal, 2012). For Biggie, he would rap his lyrics as various instruments played in the background. He also mixed different themes in his music, ranging from autobiographies, romance, humor, and materialistic bragging. The styles that Biggie used in the songs reflected the theme that he intended to bring out to the audience. The exaggerations that Biggie Smalls incorporated into his music was influenced by the need to increase sales. Commercialization of the music industry became common during the 1980s (Monteyne, 2013). Biggie’s choice of styles was significantly influenced by the theme that he sought to bring out in his songs.

In the early years of hip hop, the songs were only played in the New York. The 1980s marked nationalization and internalization of this genre of music. Hip hop started becoming recognized in several parts in and outside the United States and among various cultures (Monteyne, 2013). Biggie’s greatest influence in his music was the diversification of hip hop into several parts around the country. He got a chance to take his music to the next level, performing in other states around the country. For instance, at the time of his death, Biggie was from performing at a party in Los Angeles (Forman & Neal, 2012). Biggie’s greatest influence to expand his music to other parts of the United States resulted from nationalization and internalization of hip hop.

Hip hop transformations in the 1970s and 1980s significantly influenced Biggie’s music. He incorporated several features that led to diversification of his music in terms of themes and lyrics. The origin of hip hop can be traced to block parties where MCs and DJs promoted performers. For instance, his raps had metaphorical meanings, even though they were easier for the audience to understand. Biggie was talented in music, had well developed choruses, and he could rap in base as several instruments played. Another feature shaping his music was recording as he recorded his songs with various labels for his listeners. The styles that he incorporated depended on the themes that he intended for the audience. Another feature was remixes that Biggie made using other artists’ songs such as that of Mary J. Blige. With nationalization and internalization of hip hop, Biggie Smalls’ songs gained popularity in different parts of the country as he performed in places like Los Angeles. 

References

Boy, L. B. post-25-1287074769. jpg image/jpeg notorious_big_poster_c13042233. jpg 14 Oct 2010, 20: 46 The Notorious BIG.

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Monteyne, K. (2013).  Hip Hop on Film: Performance culture, Urban Space, and genre transformation in the 1980s . Univ. Press of Mississippi.

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Roberts, T. (2011). Michael Jackson's kingdom: Music, race, and the sound of the mainstream.  Journal of Popular Music Studies ,  23 (1), 19-39.

Smith, S. (2016).  Hip-hop turntablism, creativity and collaboration . Routledge.

Weiss, J., & McGarvey, E. (2013).  2pac vs. Biggie: An Illustrated History of Rap's Greatest Battle . Voyageur Press (MN).