The Christopher Wallace Foundation has confirmed that the Notorious B.I.G. will be receiving his very own intersection in Brooklyn.
Billboardreports that the borough will officially change the intersection of Gates Avenue and Fulton Street to Christopher Wallace Way. This news come today, on what would've been his 47th birthday. Last November, Brooklyn Community Board 2 approved the renaming petition after a 33-1 vote. A public ceremony will commence on June 10, and members of Biggie's family, including his mother Voletta Wallace and his children, are expected to be in attendence.
Biggie, who has been honored with several posthumous awards and been the center of many 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, emphasizing the importance of immortalizing one of rap's biggest cultural icons. In a statement to Rolling Stone, 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."
Complex has reached out to McCarthy for further comment.
Earlier this month, the 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, told Gothamist "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."
Also on the Biggie front, daughter T'yanna Dream Wallace collaborated with designer/DJ/producer Freeky P on limited edition tee shirts commemorating the 47th anniversary of the legend’s May 21 birth.
They’re available exclusively through T’yanna’s Brooklyn clothing shop Notoriouss and its website.
