Hustle

On May 21, 1972, Christopher Wallace was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a 21 year-old-immigrant mother and a 41-year-old absentee father. Soon after, the two-week-old Wallace immediately faced adverse conditions: being raised solely by his mother, Voletta Wallace, and living in close proximity to drugs and violence. Subsequently, Wallace’s intentions regarding success and his American Dream grew from yearning to make quick cash on the streets to running the streets himself. Christopher Wallace’s American Dream encompassed the unwavering need to make his own money and the desire to hustle his way through the ‘gangsta’ rap scene as the Notorious B.I.G.

At the tender age of 12, Wallace began selling drugs. During this time, the young Christopher Wallace became infatuated with the idea of being self-made. Despite witnessing the intense and gory violence that occurred in his neighborhood, the idea of hustling the streets to generate his own income dominated the risks that were associated with drug dealing. In the name of fulfilling the ideal street image with high-end clothing, rings, and creating his own income, Wallace was willing to deal marijuana as well as crack.

Meanwhile Wallace’s mother, as a means to provide for her son a private education, worked two jobs, both of which consumed most of her time. This gave Wallace an incredible amount of freedom as a teenager and the ability to explore his neighborhood without restriction. As he noticed life as a private school student no longer fitted his image, Wallace begged his mother to be removed from Queen of All Saints School to Westinghouse Public High School. There, he found himself an environment that allowed his street image to foster. Wallace believed that street smarts were entirely just as beneficial to him and his overall image than education. Soon after he terminated his career as a student in order to build up his status as a dealer. His fascination with the street life and being self-made became his utmost desire.

Ultimately, his drug dealing led to his arrest at the age of 17. Wallace was in possession of an unregistered gun and was given five months of probation. Wallace then found himself in jail for nine months. The hustling dream abruptly stopped.

After making bail, Wallace began recording his freestyle raps on empty tape recorders. He began recording beats and rhymes under the name of Biggie Smalls, and eventually The Notorious B.I.G. His tape found its way onto a newspaper column supporting up and coming artists. He poured his energy into his rhymes and rapidly gained recognition for his smooth voice and entrancing words. Suddenly, his aspirations changed from drug-dealing to creating meaningful raps and rhymes.

Wallace realized his raps chanced him the opportunity to express hardships and his rags-to-riches narrative. In his song, “Juicy”, he states “Now we sip champagne when we thirsty”; demonstrating that before, Wallace had his own struggles with money and due to his newly found fame and fortune, he was able to support himself and his family financially.

The Notorious B.I.G. became a key player in rap. As Wallace gained momentum as The Notorious B.I.G., he was recognized as one of the most talented artists of the late 1990s and generated a growth spurt of rap listeners. His debut album, Ready to Die, sold over three million copies and won the 1995 Billboard Music Awards “Rap Artist of the Year” and “Rap Single of the Year” awards. The Notorious B.I.G.’s American Dream was fulfilled; he became successful rapping about his struggles to stardom and was generating a large personal income.

As quick as he rose to fame, his career came to a painful halt. On March 9, 1997, the Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in Los Angeles, California. During this time, his career was peaking and his second album, Life After Death, was soon to be released. Despite his murder, his legacy lives on. To this day, his face is still plastered on T-shirts and skateboarding merchandise. With his talents and motivation, Wallace imprinted his soul into the rap genre and the lives of his fans.

Christopher Wallace was determined to create his own path. He dropped out of school solely to deal drugs, earning him money of his own. Wallace even went to jail for dealing drugs, and yet still stayed focused on obtaining his American Dream. He then made mixtapes that highlighted his talents as a lyricist and rapper, which allowed him to release two albums. Wallace’s American Dream was fulfilled, in his success at drug dealing and becoming a famed rapper.