S. Samuel
In honor of the late Notorious B.I.G.'s 40th birthday, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Lil Cease has penned an open letter reflecting on Big Poppa's legacy.
In the first part of the letter, Cease promises to keep Biggie’s legacy alive.
“To B.I.G.,
What’s good B.I. Hope all is well with you up top, I’m writing this letter to wish you a BIG happy 40th birthday from me and the family!
It’s not a day that goes by without me thinking about all good times from rocking the stages and chilling on St. James with the homies. You’re def missed down here BIG, by your family, friends and fans Your moms and kids is doing very well down here and you know I’ma hold them down to the best of my ability.” (XXL Mag)
The latter part shows Cease paying homage to B.I.G. giving him a shot at stardom.
“Thank you for giving me a career, positive pather and showing me the real meaning of life at a young age. I’ma keep your legacy alive and going the best way I could B.I. 15 yrs later and you’re still crowned the King of New York!! I love you to death big brother and can’t wait to see you on the other side. Until then, you already know what it is, MAFIA FOR LIFE!! LOVE YOU BIG, YOUR HEART CEASER A LEO!! ONE!!!” (XXL Mag)
Last fall, Cease downplayed accusations over who is responsible for murdering B.I.G. in March 1997.
“I’m just way past those types of situations,” said a slightly bemused Cease. “Every year, every couple of months, something new comes out. It all depends on whoever putting it out what’s their intentions. I never even heard of this person who put this book out or heard of him as a cop during any time in that investigation.” After saying he didn’t believe Sean Combs ordered the shooting as Greg Kading alleges, Cease added, “I’ve been dealing with that for so many years. Every year, it’s just something different. Who knows what to believe?” (RapFix)
Last week, some previously unreleased Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z performance footage emerged online.
A rare clip has surfaced from 1996 which features one of the only live performances of Notorious B.I.G. with Jay-Z. The pair teamed up at Video Music Box creator Ralph McDaniels‘ birthday party to perform “Get Money.” Fuse has the video, along with the following story from McDaniels: “Every year, I had a birthday party,” said Ralph McDaniels. “I wanted to get B.I.G. to host [it], but really I wanted him to perform. Jay-Z came with the whole Roc-A-Fella crew and they got on stage. I told the DJ, ‘If Biggie gets on stage, play a Biggie song and we’ll get him to perform.’ DJ Ace threw on ‘Get Money’ and the whole crowd went crazy. B.I.G. looks at me like, ‘I guess I’m supposed to perform now, right?’ Jay-Z plays hypeman to B.I.G. on ‘Get Money.’ That just rang through the hood forever.” (Prefix Mag)
