The Meaning Of "Notorious" In The Stage Name For The Rapper known As “The Notorious B.I. G." And In The Nickname “Notorious RBG” For Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a standard definition for the word "notorious" and showcases excerpts from two online pages about the stage name "The Notorious B. I. G." (for Hip Hop rapper and songwriter Christopher Wallace)

This post also includes my editor's notes about the stage name "The Notorious B.I.G." and an excerpt from an online article about the nickname "Notorious RBG" (for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg).

The Addendum to this pancocojams post presents an excerpt of an online article about how Republicans are fund raising by selling t-shirts that refer to their candidate for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett  as "Notorious ACB".

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, linguistics, and political purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Rest in Power Christopher Wallace (Notorious B.I. G." and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Notorious RBG)
 
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THE STANDARD DEFINITION FOR THE WORD "NOTORIOUS" & ITS AFRICAN AMERICAN VERNACULAR CONNOTATION 

From https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/notorious
"notorious

ADJECTIVE

To be notorious means to be well known for something bad.

...an area notorious for drugs, crime and violence.

Synonyms: infamous, disreputable, opprobrious, scandalous 

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ARTICLE EXCERPTS ABOUT THE NICKNAME "NOTORIOUS B.I.G" (AND SOME OTHER NICKNAMES FOR THAT GANGSTA RAPPER)
Excerpt #1    
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notorious_B.I.G.#:~:text=He%20was%20nicknamed%20%22Big%22%20because,of%20this%20during%20his%20adulthood.
"Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie,[1] was an American rapper and songwriter. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap traditions, he is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time.[2] The Notorious B.I.G. became known for his distinctive laidback lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content and his own intimidating appearance. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration.[3]

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, the Notorious B.I.G. signed to Sean "Puffy" Combs' label Bad Boy Records as it launched in 1993, and gained exposure through features on several other artists' singles that year. His debut album Ready to Die (1994) was met with widespread critical acclaim, and included his signature songs "Juicy" and "Big Poppa". The album made him the central figure in East Coast hip hop, and restored New York's visibility at a time when the West Coast hip hop scene was dominating hip hop music.[4] The Notorious B.I.G. was awarded the 1995 Billboard Music Awards' Rapper of the Year.[5] The following year, he led his protégé group Junior M.A.F.I.A., a team of himself and longtime friends, including Lil' Kim, to chart success.

During 1996, while recording his second album, the Notorious B.I.G. became ensnarled in the escalating East Coast–West Coast hip hop feud. Following Tupac Shakur's death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996, speculations of involvement by criminal elements orbiting the Bad Boy circle circulated. On March 9, 1997, while visiting Los Angeles, Wallace was murdered in a drive-by shooting. The assailant remains unidentified. The Notorious B.I.G.'s second album Life After Death, a double album, was released two weeks later. It reached number one on the Billboard 200, and eventually achieved a Diamond certification in the US.[6]

With two more posthumous albums released, the Notorious B.I.G. has accrued certified sales of over 28 million copies in the United States,[7] including 21 million albums.[8] Rolling Stone has called him the "greatest rapper that ever lived,"[9] and Billboard named him the greatest rapper of all time.[2] The Source magazine named him the greatest rapper of all time in its 150th issue. In 2006, MTV ranked him at No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, calling him possibly "the most skillful ever on the mic".[10] In 2020, the Notorious B.I.G. will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[...]

He was nicknamed "Big" because he was overweight by the age of 10."…

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Excerpt #2
From https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-artist-known-as-Notorious-B-I-G-get-the-nickname-Biggie-Smalls 
"How did the artist known as Notorious B.I.G. get the nickname Biggie Smalls?

a) Marc Bodnick, I consider myself a nickname enthusiast

Answered December 16, 2009

This is a great question. In its entry on Biggie, Wikipedia suggests two different theories:

The nickname relates to his size: "After being released from prison, Wallace made a demo tape under the name Biggie Smalls, a reference to his childhood nickname and to his stature; he stood at 6'3" (1.90 m) and weighed as much as 300 to 380 pounds according to differing accounts."

The nickname is based on the name of a fictional gangster in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again.

My guess is that both answers are correct -- i.e., the nickname idea came from the film and was selected because of Biggie's size.
-snip-
The bold font is how that comment is written in that post on that online page. 

