Editing The Notorious B.I.G. (section)

=== Musical style ===
Wallace's lyrics explored a range of themes, including [[Mafioso rap|mafioso]] narratives ("Niggas Bleed"),<ref name="v266">{{cite web | last=Berry | first=Peter A. | title=Remembering The Notorious B.I.G.'s flawless posthumous album 'Life After Death' | publisher=[[Revolt (TV network)|Revolt]] | date=March 25, 2022 | url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-03-25/159211/the-notorious-b-i-g-life-after-death-best-posthumous-album | access-date=November 16, 2024 | archive-date=March 26, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326043054/https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-03-25/159211/the-notorious-b-i-g-life-after-death-best-posthumous-album | url-status=live }}</ref> reflections on his drug-dealing past ("[[Ten Crack Commandments]]"),<ref name="x854">{{cite magazine | last=Cauley | first=Kashana | title=Why Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Life After Death' Resonates More Now Than Ever | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=March 24, 2017 | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/why-notorious-b-i-g-s-life-after-death-resonates-more-now-than-ever-116131/ | access-date=November 16, 2024}}</ref> materialistic boasting ("Hypnotize"),<ref name="z654"/> humor ("[[Just Playing (Dreams)]]"),<ref name="stilltheill">{{cite news|archive-date=December 13, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213144725/http://www.mtv.com/bands/n/notorious_big/lyrics/ | title=Notorious B.I.G.: Still the Illest | publisher=[[MTV]] | access-date=November 16, 2024 | url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/n/notorious_big/lyrics/}}</ref> and romantic experiences ("[[Me & My Bitch]]").<ref name="stilltheill"/> In 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' praised him as "one of the few young male songwriters in any pop style writing credible love songs".<ref name="rolling stone bio"/> In the book ''[[How to Rap]]'', rapper [[Guerilla Black]] highlighted Wallace's ability to "glorify the upper echelon"{{sfn|Edwards|2012|p=14}} while also making listeners "feel his struggle".{{sfn|Edwards|2012|p=44}} According to ''[[The New York Times]]'' journalist [[Touré (journalist)|Touré]], Wallace's lyrics "[mixed] autobiographical details about crime and violence with emotional honesty".<ref name="o749">{{cite web | title=Pop music: Biggie Smalls, Rap's Man of the Moment | website=[[The New York Times]] | author=[[Touré (journalist)|Touré]] | date=December 18, 1994 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/18/arts/pop-music-biggie-smalls-rap-s-man-of-the-moment.html | access-date=November 16, 2024 | archive-date=July 1, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701024448/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/18/arts/pop-music-biggie-smalls-rap-s-man-of-the-moment.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Another writer for ''The New York Times'', Michel Marriott, noted in 1997 that his lyrics were not entirely autobiographical, as he had a talent for exaggeration to improve his storytelling and sales appeal.<ref name="u734"/> Wallace described his debut album, ''Ready to Die'', as "a big pie, with each slice indicating a different point in [his] life involving bitches and niggas{{nbsp}}[...] from the beginning to the end".{{sfn|Brown|2004|p=66}}

''Rolling Stone'' described ''Ready to Die'' as a contrast of "bleak" street visions and being "full of high-spirited fun, bringing the pleasure principle back to hip-hop".<ref name="rolling stone bio"/> AllMusic noted "a sense of doom" in some of his songs, while Jon Pareles of ''The New York Times'' described a thread of paranoia in others.<ref name="b962"/><ref name="c708">{{cite web | last=Pareles | first=Jon | title=Rapping, Living and Dying a Gangsta Life | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 10, 1997 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/10/us/rapping-living-and-dying-a-gangsta-life.html | access-date=November 16, 2024 | archive-date=November 10, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040430/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/10/us/rapping-living-and-dying-a-gangsta-life.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Wallace himself stated that he felt "broke and depressed" while creating his debut album.<ref name="c708"/> The final track on ''Ready to Die'', "Suicidal Thoughts", portrays a character contemplating and ultimately committing suicide.{{sfn|Coker|2003|p=104}} On his follow-up album, ''Life After Death'', Wallace's lyrics delved even "deeper", as observed by ''Rolling Stone''.<ref name="rolling stone bio"/> Krims observed that the record alternates between upbeat, dance-oriented tracks and gritty "reality rap," reflecting a thematic shift toward a more "pimp" persona.{{sfn|Krims|2000|p=85}} ''[[XXL Mag]]'' noted that Wallace "revamped his image" between the two albums, evolving from a "mid-level hustler" on his debut to a "[[drug lord]]" on his sophomore effort.<ref name="e097">{{cite web | title=The History of Cocaine Rap: All White | website=[[XXL Mag]] | date=November 6, 2006 | url=https://www.xxlmag.com/the-history-of-cocaine-rap-all-white/ | access-date=November 16, 2024 | archive-date=November 28, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128102709/https://www.xxlmag.com/the-history-of-cocaine-rap-all-white/ | url-status=live }}</ref> AllMusic credited Wallace's storytelling ability as a key factor in the success of ''Ready to Die''.<ref name="b962"/>