![The Joy and the Funk and the Mire](https://cdn.magzter.com/1377116771/1695119119/articles/POwe8AsHv1695634951411/THE-JOY-AND-THE-FUNK AND-THE-MIRE.jpg)
One sunny day in 1995, the Notorious B.I.G. sat in the passenger seat of a black Mercedes-Benz, smoking joints and talking shit. Of course, Biggie did these things on many days during his short lifetime, but on this particular day, a neighborhood friend named dream hampton was in the back seat with a video camera. Wearing Versace sunglasses and a checked purple shirt, the 23-year-old rapper-whose breakout album, Ready to Die, had come out the year before-held a chunky cellphone to his ear. He was making plans and talking about girls, riffing in his lisped woof of a voice. He laughed and brought a square of rolling paper, full of pot leaves, to his lips.
From behind the camera, hampton asked whether he intended to consume their entire bag of weed. Annoyed at the interruption, Biggie mocked her question. Hampton's voice turned sharp. "Why are you going at me today?" she asked. "What's the problem? Do we need to do something before we go on the road? Take this outside?" The video cut to static.
This story is from the October 2023 edition of The Atlantic.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2023 edition of The Atlantic.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![THE AIRPORT-LOUNGE ARMS RACE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/4GLuV90RJ1716814207720/THE-AIRPORTLOUNGE-ARMS-RACE.jpg)
THE AIRPORT-LOUNGE ARMS RACE
Inside the ever more extravagant competition to lure affluent travelers
![Hypochondria Never Dies](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/18KmE7vNN1716814038369/HYPOCHONDRIA-NEVER-DIES.jpg)
Hypochondria Never Dies
The diagnosis is officially gone, but health anxiety is everywhere.
![Miranda July's Weird Road Trip](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/qEVAxkR-e1716813896339/MIRANDA-JULYS-WEIRD-ROAD-TRIP.jpg)
Miranda July's Weird Road Trip
The author's midlife-crisis novel is full of estrangement, eroticism, and whimsy.
![The Wild Blood Dynasty](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/In1NYce8y1716813654390/THE-WILD-BLOOD-DYNASTY.jpg)
The Wild Blood Dynasty
What a little-known family reveals about the nation's untamed spirit
![The Engrossing Darkness of The Crow](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/xL3104utw1716813409793/THE-ENGROSSING-DARKNESS-OF-THE-CROW.jpg)
The Engrossing Darkness of The Crow
Can a cult hit point the way forward for the beleaguered comic-book movie?
![The Godfather of American Comedy](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/Cwheb58eL1716812970766/THE-GODFATHER-OF-AMERICAN-COMEDY.jpg)
The Godfather of American Comedy
The funniest people on the planet think there's no funnier person than Albert Brooks.
![The History My Family Left Behind](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/BeQhSvtl_1716812490268/THE-HISTORY-MY-FAMILY-LEFT-BEHIND.jpg)
The History My Family Left Behind
A gun, a lynching, and an exodus from Mississippi
![Ozempic or Bust](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/KtD_8XCsX1716811777678/OZEMPIC-OR-BUST.jpg)
Ozempic or Bust
America has been trying to address the obesity epidemic for four decades now. So far, each new \"solution\" has failed to live up to its early promise.
![THE ART OF SURVIVAL](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/JbZoJ7Br_1716811366219/THE-ART-OF-SURVIVAL.jpg)
THE ART OF SURVIVAL
In living with cancer, Suleika Jaouad has learned to wrench meaning from our short time on Earth.
![DEMOCRACY IS LOSING THE PROPAGANDA WAR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/4302/1705472/hRsXfUyur1716810676236/DEMOCRACY-IS-LOSING-THE-PROPAGANDA-WAR.jpg)
DEMOCRACY IS LOSING THE PROPAGANDA WAR
AUTOCRATS IN CHINA, RUSSIA, AND ELSEWHERE ARE NOW MAKING COMMON CAUSE WITH MAGA REPUBLICANS TO DISCREDIT LIBERALISM AND FREEDOM AROUND THE WORLD.