Celebrating Biggie Smalls On The 25th Anniversary Of His Death

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — This week may mark 25 years since iconic rapper Biggie Smalls died in a still-unsolved murder thousands of miles away from his home borough.

But walking around Brooklyn, it isn't hard to see his legacy is alive and well — from murals on the walls of his native Bed-Stuy, to streets named in his honor, to special art exhibits and nightclub tributes, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the rapper surrounding the 25th anniversary of his death on Wednesday.

Here are a few:

Jam to His Music

Perhaps the most direct way to celebrate Biggie would be to take a listen to the music that made him famous.

To mark the 25th anniversary specifically, his family is releasing a 25th edition box set of his second album "Life After Death," according to iHeartRadio. The box set will be released in June, according to his estate.

Albumism has also put together a dive into Biggie's music for the 25th anniversary.

And those who wish to jam out in person can head to at least one nightclub tribute that is being held in the borough this week.

Buy An NFT

Wallace's estate is taking a more futuristic approach to celebrating the 25-year milestone by releasing a collection of Biggie Smalls NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, according to their Instagram page.

The NFT launch, put together by the estate and the company OneOf, will send a portion of the proceeds to Biggie's family nonprofit, the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation.

“We are excited about our partnership with OneOf and their expertise to memorialize my son Christopher with this first official NFT drop to give his fans an opportunity to participate in and honor their love of him and his music,” Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace said on the OneOf announcement.

A date for the launch hasn't been set yet.

Learn About His Life

This year also marks another important milestone for The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace. The rapper would have turned 50 on May 21, 2022.

In celebration of the birthday, a new biography about Biggie will be hitting the shelves, according to publishers.

The new book, titled "It Was All a Dream," is set to be released by Abrams Press in May 2022 for those who want to extend their celebration of the rapper a few months.

Fans who can't wait can catch a new documentary about Biggie on Netflix that debuted last year.

Visit His Stomping Grounds

Though the neighborhood has certainly changed since Biggie Smalls held rap battles in its barbershops, some remnants of the rapper's upbringing in Brooklyn are available to visit, including those memorialized in his memory.

The St. James Place block where Wallace grew up was formally named "Christopher Wallace Way" in his honor in 2019. In a sign of those neighborhood changes, his apartment on the street was recently on the market for $4,000.

The co-name, which extends from Fulton Street to Gates Avenue, marked the end of a years-long initiative led largely by mural artist LeRoy McCarthy and the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation.

It follows another effort to name the Christopher "Biggie" Wallace basketball courts in 2017.