Notorious B.I.G. Death: Today Marks 20th Anniversary Of Rapper’s Death

The Notorious B.I.G., aka Christopher Wallace, was shot in the passenger seat of a car outside a Vibe magazine party on March 9, 1997.

20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.’S DEATH

His death is still unsolved, and it changed the course of rap music. At just 24, Biggie was already the main stock in Bad Boy Records, and once he died, the onus was on Puff Daddy to keep the label going. He released his debut album, No Way Out, shortly after.

“After Big died, we were searching to see who was gonna carry the torch,” Mase told GQ in 2014. “My verses on Puff’s first few singles from No Way Out were records I wrote… before I even got to the label. I gave them to Puff, because he was the one with the hot hand.” Jay Z was also affected by Biggie’s death, causing him to shoot to stardom with 1997’s “City Is Mine.”

On the 20th anniversary of Biggie’s death, many in the rap community are sharing their thoughts and memories on social media. His widow, singer Faith Evans, posted a photo of the rapper as a child to her Instagram.

Puff Daddy, aka Sean “Diddy” Combs, shared, “20 years ago today we lost the greatest rapper of all time” with the hashtag #WeMissYouBIG. He asked fans to “rap your favorite Biggie verse, tag me and use the hashtag.”

Mikill Pane, Ricky Rozay, Charles M. Blow, also added to the noise.

BET Networks is also presenting a day-long celebration of the rapper’s life, and has invited various artists to contribute.