Biggie's 11 Favorite Cars (And 4 More Cars Every '90s Rapper Loved)
Content
- 15 1964 Chevrolet Impala — Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's favorite
- 14 Range Rovers
- 13 Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon
- 12 1997 E36 BMW M3
- 11 Ford Gran Turin
- 10 Jaguar XJS
- 9 Isuzu Soldier
- 8 Toyota Land Cruiser J8
- 7 Nissan Sentra
- 6 Honda Civic CX Hatchback 1994
- 5 GMC Suburban
- 4 Lexus GS300
- 3 Lexus SC - everyone's favorite
- 2 Mazda MPV is the favorite Wu-Tang clan
- 1 Infiniti Q45 – a favorite of younger mafiosi
The Notorious BIG is one of the most beloved rappers of all time. Even just over two decades after his tragic and untimely death, he is still one of the "five" greatest rappers of all time, according to many fans. Like many other stars of the rap game, the man loved his cars. If you look at some of his lyrics, you will notice that he refers to various vehicles throughout his discography.
Part of the fun of rap music is listening to people creatively show off their cars; Biggie was no different. However, what's especially endearing about Biggie's love of cars is the fact that he's a rapper from a different era; as a result, his passion for cars manifests itself in an almost completely different style than the rappers we're used to hearing about. For example, a rapper like Kanye West can drive an Audi R8, but those cars obviously didn't exist when Biggie was at the height of his success.
Another exciting thing about exploring Biggie's car choice is that it actually tells the story of his life. You can chart his history as a successful recording artist because his luck has changed over the years, and so has his taste in cars. He went from choosing cars that would be considered a bit more "pedestrian" to cars that were more luxurious. His car collection tells the story from rags to riches that his music often does.
After Biggie's death, of course, there were other big names in rap who carried the baton. Like Biggie, they also had unique car preferences. In the following list, we'll take a look at a few of Biggie's favorite cars over the years, as well as four classic cars used by some of his peers in the 90s.
15 1964 Chevrolet Impala — Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's favorite
The 1964 Chevrolet Impala is a classic car from the 1990s. Who could forget the Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in 1999 for "Still DRE"?
They are incredible and a lot of fun to watch. Vintage lowriders with hydraulics are always cool. These Chevy Impalas seem to be the most customizable cars; when it is fixed well enough, it looks great.
Another legendary 90s rapper who included the Impala in his lyrics was Ski-Lo. On his biggest hit "I Wish", "impala six four" was one of the things he desired. He also mentions, “I got this hatchback. And everywhere I go, yo, I'm being laughed at." The car he's talking about is a Ford Pinto. Even though the Ford Pinto is a decent car, if you look at the Pinto and Impala side by side, you will immediately see the appeal of the Impala. Although The Beach Boys were not a rap group (in fact, Brian Wilson once rapped on the song "Smart Girls"), they were also Impala fans. It is quite logical that Dr. Dre, and Brian Wilson from California: this is the perfect cruising car.
14 Range Rover
Although the Jeep appears on this list for the third time, this car was a little different; it appears in Biggie's work much more prominently than some of the other vehicles he has mentioned over the years. In fact, the rapper has mentioned the Range Rover five times in five entries over the years.
It's worth noting here: according to one of Biggie's friends, the rapper didn't drive. He preferred to be driven by other people (which may explain his choice of massive, roomy cars).
The Range Rover would be a great choice for those traveling with a driver: it's a heavy duty vehicle that makes a statement. It's no surprise that the Range Rover is a rapper's favorite: Jay-Z and 50 Cent are among the few other rappers to mention the car in their songs.
The car proved to be extremely successful for Land Rover. It has been around for almost 50 years and doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. At the time Biggie was rapping about the Range Rover, it was a second-generation car with a V8 engine. This would make it much more powerful than some of the other machines Biggie had prior to his success.
13 Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon
This car was referenced by Biggie in a 1997 issue. He mentions his friend "Arizona Ron from Tucson" with a "black Yukon". We are talking about the GMC Yukon; this is another vehicle that the rapper was in no way going to be careful with. It's an industrial, V8-powered, full-size SUV that deserves to be compared to the Cadillac Escalade, the car favored by the other big guy: Tony Soprano.
