Biggie Smalls, 12 Years Later
“…the greatest rapper of all time died on March 9…” -Canibus
It’s already been 12 years to the day since Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., had his life cut short by the assassin’s bullet. When I first heard the news back in 1997, I didn’t really believe it. His new album had just dropped, and it was curiously called “Life After Death.” I sincerely thought it was a publicity stunt until I saw footage of real people mourning in the streets of Brooklyn.
I was only 19 at the time, and BIG was 24. Nineteen year olds look up to 24 year olds. By the time I turned 24, I realized just how young Biggie was to have lived so fully and died. (Tupac Shakur was only 25 when he was gunned down.)
When I reflect on Biggie and Pac’s lives and deaths, I take 2 lessons away. First, they teach us that you are never too young to pursue your dreams. They had the chance to grab the fame and all that came with it, and they took it. They followed their dreams. They didn’t say, “I’m only 19. I can’t be a platinum millionaire. I can’t rock a crowd. I’m too young.” They paid the ultimate price, but in the end, it’s better to die doing what you were meant to do than to live and just take up space.
The second thing these hip-hop greats have taught me is that you’re never too young to have people looking up to you. Like I said, when I was 19, I looked up to 25 year olds. Now I’m in my 30s; 25 year olds come to me for advice, and many 19 year olds see me as more of a father-figure than a big brother. You ever see how a second grader looks up to the “big kids” in 8th grade? There’s always someone looking up to you
On this anniversary of BIG’s unfortunate demise, let’s remember the power to influence we all have. Follow someone who inspires you and more importantly, use your power and influence to truly make things better. You never know who is watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment