Notorious B.I.G.

Today would have been Notorious B.I.G.’s 40th birthday.  Born Christopher Wallace and also known as Biggie Smalls, Notorious B.I.G. became just the fifth artist in the history of Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart to have a posthumous number one hit, as “Hypnotize” hit the top of the chart in May 1997, just a couple months after he died.  In doing so, Biggie joined the likes of Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Jim Croce, and John Lennon.  In August 1997, when “Mo Money Mo Problems” hit number one as well, he became the only artist to have two posthumous number one hits.