evidence: The Notorious B.I.G. (born May 21, 1972, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died March 9, 1997, Los Angeles, California) was an American rapper who was among the most influential artists of 1990s gangsta rap. [...] After developing a talent for rap as a pastime, Wallace recorded a demo under the stage name Biggie Smalls. The recording came to the attention of Sean ("Puffy") Combs, who then worked with Wallace at Uptown Records and in 1993 signed him to a new record label, Bad Boy Entertainment. Wallace’s first single as a solo artist, "Party and Bullshit," was released the following year, and his first album, Ready to Die, was released in 1994 under the name The Notorious B.I.G. Popular singles from that album include "Juicy" and "Big Poppa"—the latter earning him a Grammy nomination for best rap solo performance. Both before and after the release of the album, he collaborated with a number of other artists, including Mary J. Blige and Michael Jackson. [...] On March 9, 1997, Wallace was leaving a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles when he was killed in a drive-by shooting. The shooter and the motive remained unknown. Wallace’s second solo album, Life After Death, was released later that month.