Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

UPDATED: 10:21 a.m. ET, March 9, 2020 —

Dear B.I.G fans,

We’re going, going, back, back, to 1989.

This was the year that a then-unknown, but promising rap superstar-in-the-making laced the streets and blessed blocks in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn with his raw lyrical tales of grit and grind. Christopher George Latore Wallace, born on May 21, 1972, went by the nickname of “Big” and entertained people around his ‘hood with spellbinding stories that he delivered with power and prowess. He would battle with bravado on street corners.

This was classic Big: clapping back Big, challenging the game Big. He’ll never be forgotten.

It was Big’s swagger and his stories that took him from Bed-Stuy to the top of the world. Those narratives from Ready To Die to his Junior Mafia project to other songs were remarkably real, without any sugar coating. His rhymes went straight to the soul, considered some of the best words ever spit by an MC. He was deep about the darkest parts of his life.

He’s the man who said  “stereotypes of a Black male are misunderstood, it’s still all good,” on “Juicy.” He told many kids to “only make moves when your heart’s in it” on “Sky’s the Limit.” He told folks to “never lose, never choose to” on “Hypnotize.” He said to “never tense, never hesitate” on “Victory.” He inspired us until those fatal shots were fired in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. To date, his murder remains unsolved.

Yeah, Biggie still lives on in memories and memorials. He lives on in the moments and moves that his family, friends, admirers and followers have made in their lives. They all hold Biggie down. Bed-Stuy, even with its noticeable gentrification, still holds Biggie in its heart. #RIPBIG

SEE ALSO:

10 Facts You Might Have Not Known About The Notorious B.I.G.

Verses To Live By: The Notorious B.I.G.’s 23 Greatest Lines

In Memoriam: Celebrities We Lost In 2017
Daughter Of Eric Garner Leads Protest March In Staten Island
24 photos