The Notorious B.I.G.

“'96 is the year of love. We all need to pull together.”

“Naahhh... I don't like KRS no more 'cause he just think he's too dope.”

“I cleaned up my act, and I made this rap thing work for me. I thought people would respect me for that. But instead, it's, 'Oh, he's sold all these records, and now he thinks he's all that.'”

“I definitely wouldn't wish death on anyone.”

“I hold grudges, but I can't hate nobody; that's not my nature.”

“I'm basically different things to different people. If it's a guy, I'm-a probably have my guard up because it's a street rule that when men come around that I don't know, I just immediately throw shade on them. But I don't associate with fellas all that much; if it's a girl - a beautiful girl - I be nice.”

“I can't even say Puff and me are like brothers, 'cause we closer than that.”

“I can't even see me wasting my time or my talent to disrespect another black man.”

“The second time I went to jail, I was like, 'Okay, this is not the move.'”

“I'm not a security-type person: I don't want to have bodyguards around me. I'm not into all that.”

“In South Africa, they think we're pygmies!”

“With big folks, either people think you look mean or it's more of a jolly Santa Claus, 'Oh, he's just a pudgy little teddy bear pillow.'”

“How real can your music be if you wake up in the morning hearing birds and crickets? I never hear birds when I wake up. Just a lot of construction work, the smell of Chinese takeout, children screaming, and everybody knocking a different track from 'Ready to Die' as they pass down the street.”

“I married her after knowing her eight days, and I was happy. That was my baby. At the same time, with us being so spontaneous, we did it backwards. Maybe she won't admit it, but I will. We should have got to know each other and then got married. The relationship kind of dissolved, but we're still going to be friends. I love her.”

“You gotta mature, you know.”

“Back in third grade, they used to say, 'Take whatever talent you have and think of something you can do with it.' I liked to draw, but what could I do with it? Maybe I could be an art dealer - nah, can't see myself doing that. Maybe I could do commercial arts?”

“Every true hustler knows that you cannot hustle forever. You will go to jail eventually.”

“I'm making music for the people. If y'all love the music, y'all gonna buy the music.”

“Please don't hate me because I'm beautiful.”

“I'm definitely a writer. I don't even know how to freestyle.”