Posted by The Notorious B.I.G. was in Los Angeles to promote his sophomore album Life After Death on March 9, 1997 when he was gunned down at the age of 24. The Brooklyn-bred MC, who was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records at the time, was shot four times in a drive-by shooting.
Although Biggie’s murder remains unsolved, retired Los Angeles Police Department Officer Greg Kading believes former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight orchestrated the murder in revenge for the September 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
Twenty-five years later, Biggie is considered a Hip Hop legend, and his work is celebrated all over the globe. On Wednesday (March 9), Diddy shared a throwback video of Biggie on the mic, encouraging young fans to follow their dreams.
“There will NEVER be another,” he wrote in the caption. “The GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME. Today we celebrate and honor you king. Love and miss you!!”
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Biggie released just one album while he was alive, his 1994 debut Ready To Die. The project spawned several Hip Hop classics, including. “Juicy,” “Big Poppa” and the DJ Premier-produced “Unbelievable.”
Life After Death arrived just 16 days after his murder, lending the entire project an ominous vibe. Not to mention the fact it picks up where “Suicidal Thoughts” left off on the first album. Guest contributors included 112, JAY-Z, Lil’ Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, The LOX and Diddy.
Diddy-Produced Biggie Documentary Coming To Netflix: Watch The Trailer
At the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, the project was nominated for Best Rap Album, while “Hypnotize” was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance and “Mo Money Mo Problems” earned a nod for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Additional posthumous releases include Born Again (1999), Duets: The Final Chapter (2005) and The King & I with his widow Faith Evans (2017). Biggie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2020, while numerous documentaries have been made about his life and tragic dead. He remains one of the exalted MCs in Hip Hop history.