This Saturday, May 20, will mark what would’ve been The Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th birthday. As expected there are big plans to honor the late rapper, and it continues what’s been a celebratory year in honor of Biggie. This year also marked the 25th anniversary of Biggie’s Life After Death, and back in February, his estate released an anniversary box set for the album complete with eight LPs for fans to indulge in. Now, in celebration of his upcoming 50th birthday, Biggie’s estate delivers the late rapper’s first song in 17 years with “G.O.A.T.” and it’s quite the unique song, at least for what you would expect from Biggie.
Thanks to some help from Ty Dolla Sign and Nigerian singer Bella Alubo, Biggie arrives with “G.O.A.T.” which features an unexpected dose of afrobeats within the record. Biggie delivers verses at the beginning and at the end of the song while Ty Dolla Sign takes care of the middle verse. Elsewhere, Alubo takes care of the song’s hook. The track also samples “I Love The Dough,” which is a fan favorite from Biggie’s Life After Death album.
“Being on a song with Biggie has been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Ty said about the new song. “The song title is fitting of him…the GOAT. Happy Birthday, Big. We miss you!” Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, also spoke about the new song. “It’s wonderful to witness my son’s music reimagined for his fans and today’s generation of young men and women to embrace his art,” she said. “I appreciate the hard work of all involved in bringing together the perfect blend of voices and music to this song, G.O.A.T.”
You can check out the new record in the video above.
Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.