In the early hours of Sunday, March 9, 1997, Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California. He was 24 years old. It’s been 25 years since B.I.G. was tragically killed; he has now officially been dead longer than he lived. Over the years, the hip-hop community as a whole has commemorated the life of Biggie Smalls.
This year, the estate for the late rapper has revealed fresh plans to honor Biggie ahead of two major milestones. On Wednesday, February 23, Biggie’s estate announced its plans to join forces with Bad Boy, Rhino and Atlantic Records to honor the “Hypnotize” rapper by launching a new year-long campaign Sky’s The Limit: A Year Celebrating The Legacy of the Notorious B.I.G. According to a press release, the estate and all three record labels will begin the celebrations on March 25, which marks the 25th anniversary of his second album Life After Death. In addition to hosting a series of online events and dropping 4K upgrades of Biggie’s video catalog, fans will also be able to cop an exclusive Life After Death super deluxe box set.
The rare box set is set at $179.98. Don’t let the price deter you because this collection is worth every penny. The Life After Death 25th Anniversary super deluxe box set comes complete with eight LPs including “Hypnotize” 12”, “Mo Money Mo Problems” 12”, “Sky’s The Limit” 12”, and “Nasty Boy” 12”. It also contains a commemorative booklet, which features rare photos from the album cover shoot, liner notes by Sheldon Pearce, and exclusive reflections from members of the team who worked on the original album release. The box set arrive on June 10 but you can pre-order it now. Meanwhile, the 2022 remastered version of the album will also be sold as a 3-LP Silver Vinyl, which will also be exclusively available in Target stores.
The announcement arrives ahead of Biggie’s 50th birthday, which falls on May 27. It also arrives nearly a year after Netflix released its exclusive documentary on the life and death of The Notorious B.I.G.
On Monday (February 15), the streaming service dropped the first trailer for Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell, which celebrates the life and legacy of one of the most influential rappers of all time, Christopher Wallace.
“Every legend has an origin story,” the trailer’s description on YouTube reads. “Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., remains one of Hip-Hop’s icons, renowned for his distinctive flow and autobiographical lyrics. This documentary celebrates his life via rare behind-the-scenes footage and the testimonies of his closest friends and family.”
I Got A Story To Tell, which was made in collaboration with Biggie’s estate, is directed by Emmett Malloy and executive produced by Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, and his longtime friend and collaborator, Sean “Diddy” Combs. The documentary features rare footage of the late legend — who was murdered on March 9, 1997, at 24 — that was filmed by his best friend Damion “D-Roc” Butler as well as new interviews with those who knew Biggie best.
Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell will show “a side of Wallace that the world never knew,” Netflix said in a statement. The documentary premiered on Netflix on March 1.