In fact, the Yukon was a revolutionary vehicle and had a direct impact on the Cadillac lineup. The Escalade went into production shortly after the Yukon. To this day, the Yukon remains a hit for General Motors; it has maintained its strong market presence since the early 1990s and is still in production.
The era Biggie would read about this car would be the first generation Yukon. It may seem unimpressive, but the car has been a powerful SUV from the very beginning. It always had an 8-cylinder engine with an optional 6.5-liter engine for some models (instead of the standard 5.7-liter which was already fantastic). The first generation of this model was so efficient that it lasted a little less than a decade before GM decided to redesign it in 2000.
12 1997 E36 BMW M3
When we think of all of Biggie's car references, perhaps the most memorable in the rapper's repertoire is his shoutout on "Hypnotize", one of his biggest hits. At one point in the song, he reads: “Dare I squeeze three out of your cherry M3. Easily and efficiently fuck every MC." Although in the song Biggie talks about the car being owned by the enemy and not by him personally, that doesn't mean he doesn't necessarily love the car. The fact that he chose a classic BMW from the 90s was a great compliment.
This car was a classic car from the 90s and BMW only made them from 1992 to 1999. At the time it was a pioneering vehicle for BMW due to its German development; it was the first BMW model with an L6 engine.
There are a lot of 1997 3rd year MXNUMX owners on car review sites who still talk about how good this car is. Some people have gone so far as to compare it to a race car in disguise.
Another really cool thing about BMW's work here is that there are a lot of people who aren't very knowledgeable about cars, but they might recognize the design of the BMW M36 E3 because of how iconic it was.
11 Ford Gran Turin
Another car that gets mentioned very quickly in the song "Hypnotize" is the Ford Gran Torino, popularized by Starsky and Hutch. In song Biggie has a line, “Dad and Puff. Closer like Starsky and Hutch, hit the clutch This is another case of a car that Biggie didn't personally own, but the fact that it was on his radar is huge. And look at this car: how can anyone not like this thing?
In the 2004 film based on the TV show, Ben Stiller's character at one point says, "That was my mother... she always said it was too big for me. I couldn't handle the V8!" The car really was a powerful beast: after the initial version of the entry-level 4-door sedan, they began to experiment with 7-liter engines. In the 70s, the car acquired an intense turn as a real muscle car. Unfortunately, the car's excess power came to be frowned upon when North America experienced the infamous 1973 oil crisis. The Torino remained in production for another three years before Ford finally announced it would be discontinued in 1976. It lasted only eight years. market, but in that short period it has earned a hell of a reputation. The Torino is still a much loved car; Years after the show ended in 2014, the car sold for $40,000.
10 Jaguar XJS
In one of his lesser-known songs from the 1995 Panther soundtrack, Biggie again mentions number 4 on this list (Range Rover). But the other car he names right after it is the Jaguar XJS. In particular, Biggie says that his friends have "convertible jaguars".
This is another great example of a lyric that features a vehicle that Biggie didn't personally own, but felt loved enough to include in his music. And we can easily see why with this example: The Jaguar XJS was an amazing luxury car that lasted just over two decades.
Less than 15,000 cars were built during this time, making this car something of a rarity. XJS has hardly been seen very often: its retail price is around $48,000.
Like the Ford Gran Torino, it was another car that suffered from low demographics due to the oil crisis around the same time the car was introduced to the public. However, this car was surprisingly immune to the politics of the day. Even though it wasn't a modest car (how can a 12-cylinder car be modest?), the XJS had a fairly successful run.
9 Isuzu Soldier
If you're an ardent fan of Biggie, you might immediately think of a link to this. On the 1994 Biggie Smalls cult album Ready to die, he has a classic track called Give me booty in which Biggie takes on the role of two characters on the same track (people are often surprised to hear this). Towards the end of the song, the following words can be heard as the two men talk about their plans for the future:
“Dude, listen, all this walking makes my legs hurt. But the money looks nice."
"Where in?"
"In an Isuzu Jeep."
