Today marks 21 years since Biggie Smalls was shot and killed. The rapper died just months after Tupac Shakur was also shot and killed, with both cases still unsolved. A few hip-hop emcees have paid tribute to the "Juicy" rapper and Kareem “Biggs” Burke - co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records - chopped it up with Rap Up to talk about times with the icon, as he knew him personally.
“When I think about March 9th, I think about one of the greatest writers, the greatest personalities, one of the greatest people that's gone,” Kareem says in the video below. “Big was really young. We lost…a great talent that, I think, would have been one of the best artists of all time, outside of hip-hop. What he left on this game, his mark is still living. I’m definitely happy about that, especially for his kids and his family. It’s something that’s truly missed.”
He adds how Pac and Biggie will always be thought of in the same lane as two of the biggest "game changers" in the same way people think of Bob Marley.
He even takes a stroll down memory lane and paints a picture of how impressionable and funny Biggie was, detailing a time they wrapped up a studio session and went to check out Bernie Mac perform live. The second they got to the event, Big declared they needed weed and an ounce was delivered and he smoked 60 joints.
He even details playing Monopoly with real money with Biggie and his crew. "There was a respect level there, but you know, it was always friendly competition," he says.
Watch the video below.
