http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-82HQA9Opw
The Stranger was written by Albert Camus 1942. It is based on an Algerian character named Meursault who commits a murder. Camus used existentialist themes throughout the novel. Existentialism is when people believe that they are a stranger in their own life, they begin to realize that life has no meaning and their personal definition is essential to their life. The same philosophy is used in the song “Suicidal Thoughts” by Christopher Wallace. In the song, Christopher describes that his life has no meaning and he would rather be dead than alive, exemplifying true existentialism. The song “Suicidal Thoughts” by Christopher Wallace (Notorious B.I.G) and the book The Stranger by Albert Camus both exemplify existentialism through the principles of Individuality, Anxiety, and Alienation.
Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names “Biggie Smalls” or “The Notorious B.I.G” emerged from the streets of Brooklyn as the newest up and coming “King of New York”. Having a rough childhood life, the son of a preschool teacher was missing a father figure in his life. Biggie was always surrounded by drug dealers, soon becoming one himself. As biggie always put music as his 2nd choice, he found himself be-friending the famous Sean Combs, otherwise known as P. Diddy. Biggie’s first album “Ready to die” which described his life story from becoming drug dealer to rapper, was released in 1994 and went platinum, giving him the names “Lyricist of the Year” “Best New Artist”. Although Biggie quickly rose to fame and is still one of the most famous and lyrically recognized rappers, he got caught up in the “East Side/ West Side” dilemma, turning his friends into enemies, such as Tupac Shakur. Biggie was blamed for shooting and robbing Pac as he entered “Bad Boy Record Label” in which biggie was signed under. Soon after the East and West coast became enemies resulting in Pac releasing the song “Hit ‘Em Up”, one of the most recognized rap disses ever released, this song was directed towards Biggie. Biggie came back at Pac with a song called “Who Shot Ya?”claiming that Pac was out of his mind for thinking Biggie would ever set Pac up to get shot. The East Coast West Coast ordeal resulted in both Pac and Biggie being shot and killed in a 6 month span, Pac went first and soon after Biggie visited California for a Music Industry Party. As he was leaving, on the night of March 9th 1997, Biggie and his crew were at a red light and a car pulled up next to them, and opened fire on Biggie. Biggie was shot and killed at the scene, the shooters have still not been found. In Biggie’s 24 year life span, Biggie turned his life from a drug dealer into one of the most lyrically recognized rappers ever known.
Albert Camus is a representative of non-metropolitan French Literature born in 1913, Camus used his experiences in Algeria during the 30’s to influence his writing. Camus is actually Algerian, but has won the French Nobel Prize, and is a contributor to the philosophy of “Absurdism”. One of his most famous writings The Stranger (translated from French to English) tells the story of a young man named Meursault who murders an Arab on a beach. The Stranger is actually widely known as one of the most existentialist books ever written.
Individuality defines that your personal definition as an individual is essential to your life. In the song, the best example of individuality Biggie portrays is on lines 1 and 2 when he states “When I die f*** it I wanna go to hell, cause I’m a piece of s*** it ain’t hard to f****** tell”. Biggie’s thoughts about himself show that he lacks the confidence necessary to pursue any of his goals. He believes he is a bum and he simply just doesn’t care about what happens to him, affecting his view on the world and the meaning of life. This is just like Meursault, perceiving himself as a worthless murderer shown on page 123 when Meursault states “I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate”. Meursualts individuality is shown through what he wants to happen at his execution, he wants people to hate him he wants a riot at his execution. Meursault not only thinks he should die and just disappear, but he actually wants a crowd at his execution filled with hatred. Meursault and Biggie both perceive themselves as worthless and better off dead, showing that their personal definitions have a major affect on how they view the world as a whole.
Anxiety is defined as a sensation that consumes one when they begin to realize that life is absurd and has no meaning. Meursault shows anxiety on countless occasions throughout the book, but one that really stands out is on page 24 when Meursault comes to the realization that life has no meaning and states “It occurred to me anyway that one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed”. Meursault’s mom just died, he feels no remorse or has any sad feelings regarding the loss of a loved one. Meursault believes that nothing has changed and nothing will ever change which is why he believes life has no meaning. Life doesn’t make any sense to Meursault, which is why he isn’t affected by the death of his mother, just like how it doesn’t make sense to Biggie as to why in life everybody strives to be the same. This is shown on lines 7 and 8 when Biggie writes “Hanging with the goodie-goodies lounging in paradise, f*** that s*** I wanna tote guns and shoot dice”. Biggie doesn’t understand the point in living if everybody wants to be the same, everybody wants to be successful and be a “goodie-goodie”, but to do that you have to work extremely hard, which is where it doesn’t make sense to him. Why be alive if you’re just going to work really hard, get really stressed all the time, and grow up to be like everybody else when in his mind he just wants to do whatever he wants. Biggie believes that unless you aspire to be different, you’re not actually living. Meursault believes that if nothing ever changes what’s the point in being alive. Both of them believe that life is meaningless and isn’t all it’s worked up to be and just don’t care if they’re alive or dead.
Alienation is defined as someone being a stranger in their own life, other people simply don’t understand them because each person’s meaning of life differs. Biggie’s stellar portrayal of this principle is on lines 3 and 4 when he recites “It don’t make sense going to heaven with the goodie-goodies, dressed in white, I like black Timbs and black hoodies.” Biggie doesn’t want to go to heaven because that’s not who he is, he doesn’t want to be a good kid, he wants to do his own thing. Obviously it’s weird that someone would rather go to hell than heaven, which is why nobody understands him. Nobody understands him and his meaning of life because nobody else wants his life. Nobody else wants to go to hell rather than heaven, and nobody else wants to dress up in all black. Biggie portraying that he has a dark personality shows that his meaning of life is more violent than others. Not necessarily in a violent sense but definitely not fully understood, is Meursault. On page 41 Marie asks Meursault if he wants to marry her, he avoids the question and then Marie asks him if he loves her and he replies “ I answered the same way I had last time, that it didn’t mean anything but I probably didn’t love her”. Meursault doesn’t love Marie because he has no feelings towards anything, he never has and he never will. Meursault not caring about anything separates him from everybody else and not only does nobody understand Meursault, but he doesn’t understand himself. Meursault is an emotionless body just waiting for the day that he is taken away to arrive. Nobody understanding who Biggie and Meursault really are affect the way they treat others, and are both astounding examples of alienation.
The song “Suicidal Thoughts” by Biggie Smalls and the book The Stranger by Albert Camus both exemplify the principles of individuality, anxiety, and alienation through the notions of emotion, life, the world as they perceive it, and the belief that nothing will ever change. Albert Camus and Biggie Smalls connect all these principles together to form into the theory of existentialism as a whole.
World Studies World Literature 