It's been almost 20 years since rapper Biggie Smalls, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot dead in Los Angeles after the Soul Train Music Awards on March 9, 1997, and still, questions remain over who killed the iconic rapper. Many theories speculate that the shooting was in retaliation for the death of rapper Tupac Shakur, who had died the year prior in a similar shooting incident in Las Vegas.
According to Los Angeles Police Department Investigator Greg Kading,
this is in fact the case: They were simply the victims of retaliation
between the two rival gangs. However, while the documentary is in some
respects still speculation, FBI files released in 2011,
coupled with an autopsy report, provided the best evidence for what
happened to Biggie — and most importantly, why it happened.
While a lot of the content in the FBI files were redacted
before their public release, there was enough from the investigation to
learn that the agency had tried to connect the Biggie murder with
Tupac's. Most notably, the FBI learned that several of the officers on
duty at the event Biggie attended were also employed as security officers by Death Row Records — Tupac's label — which was also a violation of LAPD policy, according to E! Online.
"Tupac's name is frequently invoked, while the late rapper's
own slaying, criminal history and ties to unsavory behavior
meticulously chronicled, as well as every instance, no matter how minute
or fatal, of feuding between the two factions," Gina Serpe wrote for E! Online. "It appears as though they were successful in locating people who were, for whatever reason, present at both shootings."
Additionally, Biggie was shot with what turned out to be
rare ammunition — called Gecko 9mm — that was only manufactured in
Germany. According to E! Online, in America, there are only two distributors of the bullets, one of which is in California.
An autopsy report regarding Biggie's death was obtained by TMZ
the following year, and with it, graphic and detailed information on
Notorious B.I.G.'s murder. Though he was hit by four bullets, three of
them weren't fatal. Rather, one of the shots, through his left hip,
decimated several of his vital organs. He was officially pronounced dead
at 1:15 a.m. the night of the shooting.
Ultimately, though, the investigation did not lead to any
suspects, and the murder remains unsolved. Of course, like the majority
of cold cases, the likelihood of the murder being solved so many years
later is low. However, Biggie's impact on the industry is still felt
today, and those who know him best believe he'd willingly collaborate
with some of the top present-day talents.
