The Notorious B.I.G. will be honored in a major way on June 10.
According to Billboard, the Brooklyn intersection where Biggie grew up—St. James Place between Fulton Street and Gates Avenue—will be formally changed to Christopher Wallace Way next month.
The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation confirmed the news on the late rapper’s 47th birthday yesterday (May 21). Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, and his children are expected to attend the public ceremony which is slated to begin at noon local time.
“Honoring Biggie symbolizes more than just one man,” LeRoy McCarthy previously told Rolling Stone. McCarthy spearheaded tribute initiative. “It symbolizes a culture. It symbolizes a borough. It symbolizes a people, and hip-hop is worldwide,” he added. The proposal was officially approved by Clinton Hill’s Community Board 2 last November.
Biggie was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. Since then, the beloved rapper has been posthumously honored with awards and celebrated for the impact he left on the hip hop community. In 2009, a biopic about Biggie’s life was released.
The film starred Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Naturi Naughton, and Anthony Mackie playing Biggie, Voletta Wallace, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Lil’ Kim and Tupac Shakur, respectively.
Earlier this month, Wu-Tang Clan received a similar honor in New York City when the Park Hill section of Staten Island was officially renamed the “Wu-Tang Clan District.” A council reportedly voted unanimously to rename the district after the iconic hip hop group.
In August 2017, a Brooklyn basketball court was renamed in dedication to Biggie. The news came months after a landlord decided not to remove the late rapper’s mural located on Bedford Avenue and Quincy Street.
Spread love, it’s the Brooklyn way, indeed.