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As the world pays homage to the legendary Biggie Smalls on the 20th anniversary of his death, his dear friend Diddy knows him a little bit deeper than the rest of us.
The music mogul took to Instagram to honor the Notorious B.I.G. by creating an entire social media campaign around him, calling on fans and fellow musicians to rap their favorite Biggie verse and share it using the hashtag #WeMissYouBIG. He said in an Instagram video, “Today is March 9. Twenty years ago today we lost the greatest rapper of all time, the Notorious B.I.G. Today, we’re celebrating his life through his music and through his legacy today.”
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He even told the story of meeting B.I.G. for the first time before signing him to Bad Boy, saying, “The first time I met B.I.G., I brought him to this soul food restaurant called Sylvia’s up in Harlem, and the first thing that I remember was how, like, big and black he was. Then I remember him sitting down, and he really didn’t have anything to say. So you have this big guy that has this in-your-face rap attitude but was quiet. And then here’s the mind-blowing thing that you wouldn’t have thought. We’re at Sylvia’s, and it’s the best soul food in the world … I asked him if he wanted to eat, and he’s like, ‘Nah.’ He didn’t want to eat. I realized that’s how big this moment was for him and this was really his dream. He couldn’t even eat. … It was all a dream, true story.”
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In another clip, Diddy got emotional about all the time that has passed since his homie/brother/friend was shot and killed. He said, “This year is more of a sobering year. It’s 20 years. For us, we lived 20 years of our lives without somebody that has been a big part of our lives that has basically been responsible for the legend of our careers. He’s fed a lot of families, made a lot of people dance, made a lot of people feel good. On this day we’re going to reflect on him because we miss him, and 20 years later, time heals all wounds, but this one ain’t healed yet.”
The notorious legacy will forever live on. Check out the full videos above.
