Biggie and Tupac | 7. To Live and Die in LA

Summary

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Episode Summary: Slow Burn – Biggie and Tupac | 7. To Live and Die in LA

Host: Joel Anderson
Date: December 11, 2019

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Main Theme

This episode explores the turbulent months following Tupac Shakur’s death and how his murder reverberated through the life of Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G., the wider hip-hop community, and the ongoing East Coast–West Coast conflict. The story focuses on Biggie's personal and professional reckoning, his attempts to find peace amid mounting danger, and the decisions that led him and Puff Daddy (Sean “Puffy” Combs) back to Los Angeles—the epicenter of threat—despite clear risks.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Immediate Aftermath of Tupac’s Death

• Biggie’s Reaction:
  • Biggie and his circle initially believed Tupac would survive his shooting, referencing how Tupac had previously survived similar violence.
  • “Pac got shot. We was like, all right, Pac got shot. He’ll live. You know what I’m saying? He always lived. It’s not the first time he had got shot.”
    — Nasheem Myrick, producer (01:00)
• Silence and Shock in the Studio:
  • The news of Tupac’s death left Biggie and his crew stunned.
  • “When they said, Pac just died, we was like, silent.”
    — Nasheem Myrick (01:23)

2. Biggie’s Grief, Fear, and Emotional Turmoil

• Private Sorrow:
  • Biggie called his estranged wife, Faith Evans, in tears, confessing his fear and sadness.
  • “Something ain’t right, Faye... Shit got fucked up somewhere along the way, but that was my nigga.” (01:45)
• Complex Emotions:
  • Although devastated, Biggie was not simply mourning—he was also grappling with betrayal and the way personal animosity and public beef had shaped recent events.
  • “This nigga, he made my life miserable... He told lies, fucked with my marriage, turned fans against me—for what?”
    — Biggie, as quoted by Dream Hampton (02:15)

3. Biggie’s Legal Trouble and Physical Trauma

• Arrests and Accidents:
  • Days after Tupac’s death, Biggie was arrested for marijuana possession. Shortly after, he was in a dangerous car accident, suffering a broken leg in three places.
  • “Cease’s face hit the steering wheel, shattering a bunch of his teeth. Biggie fractured his leg in three places and had to be cut out of the van.”
    — Joel Anderson, summarizing from Chico Del Vec’s recollection (03:23)
• Period of Reflection:
  • Immobilized and vulnerable in rehab, Biggie began attending therapy and reflecting on his life’s trajectory.

4. Biggie’s Ambitions and Desire for Change

• Seeking Safety and Stability:
  • Biggie contemplated leaving behind his past by moving his family to quieter neighborhoods and focusing on business opportunities.
  • He aspired to create generational wealth, looking to Puffy’s example in the industry.
• The Need to Make Peace:
  • “The only way he could squash the beef, Biggie thought, was to do what he did best.” (04:45)
  • Instead of retaliating, Biggie leaned into his artistry, recording a “California anthem”—the now-famous “Going Back to Cali.”

5. Looming Dangers and a Fateful Return to LA

• Rumors and Paranoia:
  • The unresolved circumstances of Tupac’s murder led to persistent street speculation—some blamed gang factions, others pointed at Bad Boy Records and Biggie himself. Paranoia set in.
  • “It’s not worth it anymore. That’s why I just stay in the motherfucking house.”
    — Biggie, quoted to a music writer (05:30)
• Risky Promotion:
  • Against advice and amid rumors of escalating violence, Puff Daddy and Biggie committed to a high-profile LA trip—a decision later seen as fateful.
  • The episode sets up the inexorable logic and danger behind their westward move.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tupac’s Resilience:

  • “Pac got shot. He’ll live. He always lived. It’s not the first time he had got shot.”
    — Nasheem Myrick (01:00)

• On Realizing Tupac’s Fatality:

  • “When they said, Pac just died, we was like, silent.”
    — Nasheem Myrick (01:23)

• Biggie’s Internal Conflict:

  • “This nigga, he made my life miserable… He told lies, fucked with my marriage, turned fans against me—for what?”
    — Biggie to Dream Hampton (02:15)

• After the Car Accident:

  • “Ceeze’s face hit the steering wheel, shattering a bunch of his teeth. Biggie fractured his leg in three places and had to be cut out of the van.”
    — Joel Anderson (03:23)

• Biggie on Escaping Violence:

  • “It’s not worth it anymore. That’s why I just stay in the motherfucking house.”
    — Biggie (05:30)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:24: Joel Anderson introduces the episode and sets the scene for the night of September 13, 1996.
• 01:00 – 01:23: Nasheem Myrick shares the studio’s reaction to Tupac’s shooting and death.
• 01:35 - 02:15: Biggie’s emotional turmoil and his conversation with Faith Evans and Dream Hampton.
• 03:15 – 03:23: Chico Del Vec recounts the car accident that injured Biggie and Lil Cease.
• 04:15 – 04:45: Biggie’s retreat from public life, desire to slow down, and new ambitions.
• 05:30: Biggie’s reluctance to leave the house due to fear and growing sense of danger.
• 05:45: Introduction of Biggie's plans for reconciliation through music and the upcoming, ill-fated trip to LA.

