American rapper and songwriter Notorious BIG had an estimated net worth of $20 million. Born Christopher George Latore Wallace on May 21, 1972, he was also known as The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls. Other names include “The King of New York”, “The Black Frank White”, “Big Poppa”, “Frankie Baby”, and “B.I.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he was the only son to parents of Jamaican descent. He was a high school dropout who began dealing crack in the neighborhood, a venture he claimed as his only source of income. During his trip to North Carolina for a routine drug exchange, he ended up in jail and served for nine months behind bars.

His music career began as a rapper during his teenage years. He had recorded hip hop tracks on a tape which was passed around and played at local radio stations in New York. He released his debut album Ready to Die in 1994 which he collaborated with Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy and Mase. With this, he became a central figure in the East Coast Hip Hop scene. He also helped increase the city’s visibility in the genre during that time when West Coast Hip Hop was dominant in the mainstream.

Through his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Wallace has led his childhood friends to achieve success in the charts. He also became more involved in the growing East Coast/West Coast hip hop feud while recording his second album. He met Tupac Shakur, an MC from the West Coast, which soon he became friends with despite the dispute later on in their careers.

On March 9, 1997, Christopher Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Sixteen days after, his Life After Death double-disc set was released and became No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. In 2000, it was certified Diamond and is one of the few hip hop albums to receive such certification. Two more albums were released since his death and he had certified sales of 17 million units in the US.