March 9, 1997 marked a monumental day for the hip-hop nation and Black communities the world over. Christopher Wallace, aka “The Notorious B.I.G.” was shot to death in Los Angeles, CA after leaving a party with his entourage. Prior to the murder, there were rumors that his camp and Bad Boy mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs were involved in the murder of Tupac Shakur, 6 months earlier. Furthermore, the fueling fire of East Coast vs. West Coast beef had escalated to a most intolerant level, displayed at its pinnacle at the Source Awards in 1995. Because of these ongoing antics, the aftermath of two legendary rappers’ deaths left us with unanswered questions, demanding that justice be served to ease the haunting 13-year  anxiety of finding Biggie’s killer.

Through the years, speculation and rumors have swirled about Biggie’s death, one consistently stating that the LAPD was involved with his shooting. In addition to many admiring fans and detectives, Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, would demand an aggressive and thorough investigation for her son’s murder to no avail, but with every stone uncovered, further efforts to discovering the truth were blocked by officials due to “authorization specifics”. I suspect, though, that our anxiety need not be for long; new leads have surfaced in the murder investigation of ‘Big Poppa’, though officials can’t elaborate or voice many details. In a way, they say recent findings may have given them the boost needed to reinvigorate the homicide case, which would finally put the remaining pieces together for an actual conviction and/or indictment (see video below).

From the genesis of the investigation it was speculated that the LAPD, with its spotty history, was somehow involved in the murder of Biggie. To back up this claim a local detective, Russell Poole, took the case, working every angle and possibility of suspects, and rested his suspicions on personnel and officers of the LAPD. Subsequently, he received an early “retirement” from his position after many blocked attempts to link evidence with the Police Department, causing the case to go cold. Upon interviewing Poole about this untimely action, he believes he “was getting too close to the truth”, uncovering that officials at the LAPD also worked part-time for Death Row Records mogul and “Puffy” Combs’ archenemy Suge Knight. From the corrupt and shady history of Los Angeles’ finest comes many reasons for the postponement of The Notorious B.I.G’s murder investigation, but since these new leads have been uncovered and are working its way through the detective reel, we will hopefully see an end to this heart-breaking chapter in American history.

• Do you think these new leads will result in a conviction?
  
• By the time the investigation’s over, will people’s anxiety subside?
  
• Has Biggie’s popularity skyrocketed because his killer hasn’t been found?