Aside from the simple slanted rhyme with the words "legs" and "cute", it makes sense that Biggie praised Isuzu Trooper for his debut album. It was quite a popular car for its time, with years of production actually spanning just over two decades (from 1981 to 2002). The second generation SUV hit the market in the 90s, which made it the perfect time for Biggie to get one due to how much it had been improved.
While the first batch of SUVs were only available as a 4-cylinder model, in the 90s Isuzu upped its game with a vastly superior V6 engine, as well as features that everyone now takes for granted, such as air conditioning, electric power windows. , etc.
The Isuzu Trooper was a powerful Japanese car that was definitely capable of going fast when needed.
8 Toyota Land Cruiser J8
For those of you who own a Toyota Camry and dream of a cooler car, you are in good company. Toyota was praised by Biggie for his debut album. Second song on BIG's Ready to die the reference album to another SUV was a classic track, daily struggle. There is a line in Biggie's song: "Toyota Deal-a-Thon sold cheap on Jeeps." The car he's talking about is a Toyota Land Cruiser, a car so successful you can still see it being driven. Its production began in the early 1950s and has been a staple of the Toyota range ever since.
Biggie's casual description of taking a Toyota Land Cruiser on a whim suggests that Biggie would love to do so. The Jeep was a big hit for Toyota because, as Japanese engineering knows, it was designed to take real hits. They were not only incredibly durable vehicles, but also affordable. The average retail price for an SUV would be around $37,000. If you were to buy the same type of 1994 Toyota Biggie, it sold for just $3500 today. The fact that a 1994 Toyota car still exists and is in decent condition says a lot about its reliability. This vehicle is a favorite in desert and rugged terrain for a reason.
7 Nissan Sentra
Many people forget that Biggie only worked on two albums before he died; he was so great that it seems that he recorded many more albums than he did. On their second album Life after death, he has a song in which he refers to the Nissan Sentra with the words:
“Today's agenda, lifted the suitcase to the Center.
Go to room 112, tell them Blanco sent you.
You feel the strangest if there is no exchange of money.
The car is mentioned very briefly, but it helps set the perfect scene for what he's trying to describe: a hard-hitting gangster story about a cash deal that's about to go down the drain.
The Nissan Sentra would be the perfect car to stay stealthy and be able to move fast enough. Biggie's biggest (no pun intended) benefit would be that it wasn't the car that attracted attention. There are other songs where the rapper discusses flashier cars, but we can clearly see why he chose the Sentra here: it was the perfect car to stay incognito under pressure. With a 4-cylinder engine, the Sentra of the early 1990s was never going to be a car built to impress with high performance. But it's a powerful machine that's still in production; it has now been in existence for 35 years.
6 Honda Civic CX Hatchback 1994
The Honda Civic is clearly a car from Biggie's early days before his success. The Civic has long been a beloved car that many people disrespect and joke about, but whatever you say, Honda makes reliable cars. For a guy who loves Asian cars, Biggie's list won't be complete with at least one Honda made car.
In this rare photo, we see a much younger Biggie Smalls standing in front of a Honda Civic Hatchback, a car that isn't considered cool at all, and wholly owns it. Not only is this car not considered very cool, the CX was also one of the least powerful hatchbacks Honda has ever made.
It would be greatly improved over the years, but the first generation of the hatchback was not as impressive as the cars Biggie would later own. However, an interesting fact about this particular car is that the original 1994 hatchback went on sale 20 years later. The car had high mileage, but it still ran perfectly. Even if their earlier cars were slow, the amazing thing about the work that Honda has done is how consistently reliable it is.
5 GMC Suburban
This is another of Biggie's famous cars up for auction. Unfortunately, this car went on sale because of its infamous reputation: it was the car in which Biggie actually died. 20 years after his death in 1997, the car went up for sale with an asking price of $1.5 million last year. The green Suburban actually still had the bullet holes on the car, as well as the bullet hole in Biggie's seat belt.
The GMC Suburban is another vehicle that fits in with Biggie's habit of favoring big, spacious cars for commuting. the luxury of driving in these heavy vehicles with your friends. The Suburban Biggie loved to ride, it was the eighth generation model. It was powered by an optional 6.5 liter V8 engine and could reach 60 mph in just nine seconds. Like Tahoe, Land Cruiser and Range Rover, this car would be the perfect choice for a guy who likes massive cars.
