Notorious B.I.G.

Who they attracting with that line, 

"What's your name, what's your sign?"

Soon as he buy that wine 

I just creep up from behind

And ask what your interests are 

Who you be with

Things to make you smile

What numbers to dial

You gonna be here for awhile?

I'm gonna call my crew

You gonna call your crew

We can rendezvous 

At the bar around two

From his 1995 hit single, "Big Poppa."  

Biggie is one smooth operator.  He knows better than to use lame pickup lines like "What's your sign?" -- as Rap Genius explains, "he knows that girls just want you to ask open-ended questions so they can yap away."  And he knows to wait until the "What's your sign" guy buys his target a drink so he can save a few bucks.

Notorious B.I.G.

I can fill ya with 

Real millionaire sh*t

Escargot, my car go one-sixty, swiftly

Wreck it, buy a new one

Your crew run run run, your crew run run

From "Hypnotize," the first single from Life After Death, which was nominated for the best rap single Grammy.

Escargot is real millionaire sh*t, as is a car that will go 160 mph.  (The internal or middle rhyme of "escargot" with "my car go" is typical of Biggie's way with words.)  

The last line quoted above echoes the line from the famous Phil Spector-produced single from 1963, the Crystals' "Da Doo Run Run."

Notorious B.I.G.

Number four: know you heard this before

Never get high on your own supply

Number five: never sell no crack 
Where you rest at

I don't care if they want an ounce, 
Tell 'em bounce

Number six: that goddamn credit, dead it

You think a crackhead payin' you back? 
Shit -- forget it

Seven: this rule is so underrated

Keep your family and business completely separated

Four of the ten commandments set forth in Biggie's "Ten Crack Commandments," which was included on Life After Death, the 1997 double album that was released shortly after he was murdered.

Biggie knows what he is talking about here.  He dropped out of high school when he was 17, and within a year, was in jail for dealing crack.  He continued to sell drugs even after signing a recording contract at age 20.  His producer, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, ordered him to quit dealing.

Notorious B.I.G.

There's gonna be a lot of slow singin', and flower bringin'

If my burglar alarm starts ringin'

Whatcha think all the guns is for?

All purpose war, got the Rottweilers by the door . . .

Touch my cheddar, feel my Beretta

From "Warning," one of the singles from his 1994 debut album, Ready to Die. 

Christopher Wallace -- a/k/a "Biggie Smalls" and "The Notorious B.I.G." -- was 26 years old when he was killed in a drive-by shooting after attending the annual "Soul Train" Music Awards in Los Angeles.  His murder, which occurred only six months after the murder of Tupac Shakur, was never solved.

Biggie is widely considered to be one of the five greatest rappers of all time -- many would say he is numero uno.  No had better or more effortless-sounding flow, and he had a talent for piling up the maximum number of rhymes in the minimum amount of time.  (FYI, "cheddar" = "cheese" = "$$$.")

September is a very special month because it has five "Rap Fridays" -- not just four, like most months.  Each of those five September "Rap Fridays" will feature the words of the Notorious B.I.G.