Christopher Wallace was my friend and I love him. I miss him so much. I have spent
the last week trying to make sense of what our lives have become. Every day I try to
make sense of why my friend is not here. It isn't easy.
Notorious BIG was not just a Bad Boy Entertainment artist.He was a lyrical
genius, a literary giant, a voice for people who aren't often heard and one
of the greatest rappers in the history of hip hop. What people need to know about
B.I.G. is that he was compassionate,humorous and generous. He was not
perfect though. We all have our problems.In fact he shared the same problems
growing up as many Black youth in America who are raised without fathers or
understanding of what it means to become strong, productive and responsible men.
Notorious BIG and I both had to teach ourselves to become men. It was not easy,
and we obviously made some mistakes.
From the beginning, all BIG and I wanted to do was make music people could dance to
and laugh at while at the same time keeping it real with lyrics that talked about life in the
ghetto. The trial we go through as people are not easy. Our music was supposed to
encourage us to see life for what is, then make a change.
What it was never meant to be was some competition with the West Coast. Though I
have said this many times before, I feel I need to repeat it today: in my heart there is
no East Coast-West Coast Rap War. I do not want it. I do not like it. I will not fuel it.
There are enough obstacles we face as a people already. There is no reason for us to
turn on one another.
What I want to do is talk about where we go from here. While we did not create the
conditions that we live in every day, we can definitely do a lot more to be a part of
necessary solutions. While as an artist. I see and feel the need to create music about
anything and everything, I now realize the power to direct the development of our
culture. There is no escaping my responsibility. I must be accountable to
today's youth. My music must provide the young not only with the reality of life, it must
serve as an inspiration for us to create a better life. My words come from the heart.
So to insure that Notorious BIG's album Life After Death has some type of positive
impact on youth, I will use a portion of my profits from the album to open the
Christopher Wallace Youth Center-an educational and recreational place to be
located in Brooklyn, NY. I am willing to sacrifice profits to make a change. I will also
take time off to evaluate my role in music and life.
Christopher Wallace aka Notorious BIG you will always be in my prayers along with all
of the urban youth who lives were ripped away by senseless violence. It is time for a
change.
