Source: New York Daily News / Getty
Happy Birthday Biggie Smalls! The late Brooklyn native would be celebrating his 47th birthday today.
In the spirit of his birthday, the Christopher Wallace Foundation has officially confirmed that the Notorious B.I.G. will be receiving his very own intersection in Brooklyn.
According to Billboard, the borough will officially change the intersection of Gates Avenue and Fulton Street to Christopher Wallace Way. Last November, Brooklyn Community Board 2 approved the renaming petition after resulting in a vote of 33 to 1.
Biggie, who has been honored with several posthumous awards and has been the center of countless documentaries, is viewed as a figure embedded in the DNA of hip-hop, as well as, Brooklyn’s culture and history. LeRoy McCarthy, who spearheaded the initiative, emphasizes the importance of immortalizing one of rap’s biggest cultural icons.
In a Rolling Stone interview, he said, “Honoring Biggie symbolizes more than just one man. It symbolizes a culture. It symbolizes a borough. It symbolizes a people, and hip-hop is worldwide.”
A ceremony open to the public will commence on June 10th and members of Biggie’s family, including his mother Voletta Wallace and his children, are expected to be in attendance.
Earlier this month, the notorious Wu-Tang Clan received the same treatment, as a Staten Island intersection was officially renamed Wu-Tang District. McCarthy, who also campaigned for this initiative stated, “Through this success NYC gave official governmental recognition to a group of artists, who are black men, that used a NYC creation, hip-hop, to change themselves, their families’ lives, and put Staten Island on their backs while telling their stories across America and around the world.”
Source: Complex
