Wow, can you believe this year will be the Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th birthday!
His city, N.Y.C., is doing something BIG for the hip hop legend. According to reports, the iconic Empire State Building in Manhattan will light up in red and white in honor of Biggie. An illuminated crown will also be spinning around to remind everyone that Biggie IS the forever king of N.Y.
Hip Hop DX reports in Big’s hometown in Brooklyn; the Barclays Center will display a video montage of his classic songs on the massive oculus display above the arena’s entrance. In addition, M.T.A.s near his old Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood will release a special edition MetroCard adorned with Biggie’s image. The subway stations are Lafayette Avenue, Clinton – Washington Ave. and Atlantic Ave. – Barclays Center, if you’re thinking of getting one.
The outlet also points out, “Amazon Music and their catalog music brand, [RE]DISCOVER, will take over the Clinton – Washington Ave. station with artwork based on Biggie’s iconic ‘King of New York’ crown photo.” While at the station, fans will be able to scan a Q.R. code that gives them access to a special Instagram filter celebrating his life and legacy.
Biggie’s Life After Death 25th anniversary super deluxe box set arrives on June 10. It’ll feature eight vinyl L.P.s and a commemorative booklet with rare photos from the Life After Death cover shoot, plus words from those who were involved in the making of the album, according to the publication.
On March 9, 1997, Biggie was murdered at the age of 24 in Los Angeles. 16 days later, Biggie’s sophomore album Life After Death was released. It went No. 1 and is currently 11x platinum. It has classics like “Hypnotize,” “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Sky’s the Limit.”