Empire State Building to Honor Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th Birthday With Crown on Its Mast
variety.comJem Aswad Senior Music EditorNew York City, the Notorious B.I.G.’s hometown, will pay tribute to the late rapper on May 21, which would have been his 50th birthday.On that day, the legendary Empire State Building will change its lights’ color to red and white, with a crown spinning on its mast in honor of the late rapper, whose real name was Christopher Wallace and who died in 1997 at the age of just 24.
The day before, on May 20, the Empire State Building, in partnership with Bad Boy / Atlantic / Rhino Records, will host a ceremony that will include Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, his children (CJ and Tyanna Wallace), his close friend James Lloyd (Lil’ Cease), and Kimberly Denise Jones (Lil Kim).
Other close friends, collaborators, and hip-hop luminaries, that were instrumental in Biggie’s meteoric success and legacy will also be in attendance.
On his birthday, the celebration will travel B.I.G.’s home borough of Brooklyn. The Barclays Center will honor the legendary rapper and hometown hero by featuring a video montage of classic Biggie records on the massive oculus display above the arena’s entrance.The arena is only a few subway stops away from Bedford-Stuyvesant, the neighborhood where B.I.G.
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