**
b) Charlie Kubal, 
answered September 5, 2011
"His first demo tape was under the "Biggie Smalls" moniker, but all his albums were as The Notorious B.I.G. The cover art for Ready to Die has his name listed as The Notorious B.I.G., and as early as March of 1992, when he was listed in the Source's Unsigned Hype, he was called Notorious B-I-G

**
c) Korey Sylver, studied at Bethel High School
Answered April 11, 2018
"Yeah, he was Biggie Smalls first. But, when he signed to Bad Boy, Puff knew the name Biggie Smalls might bring copyright infringement lawsuits, so he had him switch it to the Notorious BIG"

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT RAPPER CHRISTOPHER WALLACE'S STAGE NAMES "THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G." AND "BIG POPPA"  [latest revision: September 29, 2020 at 8:11 AM ET]
Performers and composers in certain African Diaspora musical genres such as African American Blues, early Jazz and Caribbean Calypso have very very old traditions of giving themselves or being given bragging names. The name "The Notorious B.I.G." is part of that tradition.
 
In African American culture, depending on the context of that term's use, calling a person, group, or place "notorious" might be a compliment.

For example, when rapper/songwriter Christopher Wallace chose to call himself "The Notorious B.I.G.", he was bragging on himself, and not putting himself down (insulting himself). The letters "B.I.G" in that rapper's stage name don't stand for separate words, but spell out the word "big". It's likely that "big" in the name "The Notorious B.I.G."  referred to more than the rapper's large physical appearance. What made that rapper "The* Notorious B.I.G" was how he "lived and moved and had his being" and the effect he had on other people.      

*Notice that this rapper's stage name was "The Notorious B.I.G." and not just "Notorious B.I.G." The use of "the" in this name reminds me of the term "The man" (meaning the male who is in charge.) 

"Don Dada" is a Caribbean form of the vernacular English term "the man". Here are two definitions about the referent "Don Dada" from https://definedictionarymeaning.com/topic/42868/don-dada :

Don dada means

1 "A combination of [Don] and [Dada]. Meaning the top pimp, the biggest player, and even one step above [mack daddy].
- from Britney Apr 17, 2017

2." The highest [don], meaning the most respected."
- from Sarah Apr 20, 2017
-end of quote-

Note that "don dada" is a bragging title. 

It may be a coincidence that "the official recording debut of a then-unknown The Notorious B.I.G. (who was also known as "B.I.G." and "Biggie Smalls")" was in the "second remix version, titled "Dolly My Baby (Bad Boy Extended Mix)".

"Dolly My Baby"** is "a reggae/hip hop song performed by Jamaican reggae/dancehall recording artist Super Cat [who] released [it] as a single in early 1993 ....The original version of the song is featured on Super Cat's album Don Dada (1992)."
(quotes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_My_Baby

Also, note that "Super Cat" is a bragging title (The word "Cat" having the African American Vernacular English meaning of "man".)

In the second remix version of "Dolly My Baby", The Notorious B.I.G." refers to himself as "Big Poppa" and sings:
"I love it when you call me Big Poppa

The show stoppa, the rhyme droppa

Super Cat pass the Glock, uh, I see you shivering

Check the flavor Biggie Smalls is delivering

Lyrical lyricist flowing lyrics out my larynx

Chubby competitor, quick to kick a chump in the chest

Yes, it's Bad Boy, (Right) hard to the core

LAWWD! Me can't take it no more

Out

"I'm a Bad Boy, I'm a Bad Boy, I'm a Bad Boy"

Online lyric source: https://genius.com/Super-cat-dolly-my-baby-remix-lyrics

YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u5m_LfiXzM&ab_channel=SuperCatVEVO
-snip-
I believe that this verse encapsulates much of the meaning and spirit of  the stage name "The Notorious B.I.G.". "The Notorious B. I. G." is a tall, heavyset man who is highly respected because he is notorious and a large heavyset man who is notorious and therefore is highly respected. 
-snip-
** The word "Dolly" in the song "Dolly My Baby" is a certain female's name or nickname. 

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ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT THE NICKNAME "NOTORIOUS RBG" FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBERG

From https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ruth-bader-ginsburg-notorious-big-rapper-nickname-b604384.html Notorious BIG son says rapper would have been 'honoured' to share nickname with Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Late Supreme Court Justice enjoyed her link to murdered Brooklyn hip-hop star

by Graeme Massie, September 26, 2020; Los Angeles
"The son of rapper Notorious BIG says his father would have been “honoured” to share the nickname with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The late Supreme Court Justice landed the nickname “The Notorious RBG” towards the end of her iconic legal career and admitted she enjoyed its links with the hip-hop legend.

The musician, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, and Ginsburg were both proud New Yorkers and shared Brooklyn roots.

“Brooklyn, New York, represents no fear, confidence, and speaking your truth, and my dad and Justice Ginsburg lived those words," CJ Wallace, 23, told NBC News in a statement.

“I think he would be honoured to share the “Notorious” title with her, and it's up to us to honour their legacies by continuing to fight for equality and justice for all by voting and getting into good trouble.

The rapper, who was also known as Biggie Smalls, was murdered at the age of 24 in a 1997 drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California.

Ginsburg died on 18 September at the age of 87 from pancreatic cancer and spoke of her link to the “Hypnotize” rapper in 2017.

“I think about how this Notorious RBG was created," she said.

"People ask me, don't you feel uncomfortable with a name like the Notorious BIG.?

“Why should I feel uncomfortable? We have a lot in common. And first and foremost, we were both born and bred in Brooklyn, New York."

The nickname was reportedly created by then New York University law student Shana Knizhnik in a Tumblr blog.

In it she had expressed her anger at the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which ruled that parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was no longer constitutional.

“She was angry, and then it came to her that anger is a useless emotion, it doesn't win any friends or make any changes, so instead of being angry, she would do something positive” explained Ginsburg.

“And the positive thing she did was to put on that blog the announcement of my dissenting opinion in the Shelby County case, and then it took off from there.”….

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ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT THE NICKNAME "NOTORIOUS "ACB" FOR (PROBABLE) 
From https://www.newsweek.com/amy-coney-barrett-notorious-acb-1534489 Amy Coney Barrett 'Notorious A.C.B.' Shirts Offered by Senate Committee Who Are Slammed For Co-opting Ginsburg's Nickname

BY KHALEDA RAHMAN ON 9/27/20 AT 10:17 AM EDT
"Just moments after President Donald Trump announced that he was nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) posted a tweet peddling shirts with "Notorious A.C.B." on them.

In the Rose Garden ceremony on Saturday, Barrett said she was "mindful" that she would be taking the seat vacated by Ginsburg, who died aged 87 last week.

Barrett is the polar opposite of Ginsburg, but praised her a trailblazer for women's rights, noting she "not only broke glass ceilings, she smashed them."

"The Notorious R.G.B." was a playful moniker bestowed on Ginsburg, known for her passionate dissents, by a law student and is a reference to The Notorious B.I.G. The late rapper, like Ginsburg, was born in Brooklyn, New York.

The NRSC attracted a swift backlash for appropriating Ginsburg's nickname and applying it to Barrett, who is yet to be confirmed to the nation's highest court. Her face is pictured on the shirts with a crown atop her head.

"Show your support for Pres. Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, with your very own Notorious A.C.B. t-shirt!" the NRSC, which fundraises to help elect Republicans to the Senate, tweeted.

Critics branded the movie "distasteful," with some expressing their disgust at the lack of respect for Ginsburg, who had lain in state in the U.S. Capitol on Friday. She will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery beside her husband, Martin, who died in 2010.

The term "Notorious ACB" was trending on Twitter early Sunday and the website the "Notorious A.C.B." shirts were being offered on appeared to be down.

[…]

Among the critics was California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who shared the NRSC's tweet and added: "This makes me sick to my stomach."

Author Marianna Williamson added: "No class. No respect. No shame." "
-snip-
One thing is certain -referring to Amy Coney Barrett as "Notorious ACB" doesn't mean the same things as referring to Ruth Bader Ginsburg as "Notorious RBG" and referring to Christopher Wallace as "Notorious B.I.G."

In my opinion, if and when ACB becomes a United States Supreme Court judge, it's likely that her rulings will be her likely be notorious, using the mainstream American meaning of that word.

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