The album’s cover art featured the man formerly known as Biggie Smalls in a long black coat and black bowler. The title “Life After Death” isn’t just about Biggie — it’s about us. Life after death: Community Board 2 will reconsider a proposal to co-name a Clinton Hill street after rapper and native son Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace roughly five years after local leaders did not move forward with a similar tribute.
The legendary Biggie Smalls was tragically killed in 1997. 20 years ago today, Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. Was killed in a drive-by in Los Angeles, California – the case remains unsolved. He would have been 44 today, and his legacy can’t be understated. Pitch-shifting delivery, money-bragging bravado, straight-up rivalry – these were all traits Biggie Smalls boasted before they became commonplace. And his final album, ‘Life After Death’, suggested this innovative talent had his best days ahead of him. Tributes and homages have been pouring in ever since he died age 24, with the likes of Jay Z and Eminem quoting his lyrics in their own work.
And to mark two decades since Biggies’s death, the music world and beyond is paying tribute to one of the world’s greatest. Diddy is combining Biggie’s best verses into “something special” My brother doing it for B.I.G. Post your favorite Biggie verse, tag me and use the hashtag!
— Sean Diddy Combs (@diddy) Sean Combs owes much of his success to Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy, kickstarted by the classic 1994 ‘Ready to Die’ LP. As Puff Daddy, his 1997 ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ tribute to B.I.G. Was his biggest hit, shipping 8 million copies worldwide. Combs continues to pay tribute to his best friend. Today, he launched a new campaign under the hashtag #WeMissYouBIG, where he’s asking fans to send him recordings of their favourite Biggie verses.
He then plans to edit and merge those verses into “something special”. Diddy also posted a one-minute video on his Twitter page, saying: “This year is more of a sobering year. For us, we lived 20 years of our lives without somebody that has been a big part of our lives. That has basically been responsiblefor the legend of our careers. He’s fed a lot of families, made a lot of people dance, made a lot of people feel good. On this day we’re gonna reflect for him.” — Sean Diddy Combs (@diddy) His wife is releasing an album of duets with the rapper.
Faith Evans has sourced material from Wallace’s vault to record a new duets album, titled ‘The King & I’. Out May 19, the record consists of 25 tracks and features Biggie associates Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and Lil Kim. “This project is my creative reflection of the love we had & the bond we will always have. I’m elated to share this musical journey with our fans,” she said in a statement.
New York is hosting a B.I.G.-themed art show Spread Art NYC is hosted an event from today (March 9) called 20 Big Years, featuring work from local artists and commemorating Biggie’s legacy. It’s set to include work with Barron Clairborne, who took the legendary crowned photo of Biggie that most associate him with today.
The event runs until Sunday March 11. On the other side of the Atlantic,. Questlove is throwing a clubnight.
Photo via Youtube/Rickie P Stop what you’re doing! You’ve got to see this remake of Biggie ‘s “Juicy” by the Florida A&M University chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. As the world remembers the rap legend on the 21st anniversary of his death, this serves as the perfect tribute. These frat brothers created a remake of the late hip-hop sensation’s classic music video to promote one of their parties. From the “Bad Boys” jersey to the white t-shirt to the video’s star Christopher Dorcellus who dripped with swagger, the impression was spot on.