Though we’ve received a documentary and a biopic about Biggie Smalls, much of the information surrounding his actual character relies on word-of-mouth stories from those who were close to him. During a recent interview with The Starting Five podcast, Jadakiss recalled Biggie’s humility during recording sessions. Apparently, the late Brooklyn legend refused to allow anyone to compliment him on his craft. “We had this thing where we couldn’t talk about each other’s craft or we couldn’t say how dope we were to each other,” Jadakiss explained.
The Yonkers wordsmith explained Biggie didn’t really even want to talk about rap on most occasions. Despite being the Greatest Rapper, B.I.G didn’t necessarily want to divulge their crafts outside of the booth. “[Biggie was] like, ‘Let’s talk about anything else except that.’ He was super down to earth. I mean, unbelievably down to earth,” he said. From there, Jadakiss detailed the vibe in the studio, which often led to Biggie offering a drink to whoever entered the space.
Jadakiss Recalls Biggie' The Bartender's Humility
Naturally, alcohol would flow through the studio sessions but Jadakiss explained that Biggie was usually the one to try and play bartender. “You could come into his session, he always wanted to make you a drink, he thought he was a bartender. ‘Playboy, you drinking?’ He wanted to make your drink for you, not like tell somebody, ‘Cease, make him a drink!'” Jadakiss recalled. “He’d get the ice, get the stirrers, all that. He’d wanna make you a Malibu, so he was just extra golden.”
Jadakiss went into more detail about his interactions with Biggie including the intel and advice he provided the LOX before they inked a deal with Bad Boy. Though he acknowledged that Puff had a tendency to be persistent, he told Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch that the Bad Boy founder knew how to turn them into household names. “He gave us a lot of knowledge on Puff [Daddy], like, ‘He’s gonna get on your nerves, but he’s gonna make you a star,” Jadakiss recalled. “He’s gonna make you do some stuff you don’t want, but you gon’ be good at the end. Just trust me.’” Check the full episode out above.
