Yesterday marked 25 years after the passing of Biggie Smalls. The rapper built a gargantuan legacy over the course of a few years of his career, earning his stripes on the corners to become a pivotal figure in shaping the course of hip-hop moving forward. Friends, fans, family, and peers offered tributes to Big on the timeline, like Fat Joe, who revealed that he played a hand in bringing Biggie and Bone Thugs’ iconic collaboration to life.
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Diddy, of course, made a concerted effort to show love to Biggie with two throwback posts on Instagram. Both clips were from old interviews where Biggie discussed the importance of staying original in the rap game, and the significance of putting in work. “There will NEVER be another. The GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME. Today we celebrate and honor you king. Love and miss you!!” Diddy wrote on the first post.
“25 years ago the Notorious B.I.G. was killed over some bullshit. His spirit truly lives on forever and EVER!! We miss you BIG,” he added in a second post.
Lil Kim also paid tribute to Biggie with a throwback photo which he captioned with two crowns.
Biggie Smalls’ estate announced that they were launching an NFT collection to honor his legacy and celebrate his music in partnership with OneOf.
Check out Lil Kim and Diddy’s posts below.