Last Biggie Radio Interview (Audio)

[Lil Jay]

thought some of you might want this...article & audio courtesy of davey d

Code: [Select]

http://s28.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0ST3U2V3GDYJV1TV5SQGFSR2L0

Today March 9th sadly marks the 8th anniversary of the death of one of
the greatest to ever bless the mic, the Notorious BIG.  I remember as
clear as day when I got the phone call about Biggie being gunned down
at the Auto Museum in LA as he and P-Diddy (Puffy) were on their way
to KKBT the Beat to do an interview.  I was told dozens of people were
there and actually saw what went down but no one 'knew' anything when
questioned.

I also recalled being told about the panic that enveloped all the East
Coast artists who were in LA that night as they frantically tried to
find a way to safely get out and head on back home.  A lot of west
coast artists were fearful about going back east.

I also remember what would be Notorious BIG's last radio interview.
It took place 4 days before he was killed on KMEL in SF with Sway who is now
with MTV and his crew called The Breakfast Club.  I had seen Biggie
dozens of times at the station but this time he seemed relaxed,
thoughtful and somewhat playful.

He spoke about the beef he had with 2Pac and how it was sad yet
amazing that two guys with a disagreement could wage a coastal beef.
He spoke about his love for God and how you have to put him first.  He
also spoke about his love for his kids.  He also talked about the
inner workings of Bad Boy.  Biggie explained that he had taken over
the role of managing Puffy.  That was an interesting facet considering
that Puff was the Ceo of Bad Boy.  Biggie noted how close everyone
in Bad Boy had become..

Throughout the interview Biggie joked around with Sway and the crew.
He told us that he was looking forward to releasing his album 'Life
After Death' and was confident that once folks in Cali heard the song
'Going Back to Cali' that it would once and for all dead what many
called the Great East-West Coast Beef which apparently seemed to be in
full swing at that time.

One thing that stood out in this interview was Biggie's response to a
question posed by co-host Big daddy Victor Zaragoza who asked him
whether or not he had anything to do with 2Pac being killed.Biggie seemed
to be coy when answering the question and left a lot of people angry
including folks who are down with Pac when he answered by
saying 'I'm not that powerful yet'.  In listening to the interview
today it sounds like he's saying I'm not that powerful-yo', but
because of the east-west coast tensions, folks in Cali listening to
the show took his remarks another way.

Biggie and the Bad Boy family were spending a lot of time in LA and to
them all seemed chill especially since Suge Knight of Death Row had
been incarcerated.  I remember after Biggie conducted his interview
and was set to leave the station, one of our deejays and a good friend
of his Franzen asked Biggie how everything was going.Biggie noted
that it was all good and that he was having a good time in LA.
Biggie noted that a lot of people were showing him love.
Unbeknown to us at the time Biggie had let go his security guards who
were former Navy Seals that worked for a company called Seal-Mar.  The
word on the streets was he replaced the guards because they were
costing him too much money and employed the services of one of the
local gangs in the area.

Also unbeknown to us was that while Biggie was getting lots of love
from folks when he was around, there were serious grumblings in the
streets of LA all the way up to the Bay.  Cali was 2Pac country and 6
months after his death a lot of people were still mourning and were
suspicious of Biggie and his Bad Boy click.

The streets of LA were really grumbling about Biggie showing up around
town like it was all good when in reality it wasn't.  Franzen had been
hearing the rumors and pulled Biggie to the side before he left and
told him point blank to be careful in LA, things aren't always like
they seem.  Biggie was jovial and told him not to worry that
everything would be alright.  As he stepped into the elevator little
did we know it would be the last time we would see him alive.

Below is a link to that last radio interview, some of the excerpts you
will recognize as sound bites used by the Eminem produced song
'Runnin' which features Biggie and 2Pac.

Notorious BIG-The Last Radio Interview
http://easylink.playstream.com/daveydinterviews/biggieinterviewlastone.wax

As you listen to this interview we should keep in mind the craziness
that is going on with 50 and Game and other rappers who have been
drawn into the fray.  It's bad enough these artists who are all grown
ass men have beef and apparently haven't learned from the lessons of
the past.  It's even sadder that fans and IRRESPONSIBLE RADIO stations
are hyping things up.

Lastly we should keep in mind that 8 years after his death we still
have not found out who did it.  Nor have we found the killer of 2Pac.

It's time for a serious change in direction..

