Biggie and Macbeth

One person I would compare to Macbeth from modern times is Christopher Wallace, more commonly known as the Notorious BIG or Biggie Smalls. Macbeth rose to the top by doing whatever was necessary to succeed and by having incredible ambition and talent as a warrior. Biggie shared all of these characteristics. Like how Macbeth killed and betrayed people standing in his way, Biggie committed numerous crimes in order to gain notoriety and respect, like selling crack, beating people, and robberies. Like how Macbeth was indisputably a great warrior, Biggie was truly one of the greats, but through feuds and other pernicious acts he rose to fame quicker than he could have otherwise. By starting feuds with other rappers and producers like Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight, Biggie became a king in a sense. In what is perhaps the most famous picture of him, he is seen wearing a golden crown, showing how in many ways he was a king. Small's biggest rival, Tupac Shakur, was killed in a drive by shooting in which Biggie was implicated. Much like Macbeth killing Duncan, Biggie had to kill another king to be on top. Also like Macbeth, once in power Biggie became paranoid and violent. Macbeth did violent and foolhardy things like kill Macduff's family and Banquo, and Biggie committed similar acts like assaulting fans and possessing large amounts of illegal weapons. Biggie's end was also similar to Macbeth's. The east west rivalry was what spurred Tupacs death, and as an act of retaliation Biggie was killed in a drive by, believed to be done by a member of west coast scene. Biggie also had lyrical similarities to lines from the play. In "Who Shot Ya", he says, "Everything around me two Glock 9s, Any motherfcker whispering about mines, And I'm Brooklyn's finest, You rewind this, Bad Boy's behind this." This seems like a very forward admission of guilt in the death of Tupac, but due to his fame and status Biggie was untouchable except for by violence. Lady Macbeth, her mental status deteriorating much like Biggie's due to paranoia, says, "What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" (5.1.42), demonstrating how her mental status is similar to that of Biggie after the hit of Tupac. Obviously the stories of these two individuals do not line up perfectly, but the same motivations and fears drove the two men to do the horrible and great things that they did, showing the consistency of human nature throughout time.