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Tone & Narrative Style

The episode is immersive, mixing first-person recollections with archival context and host narration. There is a sense of foreboding as the narrative moves towards Biggie’s fateful trip to Los Angeles, underlined with empathy and historical insight. Driven by personal testimony, the tone remains direct, candid, and often mournful.

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This summary provides a comprehensive walkthrough of “To Live and Die in LA,” blending key points, emotional beats, and standout moments for listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Slate Plus Narrator]

Slow Burn is a production of Slate Plus, Slate's membership program. Slate plus members get an entire bonus episode of the show every week with all kinds of extra material, exclusive interviews, roundtables, and more of the crazy stuff we found while researching the show. Joining Slate plus is also a great way to support this show and our other podcasts. If you like Slow Burn, help us make it. Slate plus members also get their Slate.

[Joel Anderson]

Podcasts with no ads. Not even this one. Okay, here's episode seven of Slow Burn. This podcast has language that some people might find offensive. On the night of September 13, 1996, Christopher Wallace, the Notorious B.I.G. was in a recording studio in New York. It was about a week since Tupac Shakur had been attacked in Las Vegas, and Biggie and his crew still figured Tupac would pull through.

[Nasheem Myrick]

I mean, Pac got shot. We was like, all right, Pac got shot. He'll live. You know what I'm saying? He always lived. It's not the first time he had got shot.

[Joel Anderson]

That's Nasheem Myrick, one of the producers who was working with Biggie back then. Myrick was in the studio with Biggie all the time, and they weren't doing anything all that special on September 13th. But everything changed when they heard the grim news out of Vegas.

[Nasheem Myrick]

When that shit came, because I had the TV on, everybody had the TV on. And when they said, Pac just died, we was like, silent.

[Chico Del Vec]

Was like, wow.

[Joel Anderson]

Biggie and his wife, Faith Evans, were living apart. He called her that night. She described his voice as low and small. He was crying and seemed afraid. Something ain't right, Faye, he told her. Shit got fucked up somewhere along the way, but that was my nigga. Biggie was clearly hurt by Tupac's death. He was also scared to realize that Tupac's money and security guards hadn't protected him from the violence of the streets. But at the same time, Biggie wasn't exactly mourning his former friend. Tupac had told the world that Biggie and Sean Puffy Combs were involved in the shooting at Quad Studios. Tupac had also boasted about sleeping with Biggie's wife and fantasized in his lyrics about killing Biggie and everyone around him, no matter the bond they'd shared. When times were good, Biggie wasn't going to forget the bad stuff. This nigga, he made my life miserable, biggie said to his friend Dream Hampton. He told lies, fucked with my marriage, turned fans against me for what? Biggie told Hampton he wasn't going to Tupac's service. It turned out he Couldn't have gone even if he wanted to. Two days after Tupac's death, on September 15, New York police arrested Biggie and his friend Lil Ceez for marijuana possession. The cops took their Lexus, and when they got it back, the car wouldn't drive. The dealership gave them a new ride, a Chevy Lumina. The next day, they took the Lumina on the New Jersey Turnpike. Ceez was driving and Big was in the passenger seat. Here's Biggie's old friend, Chico Del Vec of Junior Mafia.

[Chico Del Vec]

It was raining. Cease tried to spin off through the lane of an exit and ran into the barricade.

[Joel Anderson]

Ceeze's face hit the steering wheel, shattering a bunch of his teeth. Biggie fractured his leg in three places and had to be cut out of the van. Biggie spent much of the next two months at a rehab facility. He also started seeing a therapist and talking to God. Biggie decided that he needed to slow down and change his life. Even before the accident, Biggie had started thinking beyond his hometown. He'd left his beloved Brooklyn for a quiet gated community in Teaneck, N.J. now 24 years old and a platinum selling artist, he already had a young daughter and Faith was expecting his son. He wanted to buy his mother a home in the Poconos. He teamed up with an old friend to start a record company, Undia's Entertainment. He'd learned from watching Puffy that the real money was behind the scenes. If Biggie wanted to secure his future, there was still one huge thing he needed to accomplish. He had to make his peace with the West Coast. No one had been charged in Tupac's shooting, and rumors were rampant about who might be responsible. Some blamed the Southside Compton Crips. Others blamed Bad Boy. Specifically Bad Boy, Biggie and Puffy. All the speculation had made Biggie somber and withdrawn. He told one music writer, it's not worth it anymore. That's why I just stay in the motherfucking house. The only way he could squash the beef, Biggie thought, was to do what he did best. He ended up recording a California anthem, a tribute to the west coast sound. Going Back to Cali would be one of the best known tracks he ever made. He and Puffy also made another move, setting up a splashy promotional trip to Los Angeles that turned out to be a huge mistake. How did the hip hop world change in the months after Tupac's death? How did his killing reignite a gang war in la? And why did Puffy and Biggie risk everything by going to the West Coast. This is Slow Burn. I'm your host, Joel Anderson. This is episode seven, To Live and Die in la.

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