Davey D

=================================

Notorious BIG Gunned Down in LA
by Davey D
reprint from March 10 1997

Below is the original story as it ran when Biggie was killed March 9th
1997.  Also included in the story are some pictures we took that
day..Note all the artists who felt like the lives were in danger..

www.daveyd.com/notorious.html


Notorious BIG Gunned Down
The End of an ERA Occurs

Last Tuesday March 4 1997 Notorious BIG rolled through KMEL's
Breakfast Club and did his last radio interview.  I recall him being
upbeat and playful...  He was in good spirits and he seemed to have an
air of optimism about him.  He mentioned that he was ready to take the
rap world by storm.  He spoke about how he had put a lot of hard work
into his upcoming album 'Life After Death'.  The album was recorded
over a 9 month period.  Biggie spoke very passionately about the
importance of putting God in your life...  'A lot of people are
surprised to hear someone like me say that..  they think it makes you
soft', he said..  'But if God is with you no one can be against
you..no one is stronger then God'.  He mentioned that it was his good
friend and the man he managed Sean 'Puffy' Combs who introduced this
drug dealer turned rapper to God.  It was a Biggie Smallz most have
rarely seen or heard.  It was an introspective Biggie who seemed to
have matured...

The Biggie I recall in his last radio interview was a Biggie who spoke
emphatically about the hell he had been through with the this whole
East/West Coast civil war within hip hop.  He spoke frankly and
earnestly about what it was like being in the middle of this whole
drama...  He told our audience that most people didn't really
understand the relationship between him and 2Pac..  He spoke on the
fact he and Pac were nothing more then rappers and that a lot of
things were blown out of proportion by the media.  However there was
one comment that was a bit disturbing..  When asked directly as to
whether or not he had a hand in the killing of his arch rival 2Pac
Shakur, Biggie responded in a coy type of fashion that 'he wasn't that
powerful yet'.  When asked again he responded the same way.  He didn't
put forth that unequivocal, undeniable answer of 'No'.  It was almost
as if Biggie wanted to keep some mystery about him.  It was as if he
wanted people to somehow think that he was somehow capable of carrying
out such a heinous crime'.  Personally it wasn't a very constructive
thing to do...  considering there were still so many people here on
the West Coast that were both still grieving and somehow thought that
Biggie had something to do with PAC's demise.  This is not to say that
his answers which incidentally were said on the Wake Up Show in LA the
week before had anything to do with him being killed...but it leaves
one to wonder...why he would go there..  Why not permanently put all
those rumors to rest.

According to witnesses, Notorious BIG was hanging out at an after
party for the Soul Train Music Awards.  The party was being thrown by
Vibe Magazine at the Automotive Museum in downtown LA and Biggie was
in full swing with an entourage of about 30 people including Lil
Caesar, and Lil Kim.  Many claim Biggie and company had been 'flossin'
big time [steppin' out]..by adorning fancy 'gangster outfits' and
showing little concern for their safety in LA.  Biggie and most of his
entourage had been chillin' in LA for the past couple of weeks laying
down the groundwork for the promotion of his upcoming album.  From the
outside looking in, Biggie's visible presence in LA indicated that
everything was squashed and there's was no longer any more bad blood
between LA based Death Row and the New York based Bad Boy record
companies who had embarked on a new and more peaceful direction for
hip hop.  A lot of this was reinforced by the recent 'coming together'
of Snoop Dog and Sean Puffy Combs..  on the Steve Harvey Show.  Folks
simply felt it was all good...Industry insiders said such was not the
case.

The word on the streets was there were still a number of individuals
angry at Biggie..  His high visibility in Los Angeles was viewed by
some as a smack in the face to 2Pac.  People holding such sentiments
may have been small in number...but they were nevertheless dangerous
enough that Biggie should've been concerned and aware of his
surroundings...

The actual shooting occurred when a drive by assailant let loose at
Big as he sat in his Suburban.  Biggie was on his way to 92.3 The Beat
to do an interview.  Lil Caesar was apparently with him but was
unharmed.  Nearby was a vehicle with Foxy Brown inside...  The
windshield to that vehicle was shattered...  After the shooting, many
of the NY based artist became very concerned..  Most left the LA area
the next day [Sunday] as opposed to Monday when they were scheduled.
The word was out that NY rappers best beware..

