B.I. G. Mystery

March 9, 1997....My flight from Atlanta had just arrived in Philly....I had been in the ATL for two weeks...It was around 7:30 pm...I was hungry, I was tired...and I desperately wanted some good food ,a hot bath and some rest....Though not necessarily in that order. I took a cab from the airport to my house...

Of course my wife was glad to see me...My daughter, who was 16 then was doing what most 16 year old girls do when they are home...Talking on the phone...On any other night I wouldn't have cared or paid much attention to her and her girlfriend's conversation..but this night ,what I heard her say unnerved me....

"Oh my God...Marsha are you serious?? Dad!!! Biggie got shot!!! He's dead!!!" she screamed...

''WHAT???" I said....I was stunned....It hadn't been a year, scarcely six or seven months since I had heard my daughter in a similar phone conversation blurt out- "Hey yall, Tupac just got shot out in Las Vegas!"

Again....My reaction was - "WHAT????"

Most of you who were alive back then who was listening to music remember those dark days...The days of the so-called East Coast -West Coast war in hip hop.....Truly a dark time...The West Coast was ruling hip-hop in the mid nineties and Notorious B.I.G. from Brooklyn had single handedly saved East Coast Rap.... Tupac (who was born on the East Coast) had chosen to defect and represent the West and under the spell of that hoodlum posing as a record label head, Marion "Suge" Knight....Tupac kind of lost his way....Things got way out of hand and a "war" between the coasts began.

I always thought the so called war was hyped up by the press and the media in general...After all, this was the post O.J. era...They needed something to sell papers and snatch ratings out of the toilet.

Now, 14 years after his death and 15 years after Tupac's death...Neither murder has been solved. I always had my theory about who was behind both deaths... I won't call the mastermind out here...Not because I'm afraid, but because I can't prove it. I've always said that if you want to know who may have committed a murder , think about who benefits from the person not being around! From what I can see, this particular person hasn't fared too well since either rapper has died, so ,so much for that theory!

Still, I can't help wondering if either murder, Big's or Tupac's will ever be solved.....There has been theories about a rogue cop, a guy now serving time for bank robbery and even a guy who is now deceased himself being the triggerman. The FBI has closed a lengthy investigation into it without naming a suspect and accusations ,some groundless and some with merit have flown.....

When all is said and done, Hip Hop has a huge gap that hasn't been filled to this day and there still remains a huge mystery that sadly, may never be solved!

Rest in peace Big...Thanks for everything!