RIP Biggie Smalls, Your Legacy Lives On

Trap music’s roots are undoubtedly bred in hip-hop. Taking rap culture’s diverse artistic potential to the electronic spectrum, trap music has reinvented a brand of hip-hop with a gritty 21st century flavor. The trap movement we know today wouldn’t exist without hip-hop’s heavy hitters, as they are without question, the core influences for trap producers in today’s game.

Some of trap music’s most promising talents were inspired by icons like Nas, Dr. Dre, and Jay Z, who are still around to shape hip-hop’s appeal. However on a day like today, we must pay homage to one of rap music’s fallen all-time-greats, Biggie Smalls. 19 years ago today The Notorious B.I.G died in Los Angeles, California, a story that is written in hip-hop history forever. But nearly two decades later, the Brooklyn-born Bad Boy beat-crusher’s legacy lives on all across electronic music. Biggie Smalls was not afraid to push the boundaries, as he established himself as a moving force in urban hip-hop’s rise to prominence. With a mentality like that, we can see exactly how his music has lived on, impacting electronic music in a powerful way.

Producers from Bro Safari and Party Favor to Ookay, Jackal and so many more have all paid respect to Big Poppa, showcasing their signature styles through Christopher Wallace’s larger-than-life hip-hop classics. Here is a list of tracks that have all given a nod to one of east coast rap’s forefathers, as we celebrate Biggie’s life after death.

Saïl Ryel

Party Favor

Ookay

Dead Pop Stars Society

Spenca & AFK

Bro Safari + Rell The Soundbender

Jackal

 The “Hypnotize” rapper changed the direction of rap music with a short, but game-changing career. Holding an instrumental role in hip-hop’s arrival to the mainstream, Biggie Small’s memory lives on in his music, and the fresh, creative imaginings of the producers he inspired along the way. Rest in peace B.I.G.

 

 

RIP Biggie Smalls, Your Legacy Lives On