Biggie Smalls, the iconic face of East Coast gangsta rap, is considered by many to have been the greatest rapper of all time. His deep voice, effortless flow, vulnerable storytelling and the window he offered into hustler life in the 90s immortalised him in the hip-hop hall of fame, even before his death at the young age of 24.

In this collection of his insights and philosophy delivered throughout his short but brilliant life, we hear the ‘King of New York’ in his own words on his early life in Brooklyn, his marriage to Faith Evans, his notorious temper and even his infamous friendship-turned-fatal-rivalry with Tupac Shakur.

‘I’m just realising that nothing protects you from the inevitable. If something’s going to happen, it’s gonna happen, no matter what you do.’

‘I was real, real bad. You know what made it worse? Motherf*ckers would tell my mother that I did something, and she just wouldn’t believe them. Not my Christopher , she would say.’

‘I’m really no different than anybody else, I say grow from your mistakes and hopefully you can stand the repercussions.