Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace lost his life in 1997 at the age of 24. Fellow Bad Boy Entertainment artists, like Mason “Ma$e” Betha, had to deal with the tragic death of the record label’s flagship act.
Ma$e recently discussed The Notorious B.I.G. losing his life twenty-six years ago. On the October 9th edition of the It Is What It Is sports talk show, the Harlem World album creator recalled the apparent dangerous fallout from Biggie’s murder.
“I was actually in a hotel with a young lady,” said Ma$e. He also added, “I actually was trapped in the hotel… It was about, probably like, 70 or so Bloods in the hallway. I couldn’t even leave my room.”
The 48-year-old New Yorker also stated, “After Big got killed, they were probably looking for more Bad Boy artists. And I couldn’t even leave the room until [Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Combs’ ex-bodyguard] Gene Deal had to come get me.”
Ma$e released his Harlem World studio LP via Bad Boy Entertainment seven months after The Notorious B.I.G. died. The protégé of Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs also appeared on Biggie’s Life After Death posthumous album.
“Mo Money Mo Problems” featuring Ma$e and Puff Daddy became one of the standout Life After Death singles. That Notorious B.I.G. track peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in 1997. The collaboration also earned a Grammy nomination.
Before Life After Death hit record stores on March 25, 1997, a gunman fired fatal shots into The Notorious B.I.G.’s vehicle during a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9 of that year. Local authorities have not arrested any suspects in connection to the 26-year-old cold case.