The fallout of this tragedy has left many within the hip hop community
shocked and despaired.  Rumors immediately began to surface.
Witnesses claim that Notorious BIG has earlier that evening engaged in
a heated argument with DJ Quik..  The rumors speculating that Quik had
something to do with the shooting immediately circulated around the
Bay Area..  Other rumors surfaced saying that Suge Knight was the
mastermind behind the shootings..  It was a message from his jail cell
to let Biggie and everyone else know that he was very much in control
despite being handed a 8 year prison sentence..  Another theory was
that Biggie was gunned down by LA Crips because him and Bad Boy
refused to pay an extortion fee to members of the LA Based gang.
Other speculated that it was a Mafia hit.  The most outrageous and yet
persistent rumor is that it was someone connected to 2Pac...  perhaps
even Pac himself was involved if you believe the rumors about him
being alive.  Ironically Biggie was killed 2 weeks before the release
of his lp like 2Pac...  It also occurred 6 month and a day after 2
Pac's untimely demise.  Another disheartening speculation is that
there would be retaliation from the East Coast...  Artist like Ice
Cube and Mack 10 have been said to be next on the hit list of this on
going saga.  Whatever the case the shooting took place in front of a
lot of people within the music industry..  and that Biggie was the
intended target...  Many are refusing to talk..

The Vibe on the streets out here in the Bay Area has been one of
frustration..  Many have gotten fed up with a situation that has
gotten totally out of hand..  Many have pledged to help bring about
some substantial changes..  Still others have sadly celebrated
Biggie's death claiming that it was just revenge for PAC's death..
'Now folks back east know how it feels' was what many said.  In San
Francisco Fillmore district there were folks actually getting drunk
and partying over the fact that Biggie got shot..  Things have
definitely gotten bad within some circles.What's so sad is that Biggie
at age 24 leaves behind two children, a wife and his mom.

Hip Hop based radio station around the country immediately addressed
this issue.  Here in San Francisco on KMEL's Street Knowledge Show,
Public Enemy's Harry Allen and Christopher Mohammed from the Nation Of
Islam...  help set the tone and bring about a proper perspective on
this scenario.  As tragic as this even was..  many within the hip hop
nation have taken a stance to recommit themselves to uplifting and
bringing about redirect people down a more positive path.

Christopher Mohammed spoke about the influence of outside forces.  He
reminded people about the counter intelligence programs of the 60s in
which African American organizations were deliberately pitted against
one another.  Through media manipulation the so called East/West Coast
war has been brought to new and dangerous heights..  Brother Chris let
it be known this whole incident was bigger Biggie and 2Pac and that
the whole East/West coast war is an attempt to keep Black folks from
uniting..

Harry Allen spoke about many people being left to feel powerless and
how hip hop has become something that they no longer control.  He
stressed the importance of folks getting some sort of spiritual
grounding and to resist the temptation of trying to fit into this
whole East West War just to garner a reputation.

The following morning...  Dr.  Dre and Red Alert appeared on KMEL's
Breakfast Club morning show as did Chuck D from Public Enemy.  The
main topic at hand was parental responsibility and the role those of
us in media play in helping solve or bring about problems.  Red Alert
noted that its important that the lines of communication between East
and West be kept open..  The result has been the calling a radio
summit...  Currently Sway of the Wake Up Show and program director
Michelle S of KMEL and others are trying to assemble key hip hop djs
and artists from around the country for a soon to be announced on air
town hall meeting/ hip hop summit.  The plan is to have it air live in
as many markets as possible simultaneously.  Most important of course
is Cali and New York..  Dr Dre took things a step further and insisted
that this summit be televised as well as aired on the radio..  People
are working to see if this can happen..  We will keep you posted as
this on air summit develops.

In another strange twist of events...Suge Knight has reportedly been
stabbed seven times while on lock down yesterday...  The weapon was
sharpened chicken bones...There has been no official report on his
condition and who the assailant was...Death Row Records as of today
3/12/97 has issued a statement denying such an event has taken
place....  Check out their official press release...  [editor's note]

Also KRS-One who is scheduled to do a concert here in the Bay Area has
supposedly expressed some concern about being here out west...

Here at KMEL a commitment and a pledge of sorts have been taken by the
on air staff to help foster a new change..  The station is getting
ready to start accentuating positivity within hip hop..  The challenge
has been issued to listeners to try and make a difference..  The
underlying goal is to help increase consciousness amongst the hip hop
generation..  Things are getting ready to change...  Hip Hop is at a
turning point...  Either we're gonna turn things around..  or we're
gonna continue down a path of destruction with the worse yet to
come...


written by
Davey D
3/10/97

[Lil Jay]

where my biggie heads at

[TobyTizzle]

Thanks man, cant wait to peep this 2morrow... bed time now...

prizzops

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

I'ma dl this

[Leggy Hendrix]

props...downloading now...

[salvador]

that's some fucked up shit

[Machiavelli]

Rumors immediately began to surface.
Witnesses claim that Notorious BIG has earlier that evening engaged in
a heated argument with DJ Quik..  The rumors speculating that Quik had
something to do with the shooting immediately circulated around the
Bay Area..