CHRISTOPHER “BIGGIE SMALLS” WALLACE
Echoing the shooting death of fellow rapper and West Coast rival Tupac “2Pac” Shakur six months earlier, Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace was also fatally shot while riding in a car. The Brooklyn rapper was in California for the Soul Train awards and had just left an after party when he was gunned down. Biggie was rushed to the hospital where doctors unsuccessfully tried to save him. 16 days after his death, Biggie’s “Life After Death” album was released and it shot to the number one spot on the Billboard charts and it eventually went Diamond, one of the few hip-hop albums to receive such certification. The Brooklyn emcee was 25 years old when he was killed.