VH1 has released a preview of the upcoming re-airing episode of Behind The Music that focuses on the late and great Notorious B.I.G. featuring new interviews and commentary. The 11-minute sneak peek displays his mother Voletta Wallace discussing how she raised him and trying to keep him from joining a gang. In addition, the piece shows some words from associates Chico Del Vec, 50 Gran, Mister Cee, and Gutta talk about how he embraced the street life and developed his ability to rap.

Here comes some rare throwback footage that offers some behind-the-scenes impressions from The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Warning" video shoot. The clip catches Christopher Wallace speaking on the success of his debut album Ready to Die, the name change from Biggie Smalls to Notorious B.I.G. as well as his newborn daughter T'yanna. Enjoy!

Terry Urban delivers one of the most interesting dedication projects honoring the 15-year death anniversary of the late and great Biggie Smalls. The DJ and mixtape composer fused the talents of B.I.G. with Lana Del Rey, combining the lyrics of the former's Ready to Die album with the music of the latter's Born to Die offering. Or to put it in Urban's words:

Hello everyone, Im gonna get right to it… In honor of Biggie’s passing 15 years ago on March 9, 1997, I wanted to do a special project. Mick Boogie and I honored the anniversary of his passing with a special project called Unbelievable, which was hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs and exceded 500k downloads online. But to pay tribute this time, I wanted to do something different. Merge music styles. Bridge audiences together in new ways. So I proudly present to you along with the homies from Dope Couture… Lana Del Rey and Notorious Big… Born Ready To Die. The music from Lana’s Born to Die and the lyrics from Biggie’s Ready to Die… still timeless after all these years. It’s a perfect marriage… dark and mysterious… soulful and gritty. Lana told Vogue Magazine that Biggie was one of her biggest musical influences… and now… he is her musical collaborator. I present to you…Born Ready To Die.

Stream below and download here.

Source: SoulCulture

Fifteen years ago today, Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., was killed by an unknown assailant in Los Angeles. Since another year has passed since his tragic death, we decided to commemorate his unique legacy with the video for one of his first solo tracks, "Party and Bullshit," which appeared on the Who's the Man? soundtrack in April 1993. The low budget black-and-white clip displays Biggie rapping at a party with Sean "Diddy" Combs and then unknown rapper Lil' Kim appearing as well. This song was performed at a concert with friend-turned-rival Tupac Shakur in 1994. Rest in Power.

As the past two years have shown us, remix work can be original and diverse. The latest example comes in the shape of Viceroy's rendition of The Notorious B.I.G.'s classic Life After Death Easy Mo Bee-produced cut "Going Back To Cali." The prolific producer indeed takes a whole different route on this one and replaces the West Coast elements with chill Jamaican vibes. Listen to it below while the piece is downloadable on Viceroy's Facebook page.

It’s not every day that new footage of the late and great Notorious B.I.G. surfaces online. Filmmaker Keith O’Derek has provided live unreleased footage dating back to 1995 of the iconic MC alongside Puff Daddy (now known as 'Diddy') performing “Can’t You See.” Shot in Irvine, California, O’Derek states that Biggie gave him “the honor of documenting his entire live performance.” So we may well be seeing yet more footage from this particular gig, let’s hope!

Justin Bieber is at it again. After showcasing his lyrical skills over prestigious instrumentals of "Otis" and Gang Starr's "DWYCK," the Bieber visited Las Vegas’ Hot 97.5, and upped the ante by dropping rhymes over The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya?" which was produced by Sean "Diddy" Combs & Nashiem Myrick. Share you thoughts below.

Biggie Smalls' impact on modern hip-hop culture has been extensively documented, but the late and great rapper had also a weak spot for fashion. Point in case, Big dedicated numerous verses to his appreciation for Versace and other brands. In a conversation with Nicki Minaj for The FADER's December/January issue, Donatella Versace opens up on her take on The Notorious B.I.G. and confirms that the love was mutual.

I think Biggie was amazing. He came to my shows in Paris many times, and we’d see each other often. He always used to talk so nicely about my family. I think he was so smart, so intelligent. He had such a mind. So I loved what he was doing and how he was giving people a way to know about Versace—I do think he was giving people a way to know about Versace—I do think a lot of people started to know about Versace because of him.

Illustration: Stacey Rozich

During his sit-down with XXL, rapper Lil Cease spoke of a close bond between two of hip-hop's finest – The Notorious B.I.G. and the recently departed Heavy D. Biggie's former Bad Boy associate elaborated on the great influence D had on Biggie. Had it not been for the Brooklyn rapper's hectic schedule, a full-length collaborative album between the two heavyweights would've had happened. But as a result, they only managed to record three tracks – "Jam Session," "A Buncha N–gas" and most notably "Let’s Get it On" featuring Grand Puba and 2Pac.

“After Big took off, it was hard for them to set up the schedules,” Lil Cease said. “But, Big always had the idea in his head like, ‘Yo, you know what? Me and Hev doing something together.’ The relationship was there being around the whole Uptown situation. It was a unit, everybody was a family up there; Mary [J.] Blige, Jodeci, Christopher Williams — it was that bond. Him and Big was gonna try to put something together. That’s why they were doing all those records together [and trying to get] a vibe off each other.”

DJ 21azy comes through another great mashup piece which involves the talents of five different artists. The producer blends in Biggie Smalls' lyrics of his timeless cut "Can I Get Wit'cha" with Xaphoon Jones' remix of Grouplove's recent single "Colours" which features up-and-coming New York rapper Skizzy Mars. Listen below!