Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
The LAPD Is Back On The Hunt For Biggie's Killer
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 7, 2011
Modified Jan 7, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 7, 2011
Modified Jan 7, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
According to CNN, the LAPD is once again actively pursuing leads into the 1997 slaying of Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls/The Notorious B.I.G. One law enforcement source told them that the unsolved case was "reinvigorated" months ago due to new information, although they didn't reveal any other details about said info. But in addition to the LAPD and the L.A. County District Attorney's Office, it seems that the FBI is now involved with the case. Might that imply there's some sort of conspiracy afoot?
To recap briefly: 24-year-old Biggie was gunned down in a car in L.A. by an African American male dressed in a blue suit and bow tie on March 9, 1997. There have been numerous convoluted conspiracy theories bandied about as to who orchestrated the murder; one of the more popular theories is that the killing was an off-shoot of the hip-hop East Coast/West Coast rivalry, and set into motion by Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight (that theory was prominent in the "investigative documentary" Biggie and Tupac). For more background on the case and its many theories, Vulture points to Randal Sullivan's 2005 Rolling Stone article, which among other things accused the LAPD of being complicit in a cover-up, and not fully investigating links with Death Row Records.
We're not holding our breath that this mystery will be solved, at least not until we find out just what all the vague "new information" is. Till then, all we can do is sit back in the jacuzzi, and fill our belly's with a t-bone steak, cheese eggs and Welch's grape.
Tagged
biggie small
christopher wallace
lapd
Music
Notorious B.I.G.
rap
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .