The end of Christopher Wallace's life was a tragedy: gunned down at just 22 and on the brink of stardom. While that's what most remember about the Notorious BIG, there is much more to the story of the man and how he was shaped by the world around him. Those closest to Biggy are interviewed in this comprehensive book about the life and death of the Notorious BIG.

It Was All a Dream by Justin Tinsley is a biography of Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G/Biggie Smalls. If you’re a child of the 90’s or simply a lover of Hip Hop you probably have an awareness of the life and times of Biggie Smalls. If you’re just someone that’s simply curious and wanted to understand the reason behind the conspiracy theories or the many connections made about Tupac than this is a good book for you as well. Christopher Wallace, the Notorious B.I.G was bigger than life and it had nothing to do with just his weight. He was known as a lyrical genius and anyone who was close to him or was around during his come-up was seen and heard over the myriads of documentaries and Movies made. What Tinsley attempts to do though is give better, more intimate insight into the man himself and not just the music and its connections. The book ends up reading as a life story being told by a narrator. Meaning we get a vivid portrayal in the life of a complex man living and finding fame in the 90’s. The book reads like snippets and snapshots of the music industry, the style, the vibes and the politics of it all straight through the day of his murder. I found it to be a great read, having met Biggie as a youth and later on when he performed on campus. This served to broaden my knowledge further while giving me an insider’s view into his tragic world. I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Loved this book. Very interesting. Loved how the book gave the back story to not only Biggie but also to the state of hip hop.

As a lover of memoirs and biographies, I was very excited to read this one. Christopher Wallace was a talented artist and brilliant young man whose life ended too soon. With this year being what would've been his 50th, it is only fitting that this book from Justin Tinsley be offered.

You can tell from the start that Justin has a great deal of respect for the Notorious B.I.G. and that this was a labor of love. A great effort that mostly contains quotes from other books and articles any fan of Biggie has more than likely consumed. I appreciated the in depth look at the time period when Christopher Wallace was born. Justin talks about the crime, economy and general social settings of both the Jamaica Voletta Wallace, Christopher's mother, fled and the New York Biggie was born and raised in.

My interest piqued when Christopher Wallace Jr., the son of Christopher Wallace Sr. and Faith Evans, was introduced. He never got to know his biological father in the physical sense. He's met him through stories, interviews, movies, etc. Thankfully he was raised and loved by another man he knows as dad that kept his father's memory alive. The complicated nature of loving a stranger you have a connection to and yet still feel a void is a complex, sad and daunting struggle. It was great to hear from him and honestly would have loved to hear more.

This was a decent read that I think will serve as a MasterClass on The Notorious B.I.G. for the younger generation/TikTok aficionados.

When the impending release of It Was All a Dream was announced last year, I ran to get my hands on it. I was enticed by the opportunity to read a fresh look at one of the most lauded emcees of my youth, but was also intrigued by what perspective an author from my generation would bring to such a well-publicized timeline. Released weeks shy of what should have been Biggie’s 50th birthday, It Was All a Dream presents an in-depth and reflective examination at Christopher Wallace’s too-brief life.

It can be difficult to approach a subject like the Notorious B.I.G. with novelty. There is no shortage of film, books, or other media that have already examined his life, career, death, and legacy. However, with It Was All a Dream, Tinsley has the benefit of more than two decades to frame this retrospective. Ample time has passed, allowing him to consider the lasting impacts of Biggie’s short but notable career in ways that couldn’t have been anticipated in the 1990s. The result is a detailed text that fills in gaps even the most ardent of Biggie fans might have missed, and really considers the question of how and why his life was cut short.

The subtitle hones in on what makes this book distinct. Tinsley provides a wealth of context about the era in which Biggie was born and came of age, providing a lens through which to understand the choices he makes throughout his life. Starting with his mother Voletta Wallace’s immigration in the late 1960s, the book explores the socio-political landscape that shaped Christopher’s experiences, opportunities, and worldview. As he notes, Tinsley’s aim is to “connect the dots” from the 1960s to 1990s, during which legislation coupled with an existing racial crisis created sometimes insurmountable barriers for countless youth like Wallace. There’s particular attention to the War on Drugs and nationwide police brutality, both of which created a minefield that a young Christopher had to navigate after dropping out of school and following a neighbor into the drug game.

Tinsley presents Christopher’s early life and his initial foray into rapping, highlighting the relationships and events that eventually led him to the rap game. There’s a great deal of detail about this time in his life, juggling a sometimes fraught relationship with his mother, the ever-looming threat of incarceration, and a desire to get into something more stable. His penchant for rhyming is well-documented here, and the budding Biggie persona is shown as a result of serendipitous connections and raw talent. But to talk about Biggie’s career means simultaneously considering the career of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and the creation of Bad Boy Records. In providing Combs’ background, Tinsley is also able to paint a picture of the changing R&B landscape and a market that didn’t always take for granted that New York was central to hip-hop’s prominence.

Enter the west coast. Biggie’s story isn’t complete without acknowledging the contentious relationship between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records. Tinsley strikes a solid balance between providing background on the lives of key figures like Tupac, Suge Knight, and others tied to the west coast label without departing into a tangent. He gives the necessary foundation that stems from seminal groups like N.W.A., but he also clarifies that the relationships weren’t always so fragmented.

You can’t have any conversation about Biggie without acknowledging the “east coast-west coast beef” that was propogated in the media and dominated headlines about the two leading up to their murders. I appreciated that throughout the book, however, Tinsley made space for Tupac and Biggie’s friendship. Too often, this is left to the wayside without real consideration for its genesis and later (wholly unnecessary) breakdown. These were two young men who were kindred spirits and who were victims of an industry and social element that was far beyond their control. Frankly, Tinsley humanizes the two in a way that shows the perceived betrayal, confusion, and hurt the two experienced as friends, not just artists.

The timeline that TInsley is able to create, whether intentional or not, builds a tension that is palpable. It’s only when I stopped to consider that much of the key events unfold over a few short years that I truly appreciated Tinsley’s proficiency in distilling so much about Biggie’s life into this book. It’s a hefty read, but is never diluted or irrelevant. He goes beyond rehashing decades-old headlines, rumors, or drama, and instead reframes existing documentaries and books alongside interviews with those closest to Biggie. From recounting his last minutes to sharing lighthearted memories, the insight gained from these interviews in particular show Christopher Wallace as a multifaceted man coming into his own and maturing in spite of what was going on around him.

It Was All a Dream is, as Tinsley notes in the introduction, “part of the curriculum” for those wanting to understand Christopher Wallace and the Notorious B.I.G. — because they’re not one and the same. Whether Biggie’s life overlapped with your own or he’s presented to you as a mythical hip-hop hero, this book is presented as an essential read. It’s easy to fall into, with a conversational style and flow that bely how deeply researched it is. More than that, however, it is an opportunity to truly understand the full scope of a man often held as one of the greatest rappers in history.

I found this an incredibly compelling work of non-fiction about, of course, Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.) but also the 90s and the time that shaped him and his music.

This introspective gave a great deal of the backstory of Wallace’s pre-fame life, including his family, as well as the people he surrounded himself with in the music industry. As a kid of the 90s who absolutely loved Biggie, I knew so much of this but still learned a great deal. Tim’s let clearly did a tremendous amount of research and was deeply thorough. The people he quoted are some of the VIPs of that era.

Beyond just the knowledge of who Biggie was, Tinsley painted a portrait of political unrest, culture, and music history that shaped the music and ultimate ending to the historic “East-West” feud.

If you like biopics or are a music historian, you will love this. If you’re a product of the 90s or love 90s rap, you will love this. I absolutely enjoyed every page. It’s a dense read, but compelling and moves along quickly.

This one drops Tuesday so be sure to check it out. Thank you to @netgalley, @abramsbooks, and @justintinsley for this early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. This is a very respectful portrait of a complicated man and a detailed retelling of a complicated story. It's also an interesting picture of the 90s, the political climate that fostered art like Biggie's, and the music industry. The treatment of his final days, murder, and the aftermath is thoughtful and compassionate, but the overall focus of the book stays rightfully on the man while he was living and creating. Music historians and rap fans will find this a compelling and worthwhile read!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Justin Tinsley’s stunning bio of the Notorious BIG not only tell us about Biggie Smalls/Notorious BIG the rapper, but also the history and socioeconomic factors which shaped Christopher Wallace the person. What I love about this book is that it actually adds some fresh perspective and information on Biggie that many ppl might not know.

For example, it was interesting to learn more about Biggie’s childhood, his personality as well the less-discussed gap of time between his start as a local Brooklyn rapper/Bed-Stuy hustler to him blowing up as a bonafide Hip Hop star.

I also appreciate how the author focused on going beyond simply retelling the stories that everyone already knows but diving deeper into the feelings, emotions and reactions of such a famous figure.

Tinsley gives us answers to significant, yet, often overlooked questions, such as: How did BIG feel about becoming a father? What was it like for BIG to deal with fame in his early 20s? What kind of friend was he? What kind of son was he?

This was truly a well-researched and refreshing take on one of Hip-Hop’s most revered legends. If you’re a BIG fan or just a hip-hop fan, you gotta add this to your collection.

I really wanted to like this book, but it ultimately wasn't for me. The main reasons were:
1. The action didn't move fast enough. There was a lot of time spent discussing BIG's growth, which was interesting. However, at least 25% of this part of the book could have been cut without losing the essence of BIG's journey.

2. There were a lot of quotes from people that said the same thing. For example, in the part of the book where BIG first begins getting noticed for his rap, there are many quotes that basically boil down to, "I had no idea he was this good at rapping."

I wish Mr. Tinsley well. He's a gifted writer. This book should have been edited down a bit more to keep the readers's interest.

This biography is extremely readable and never boring. It's packed with quotes from so many people who knew Biggie/Christopher Wallace. For me, it was a combination of nostalgia and lots of behind the scenes info that I didn't know. Justin Tinsley clearly did a tremendous amount of research and interviews but the real art of this book is that he managed to write so much information in a way that felt conversational and accessible. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This book was a great blend of the history of Notorious BIG, and stories from those who knew him best. Christopher Wallace aka Notorious BIG, passed away too soon. The book gives a good background of where he came from and his family. It recaps his iconic days as a rapper and his unfortunate passing. I’d recommend this for any rap music fan!

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Predictable and honestly it was a struggle to keep my interest. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I looked forward to reading this new book on Christoper Wallace aka “The Notorious BIG”. The book was a good history on this iconic rapper but, it was a bit slow moving. We read about Big’s early days, as well as information about his mother and friends. This book goes from the beginning to the tragic end of “The Notorious One”. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This was one of the best books I’ve read and I read over a hundred a year. Great mix of storytelling and history to give a new perspective.