Who Killed the Notorious B.I.G.? Inside the Rapper's Shocking Murder 28 Years Ago

Mar. 15, 2025

Rapper Notorious B.I.G. AKA Biggie Smalls (Christopher Wallace) receives Billboard Music Award on December 6, 1995 at The Coliseum in New York City.Photo:Larry Busacca/Getty

Larry Busacca/Getty

The Notorious B.I.G.was killed when he was 24 years old, but he had already become known as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

The musician — born Christopher George Latore Wallace on May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn, N.Y. and also known as Biggie Smalls — released his debut albumReady to Diein 1994 and posthumously releasedLife After Deathin 1997. The latter is one of the only hip-hop albums to reach diamond status, selling 10 million copies.

AfterTupac was murderedin Las Vegas in 1996, it has been widely speculated that Biggie’s shooting was a form of retaliation, but no conclusive evidence has been brought forward.

No arrests have been made in Biggie’s murder, authorities are still searching for his killers today and the rapper’s death remains one of themost infamous unsolved murdersin music history.

Here is everything to know about the shocking murder of the Notorious B.I.G., as well as the legacy he left behind.

How did the Notorious B.I.G. die?

Christopher Wallace and Sean Combs attend 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards on March 7, 1997 in Los Angeles, California.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

After attending a star-studdedSoul Train Awardsparty on March 9, 1997, Biggie andSean “Diddy” Combsleft in separate cars at approximately 12:30 a.m, according to the 2003 bookUnbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.

While Diddy’s car was up ahead, Biggie’s vehicle was stopped at a red light as a black Chevrolet Impala drove up. An assailant then fired four shots at the rapper from the driver’s side window.

All four shots hit Biggie but it was revealed in a 2012 autopsy that only one of the bullets was fatal, going up through his thigh and chest and piercing vital organs.

Biggie was immediately rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where an emergency thoracotomy — a surgical procedure to gain access to vital organs in the chest region — was performed before he was pronounced dead at roughly 1:15 a.m., perRolling Stone.

Where did the Notorious B.I.G. die?

Rapper Notorious B.I.G. performs on October 5, 1995 during the UrbanAid Lifebeat concert in New York City.Larry Busacca/Getty

Biggie was shot at the intersection of Fairfax and Wilshire in Los Angeles while at a red light.

He was pronounced dead at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center roughly 30 minutes later.

What happened in the feud prior to the Notorious B.I.G.’s death?

Rappers Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G and Puff Daddy perform onstage at the Palladium on July 23, 1993 in New York.Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Biggie and Tupac were initially friends, respecting each other’s journeys from poverty to becoming successful rappers who were the faces of East Coast and West Coast hip-hop. While Tupac originally respected Biggie, it was recently revealed in a 2024Rolling Stoneinvestigation related to thelitany of sexual abuse allegations against DiddythatTupac did not respect the Bad Boy founder.

Biggie and Tupac allegedly fell out in 1994 when the latter was shot and robbed at Quad Studios in Times Square, perThe New York Times. As Biggie and the group he created,Junior M.A.F.I.A., came down to see Tupac getting stretchered out after the shooting, the injured rapper reportedly gave his former friend the finger, according toSlate.

After the diss tracks, Tupac signed withDeath Row Recordsand developed a relationship with the label’s CEO Suge Knight. Shortly after their feud began, Tupac was murdered in Las Vegas and six months following his death, Biggie was shot and killed. Knight has denied killing Tupac and evenclaimed (presumably jokingly) to TMZin 2014 that the rapper is, in fact, still alive.

Has anyone been charged in Biggie’s murder?

Rapper Notorious B.I.G., aka Chris Wallace outside his mother’s house in Brooklyn.Clarence Davis/NY Daily News Archive via Getty

Clarence Davis/NY Daily News Archive via Getty

According toRolling Stone, the person who shot Biggie was a Black male in a blue tuxedo with a bowtie, but no one has ever been arrested or charged for the rapper’s killing.

However, Biggie’s family has filed two wrongful death lawsuits, one in 2002 and the other in 2007, alleging that the LAPDdid not do enough to protect their loved oneand claiming thatcorrupt LAPD officers were involved in his murder. The first ended in a mistrial and the second was dismissed, perThe New York Times.

One of the most prominent theories about Biggie’s murder involves an allegation that Knight orchestrated the killing with the assistance of the LAPD. According toBuzzfeed, LAPD Lieutenant Sergio Robleto said it was suspicious that the robbery-homicide division was allegedly uninvolved in the case.

Retired LAPD detective Greg Kading — who worked on a gang task force that included Biggie’s case and was a large part of the 2023 arrest ofDuane “Keefe D” Davisfor the murder of Tupac — claimed toFox 11 Los Angelesthat the case is “solved, but not prosecuted.”

“At the time that Biggie Smalls was killed, Suge Knight was in the county jail,” Kading said. “So, in order for him to communicate with somebody on the street, he had to go through an intermediary, which was this female that was visiting him in jail.”

In his bookMurder Rap, Kading said that the LAPD and the FBI took that woman’s statement in 2009 on the condition of keeping her identity private. Kading claimed that the woman said she would visit Knight under the false pretense of being a legal assistant, which allowed her to have unmonitored visits.

The woman allegedly claimed thatKnight had instructed her to help him coordinate Biggie’s murder. Accordingt to Kading, she confessed to being an intermediary communicating with Wardell “Poochie” Fouse — who died in 2003 — to kill Biggie for an undisclosed sum on behalf of Knight. He has not commented on the allegations.

What was the public’s reaction to the Notorious B.I.G.’s death?

Police, neighbors, and fans watch the funeral caravan for rapper Notorious B.I.G. passes through the Brooklyn neighborhood of Clinton Hill.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty

Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty

The public reacted to Biggie’s death with an outpouring of grief, shock and confusion, while celebrating his talent.

As the limos drove Biggie’s casket through the streets with family and friends, thousands of New Yorkers and fans flooded the streets.

“When I hit Saint James Place and I saw the crowd [dancing, I thought] Oh my God, this kid was well-loved. That’s when I saw the love," Biggie’s mother,Voletta Wallace, said in the 2021 Netflix documentaryBiggie: I Got a Story to Tell.

When he was killed just six months after Tupac, it not only represented the death of two industry titans, but many felt it signified a bigger cultural moment. In 2014,IllmaticrapperNastoldZane Lowe, “When those two guys passed away, I thought it was the end of rap.”

What is the Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy?

The Notorious B.I.G. performs at 92.3 The Beat Summer Jam on August 13, 1995 in Irvine, California.Chris Walter/WireImage

Chris Walter/WireImage

The Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy has only grown since his death, including a 2020 induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The rapper has influenced many artists with his melodic flow, lyrical dexterity, intelligent wordplay and vivid storytelling includingEminem,50 Cent,Jay-Z,Lil’ WayneandAlicia Keys. There have been many posthumous releases of Biggie’s music including a 2005 album calledDuetsthat saw Biggie’s verses mashed with new verses from modern artists.

Biggie’s life was portrayed in the 2009 biopicNotorious, which saw Jamal Woolard as the rapper,Angela Bassettas his mother Voletta andAnthony Mackieas Tupac. Biggie’s son CJ Wallace — whom he shared with fellow musicianFaith Evans— also starred in the opening scene of the movie as a young Biggie. The rapper also had a daughter, T’yanna, with his high school sweetheart Jan Jackson.

In 2022, around the time of the25th anniversary of Biggie’s death, CJ spoke with PEOPLE about his father’s lasting impact.

source: people.com