He died 25 years ago, but Notorious B.I.G is still synonymous with Brooklyn

He died 25 years ago, but Notorious B.I.G is still synonymous with Brooklyn

Transcript¹

Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of the death of rapper Christopher Wallace, the Notorious B.I.G. His influential² rhymes still resonate with the people in his hometown of Brooklyn.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Today marks the anniversary of the death of the rapper the Notorious B.I.G. His rhymes altered music. He was murdered in his 20s in 1997, a crime for which no one has ever been charged. He grew up in Brooklyn, which has changed a lot since his death. But 25 years later, people still feel his presence. NPR's Jasmine Garsd reports.

JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE³: Before he was Biggie, B.I.G., Notorious, Big Poppa, he was Christopher Wallace.

MELVIN BLACKMAN: Always running his mouth (laughter). He was a pain in the neck.

GARSD: Melvin Blackman was Wallace's teacher at Quincy Lexington Open Door Day Care Center. He says he was a brilliant kid who came into preschool already knowing how to read and write, and a charmer to boot.

BLACKMAN: He used to talk the other kids out of their stuff. It was, like, charismatic, you know? And he always did it on the sly. So, like, we catch him doing it. You know, I would say, you got to stop doing that.

GARSD: Biggie himself rapped about it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PARTY AND BULLS***")

NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) I was a terror since the public school era. Bathroom passes, cutting classes, squeezing - smoking blunts was a daily routine since 13.

GARSD: Blackman says his heart sank when he watched his former star student growing up and getting involved in selling drugs on this corner - Fulton and St. James. But in Brooklyn in the '80s and early '90s, drugs were everywhere. In fact, Biggie took that reality and turned it into a theme in his storytelling.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TEN CRACK COMMANDMENTS")

NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) No. 4 - I know you heard this before. Never get high on your own supply. No. 5...

GARSD: With the challenges came this amazing creative energy. Kids would gather on the streets and have rap battles. Here's some early footage of Biggie at one. This is from the Netflix documentary "I Got A Story To Tell."

(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "BIGGIE: I GOT A STORY TO TELL")

NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) West Side Brooklyn, where this rapper was originated. Your rhymes are s***. They must be complicated, ameliorated. The heavy-weight brother from the Brooklyn streets about to rhyme to a funky⁴ beat.

GARSD: These battles were an important part of the culture. Richard Grant, who goes by DJ Twin (ph), is from Brooklyn. He eventually toured with Biggie.

RICHARD GRANT: In the 'hood⁵, we had our own American Idol⁶, if you will (laughter). You know that. You - if you didn't make it to the next round, you know there's no way you get that golden ticket. Like, the 'hood gave you that golden ticket, like, gave you the confidence to go pursue.

GARSD: What happened next is hip-hop history.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JUICY")

NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) It was all a dream. I used to read Word Up! magazine. Salt-N-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine⁷.

GARSD: Biggie's 1994 debut⁸ album, "Ready To Die," was hailed by fans and critics as a masterpiece. At the time, West Coast hip-hop artists had taken the spotlight⁹. Fans say Biggie brought hip-hop back to New York, and he did it by talking about his life in Brooklyn.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JUICY")

NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us - no heat, wonder why Christmas missed us. Birthdays was the worst days. Now we sip¹⁰ Champagne¹¹ when we thirsty.

GARSD: He's widely associated with gangsta rap, but he stood out for also being unusually vulnerable, for weaving tales of sadness, violence, love, sex and comedy into an enthralling¹² narrative¹³. Syreeta Gates is an archivist who focuses on hip-hop.

SYREETA GATES: You could create a direct connection between, like, a John Coltrane and a Biggie Smalls. Like, forever, Black music has been really intentional¹⁴ around the storytelling, like, creating these narratives¹⁵, whether it's stuff that we live or stuff that we happen to experience.

GARSD: Which is why what happened in 1997, the murder of Biggie Smalls in Los Angeles, devastated¹⁶ his community. Twenty-five years later, Biggie is still everywhere. There are murals of him throughout the neighborhood. One of the largest ones is here, on Quincy Street and Bedford Avenue. Tourists still stop by to take pictures.

Of course, this is not the same Brooklyn Biggie Smalls grew up in or rapped about. These days, apartments in Biggie's neighborhood go for $2.5 million. The reality is a lot of the people Biggie came up with have been priced out. But plenty of community remains¹⁷, and everyone holds his words close to their hearts. Ask anyone here their favorite line, and they won't hesitate.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Rapping) A T-bone steak, cheese eggs and Welch's grape.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Rapping) Ugly as ever. However...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Rapping) As I flow with the Junior M.A.F.I.A., I don't know what the hell's stopping you. I'm clocking you, Versace shades watching you.

GARSD: Because this cultural treasure that everyone now wants a piece of, a selfie with, an apartment in the middle of is understood uniquely by those who were here from the very beginning, back when it was all a dream.

Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, Brooklyn.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONE MORE CHANCE")

NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) And sing the break.

UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) Baby, here I am.

NOTORIOUS B I G: (Rapping) I got that good love, girl. You didn't know?

UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) All I need is...

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

5 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

6 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

7 limousine   

n.豪华轿车

参考例句：

• A chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for the grand lady.司机为这个高贵的女士打开了豪华轿车的车门。
• We arrived in fine style in a hired limousine.我们很气派地乘坐出租的豪华汽车到达那里。

8 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

9 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

10 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

11 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

12 enthralling   

迷人的

参考例句：

• There will be an enthralling race tomorrow. 明天会有场吸引人的比赛。
• There was something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence. 在这样地施加影响时，令人感到销魂夺魄。

13 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

14 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

15 narratives   

记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分

参考例句：

• Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning. 结婚一向是许多小说的终点，然而也是一个伟大的开始。
• This is one of the narratives that children are fond of. 这是孩子们喜欢的故事之一。

16 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。