4 Lexus GS300
This is the most recurring medium in Biggie's work, appearing not only in two or three of his songs, but in a total of eleven. He mentioned it on some of his biggest tracks, cementing the car's place in hip-hop history as one of the coolest cars of all time. It was another car he referenced in the song "Hypnotize", with its special modifications: "bulletproof glass, tints".
Not only was the Lexus GS300 one of the biggest cars of the 90s for rappers (more on that later), for a guy like Biggie who seemed to enjoy Asian imports with such enthusiasm, the Lexus was the pinnacle of where he could show that passion. Not only did the rapper own a Lexus GS300, he loved the Lexus brand so much that he also apparently owned a golden Lexus truck. No photos of the truck, unfortunately, but it would be an amazing sight to see one of the greatest rappers of all time at the peak of his career in a beautiful car. Lexus may have been something of a muse for Biggie's lyrics because he was constantly coming up with creative ways to portray the car in his rhymes. One of his coolest songs: “I want everything from Rolex to Lexus. All I expected was to get paid.”
3 Lexus SC - everyone's favorite
If you were a rapper in the 90s and you wrote a song that somehow didn't have a Lexus brand reference... would you even write a rap song? In the 1990s, the Lexus was so acclaimed by the hip-hop community that it has actually become something of a cliché by now. Rappers just adored this brand; it was perhaps one of the few things that people on both the East and West coasts agreed on.
In addition to Biggie's many references to the brand, Jay-Z, the Wu-Tang Clan and Nas were among the many names to include the brand in their lyrics. Some even speculate whether the company actually paid for these placements because of how popular rappers have made Lexus.
The 1990s were a fantastic decade for Lexus; the company was founded in 1989, but like a big TV show, they didn't really find their footing until after the first year. After that initial start, the 90s was a period of tremendous growth for Lexus. As people gradually began to understand that the Lexus brand was associated with luxury, the manufacturer produced various cars that became staples in their lineup. To this day, rappers continue to praise the brand, and its place in pop culture is still important.
2 Mazda MPV - favorite of the Wu-Tang clan
In the Wu-Tang Clan's iconic '90s song, CREAM, Raekwon has the famous line, "We ride the van, we do forty G's every week." The name that Ray makes is, of course, none other than the Mazda MPV; he is also known for the music videos the Wu-Tang Clan recorded during their heyday.
While never a car meant to impress the masses, the Mazda MPV offered reliability. The abbreviation MPV stands for Multi-Purpose Vehicle, and it really deserves that name. It was a minivan with an optional V6 engine. That dynamic meant it had a bit of humorous variety to it: in case you didn't know anything, at first glance the minivan looked like something a football mom would drive. Its engine was also equipped with enough power to please the fussy youth. If it was good enough to quickly move Wu-Tang Clan members around New York, it should have been a pretty reliable vehicle. Since it wasn't a luxury car, its rugged Japanese construction really had to take a beating (like Biggie's Toyota Land Cruiser). The model that Raekwon read about in CREAM was supposed to be the first generation that spanned from 1988 to 1999. The Mazda MPV has been around for nearly three decades, but the Wu-Tang Clan may have helped Mazda put the MPV on the map. initially.
1 Infiniti Q45 - a favorite of junior mafiosi
The rap team Biggie was a part of, Junior MAFIA, were some of his closest friends. One of the cars they seemed to enjoy driving was the Infiniti Q45. As we have already found out in this list, Biggie at some point named Nissan as his favorite car for mobility and discretion. Just as the Lexus was Toyota's luxury car, the Infiniti was Nissan's best offering. It would be the next logical step for Biggie to move from the Sentra to this car.
The first generation Infiniti Q45 was produced from 1990 to 1996. It was a car with options ranging from $50,000 to $60,000 to $45. In fact, it was such an expensive car that it did not work very well in all regions. At first it was difficult to sell such an expensive car, but the Infiniti Q4.5 performed well. A car with a 8-liter VXNUMX engine was a powerful luxury. Biggie liked being driven around Brooklyn in an Infiniti.
Sources: caranddriver.com, edmunds.com
