The legend of Notorious B.I.G. is set to grow larger with his nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Twenty-two years after his death, rapper Notorious B.I.G. has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time. In order to be eligible for nomination, an artist must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years ago, and Biggie’s debut album Ready to Die celebrated its 25th anniversary in September. To decide who will be inducted, ballots will be sent to thousands of artists and members of the music industry who will judge the nominee’s career, innovation, and influence on other artists. Fans are also able to vote through January 10th on Google, and the top five choices will be counted with the other ballots.
Biggie’s short career in hip hop ended just 16 days before the release of his second studio album, Life After Death, when he was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. The murder remains a cold case to this day. Following his death, Biggie became even more famous than he was in life, with Life After Death being one of the only RIAA certified diamond albums in hip hop and selling more than 28 million records in the United States. Biggie has been named by Rolling Stone and Billboard as the “greatest rapper of all time.”
“Biggie totally deserves to win,” said local rapper JP. “Ready to Die is one of my favorite albums!”
Among the other first-time nominees this year are Whitney Houston, the Dave Mathews Band, Nine Inch Nails, and Soundgarden. If Notorious B.I.G. is inducted, he will become just the seventh hip hop artist to ever win the award. The 2020 inductees will be announced in January, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Photo: The Notorious B.I.G. Mini Production by Will Kasso on Flickr
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