On May 21, which would have been the Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th birthday, New York City will pay tribute to the late rapper.
On that day, the iconic Empire State Building will become red and white with a crown rotating on its mast in tribute of the late rapper, Christopher Wallace, who died in 1997 at the age of 24. The day prior, on May 20, the Empire State Building will conduct a ceremony with Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, his children (CJ and Tyanna Wallace), his close friend James Lloyd (Lil’ Cease), and Kimberly Denise Jones, in collaboration with Bad Boy / Atlantic / Rhino Records (Lil Kim). Other close friends, collaborators, and hip-hop celebrities who played a role in Biggie’s meteoric rise to fame and legacy will also be present.
The party will take place in B.I.G.’s hometown of Brooklyn on his birthday. On the giant oculus display above the arena’s entrance, the Barclays Center will honor the renowned rapper and hometown hero with a visual montage of classic Biggie albums.
The arena is within a few subway stations from B.I.G.’s childhood neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. On May 21, the New York City MTA will release a limited-edition MetroCard featuring The Notorious B.I.G. The card will only be available at three subway stops in his previous neighborhood: Lafayette Avenue, Clinton – Washington Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center.
In addition, to commemorate B.I.G.’s birthday, Amazon Music and their catalog music brand, [RE]DISCOVER, will unveil a station takeover of the Clinton – Washington Ave. Station. Fans will be able to scan a QR Code at the station to have access to an unique Instagram filter honouring Biggie’s life and legacy, which is based on the classic “King of New York” photo of Biggie wearing a crown by Barron Claiborne. Amazon Music and [RE]DISCOVER have also teamed up with the non-profit Beautify Earth to unveil fresh, unique murals of Biggie created by local artists in each of New York’s five boroughs, reclaiming previously underused space with images inspired by his music’s lyrics.
The New York commemoration will continue next month when Lincoln Center hosts an orchestral tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. on June 10 in collaboration with Bad Boy / Atlantic / Rhino Records and the Christopher Wallace Estate. The Originals and numerous special guests will perform at the black-tie event, which will feature music arranged and orchestrated by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. The event will be open to the public and will be livestreamed exclusively on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel as part of their Black Music Month celebration.
Biggie’s diamond-certified, Grammy-nominated second album, “Life After Death,” will be released on vinyl on June 10 by Bad Boy / Atlantic / Rhino Records. The 25th anniversary super deluxe boxed edition includes eight vinyl discs and a booklet with rare images from the album cover shot, Sheldon Pearce’s liner notes, and thoughts from members of the original album’s team. The set also includes the 12″ singles “Hypnotize,” “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” “Sky’s the Limit,” and “Nasty Boy.”