(soft music)
- [Narrator] On March 9th, 1997, East Coast's
most dominant rap artist Notorious B.I.G.,
also known as Biggie Smalls was shot dead in Los Angeles.
(gun shots blaring)
In this episode, we're going to explain what happened.
Who stands behind Biggie's murder
and why no one got charged.
(dramatic music)
As we start exploring Biggie's case,
we've gotta mention another rap genius, Tupac Shakur.
Biggie and Tupac were the two reigning Kings
of the rap empire, which was the United States
in the mid 1990s.
Biggie ruled on the East Coast while Tupac
was the undisputed champ of the West Coast.
Those two had been good friends for a few years
until Suge Knight and Puff Daddy, owners
of the two competing record labels representing Tupac
and Biggie started arguably
the most violent rivalry in music history.
The rivalry of East Coast versus West Coast hip hop.
In just a few years, Suge and Puff went from talking trash
about each other to going after each other's lives
or the lives of those who mattered most.
Blood spill was inevitable.
on September 13th, 1996, Tupac died from the gun wounds
he received in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
Biggie Smalls would die just six months after Tupac.
At the time, the murder of Tupac was still a mystery
to the general public.
Yet, two things were clear.
The East Coast had something to do with it
and the West Coast wasn't planning on taking it easy.
Quite the opposite.
The idea of retaliation was in the air.
So here's how the situation likely played out.
- All right, here's what you're gonna do for me.
Now, listen and listen carefully.
You need to find my man Poochie.
This guy's the real deal, you know what I'm saying?
He'll get those East Coast clowns back on their knees.
- [Narrator] From the Sheridan Federal Prison
where he landed shortly after Tupac's death, Suge Knight
was orchestrating the retaliation plan.
He knew who was behind Tupac's murder.
He was in the car with Tupac when he got shot,
so he saw the actual killers, but he hadn't given any names
and did not cooperate with police on the case.
Instead, he wanted the street justice to take place.
Blood for blood.
Suge's people got a hold
of Wardell Fouse, street name, Poochie.
He was a Mob Piru gang member
with the reputation of being a hitter for real.
- So, what'd you say, 13G?
Let me know we're in.
You know what to do next.
- [Narrator] Once the deal with Poochie was done,
it was just a matter of time
before the retaliation plan would come into fruition.
In late January of 1997, Puff Daddy, Biggie, their security
and entourage traveled from New York to Los Angeles.
Biggie was planning to stay there for a while
to film a video for the main single from his upcoming album.
It wasn't as clear then as it is now,
but Biggie's trip to L.A. five months
after Tupac had been killed was a fatal mistake.
The beef between the East and West Coast was still on.
On March 8th, instead of getting on a plane
and flying to London to promote
his upcoming album, Biggie decided to stick
around for the Vibe Party
which was held that night at the Peterson Automotive Museum
in the heart of Los Angeles.
- Hey, Gene, got some intel for you, brother.
Some boys in the hood said, they're gonna come get you.
You know what I'm saying?
Gene, they're gonna come get you at the party tonight.
- Shit.
Yo, Puff, there's something I gotta tell you.
- [Narrator] Gene Deal, head of security for Puff,
was informed that something was up.
He told his boss about it,
but this information wasn't taken seriously.
At that point, they had spent almost two months
in L.A. and everything seemed so chill that both Puff
and Biggie got the false sense of security.
Little did they know that the rumors were indeed true.
At midnight on March 8th, the Vibe Party
was at full swing.
Celebrities, music, and the usual party stuff.
But 30 minutes later,
the fire department had to shut it down
as the festivities were getting a little outta control.
The next stop for the boys was the after party
at Steve Stout's house in Beverly Hills.
The three-car caravan with Puff in the first car and Biggie
in the second, took off from the alley near
the Peterson Museum and made a right turn on Fairfax
to go up north.
While Big's making himself comfortable
on the front passenger seat, Poochie
is getting ready for action.
He's in a black Chevy Impala parked strategically
along the curb on Fairfax.
He only needs one chance.
What was so strategic about the position of that car?
Well, he didn't know exactly where Puff
and Biggie were going.
He knew that from the alley, they need to go on Fairfax,
but they could have gone north or south.
He figured that from this position
he would be able to see either one
of those maneuvers and follow their lead.
So the caravan makes the right turn.
Less than 1/2 of a block ahead
of them is a flashing red light.
Puffy's car blows past the light, but Big's car remains
at the intersection.
Here's the chance Poochie was waiting for.
He pulls away from the curb, stops right next to Big's car
and fires five shots.
(gun shots blaring)
The black Impala makes the right turn on Wilshire.
It takes a minute for those in the car
to realize what just happened
and that Biggie got hurt.
Obviously, everyone's in shock and no one had seen the face
of the shooter.
The chase undertaken
by Puff's security team ended up nowhere
as the Impala quickly disappeared and was never
to be seen again.
Biggie was rushed to the nearby Cedar-Sinai Medical Center.
But despite the quick medical attention,
the four bullets had already done their fatal damage.
Biggie Smalls was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m on March 9th.
He was 24 years old.
We already covered Tupac's death story in one
of the previous episodes.
But look just how similar these stories are.
Late night, two cars, drive-by shooting, amazing.
And similar to Tupac's case,
the murder of Biggie Smalls is officially unsolved.
As for the killer, Poochie was shot and killed
in 2003 in Compton
as he was riding his motorcycle.
By the way, was he acting alone?
Probably not, too many moving pieces.
He should have had one or two partners in this crime.
Who were they?
History is still silent about that.
This is the story of Biggie Small's death.
This is how it was.
(dramatic music)
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(bell chiming)