#BIG50

In honor of The Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th birthday on Saturday, May 21, New York City paid homage to the King of New York throughout the weekend.

On Friday (May 20), family and friends of the late rapper gathered for the 2nd Annual Biggie Dinner Gala at Guastavino’s in New York City. Those in attendance included Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace, his children T’yanna Wallace and CJ Wallace, and his closest friends including the evening’s host Lil’ Kim, as well as Lil’ Cease, members of Junior M.A.F.I.A., Havoc, Sway, Smif-N-Wessun, and more. The Lexus and Pepsi-sponsored event also included numerous performances.

Elsewhere, JAY-Z, Diddy, and Fat Joe paid tribute to B.I.G. during TIDAL’s “A Toast to BIG” on Twitter Spaces. During the lengthy chat which was hosted by Elliott Wilson, JAY-Z bigged up his brother “You realize the impact that he made on the world in such a short time,” while Diddy reflected on a young Christopher Wallace “He always wanted to really be fly. He had some sensibility and it really came from the Brooklyn style at that time.” said Puff. “He always had the problem where it wasn’t in his size. Shout to 5001 Flavors and all the other tailors that we was able to find that we was able to really, really get him real drippy.”

On Saturday, the Empire State Building lit up in red and white in honor of B.I.G.’s birthday. Special edition Biggie MetroCard’s were given out by the MTA at subway stations near his old Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, while a montage of his videos were played outside the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn.

The Notorious B.I.G. estate also released the rapper’s latest posthumous music “G.O.A.T.” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Bella Alubo.

Photos: Ismail “Calligrafist” Sayeed