How Biggie Went From Ashy To Classy: By People Who Styled Him

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Biggie Smalls was the illest…Big had a top-notch flow, a booming voice, and lyrics drenched in authenticity and humor. The all-time great MC born Christopher Wallace said it was all a dream, and then he took us on a ride from his time as a stressed-out kid in the streets of Bed-Stuy…to when he made that dream a reality by becoming one of the biggest stars on the planet. And he did it all through sheer force of will and talent.

As metamorphic as Big’s life was, his iconic style shape-shifted too. Heads watched Biggie’s fashion transformation play out in real time. In five short years, The Notorious B.I.G. went from wearing bandanas and t-shirts to rocking tailored suits and silk shirts. As Biggie himself said on “Sky’s The Limit,” his style went from “ashy to classy…” And, it turns out, that was by design.

Behind the music videos, the Source magazine covers, and the unforgettable red carpet looks were two people who helped transform Biggie Smalls into Big Poppa. One husband and wife team helped turn a man who described himself as “far from handsome”... and who sewed fake logos on his clothes as a kid…into an international sex symbol whose fashion influence was generational. This is the story of how those two people helped take Biggie from ashy to classy.