How Did The Notorious B.I.G. Define True Success?

Success ain't just about the money, though money matters because it's freedom. Real success is legacy. It's knowing that when you leave this earth, your work still moves people. Your words still inspire. Your name still means something. When I was on Fulton Street hustling, I was chasing money because I needed to eat, needed to help my moms, needed to get up out of that situation. But once I got signed, once I started making real paper, I realized the money was just keeping score. The real success was knowing that my albums would outlive me. That people would study my verses. That I'd influenced the culture in a way that couldn't be undone. I wanted to be the best rapper alive. That was the goal. Not just to make a hit, but to be undeniable. To be so good that when people talked about hip-hop, they had to talk about me. That's success. Providing for your family, that's success. Having people respect your name, that's success. Creating art that matters, that changes how people think or feel — that's the real win. Too many people chase the surface stuff and forget about the foundation. You gotta ask yourself: what am I building? What's my contribution? Will this mean anything in five years? Ten years? That's how you measure success. Not just by the numbers today, but by what you leave behind. I wanted to be remembered as great. I wanted my daughter to know her father was serious about his craft. I wanted the streets to know I made it out and did it right. That's success.