biggy's Legacy

Considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, Wallace was described by AllMusic as "the savior of East Coast hip-hop".[17] The Source magazine named him the greatest rapper of all time in its 150th issue in 2002.[101][102] In 2003, when XXL magazine asked several hip hop artists to list their five favorite MCs, Wallace appeared on more rappers' lists than anyone else. In 2006, MTV ranked him at No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, calling him possibly "the most skillful ever on the mic".[10] Editors of About.com ranked him at No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007).[103] In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 Lyrical Leaders of all time.[104] Rolling Stone has referred to him as the "greatest rapper that ever lived".[105] In 2015, Billboard named Wallace as the greatest rapper of all time.[2]

Wallace's lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of artists, including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Fat Joe, Nelly, Ja Rule, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Game, Clinton Sparks, Michael Jackson, and Usher. At the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Combs and Snoop Dogg paid tribute to Wallace by hiring an orchestra to play while the vocals from "Juicy" and "Warning" played on the arena speakers.[106] At the 2005 VH1 Hip Hop Honors, a tribute to Wallace headlined the show.[107]

Wallace had begun to promote a clothing line called Brooklyn Mint, which was to produce plus-sized clothing, but it fell dormant after he died. In 2004, his managers Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow launched the clothing line with help from Jay-Z, selling T-shirts with images of Wallace on them. A portion of the proceeds go to the Christopher Wallace Foundation and to Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.[108] In 2005, Voletta Wallace hired branding and licensing agency Wicked Cow Entertainment to guide the estate's licensing efforts.[109] Wallace-branded products on the market include action figures, blankets, and cell phone content.[110]

The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation holds an annual black-tie dinner ("B.I.G. Night Out") to raise funds for children's school equipment and to honor Wallace's memory. For this particular event, because it is a children's schools' charity, "B.I.G." is also said to stand for "Books Instead of Guns".[111]

There is a large portrait mural of Wallace as Mao Zedong on Fulton Street in Brooklyn a half-mile west from Wallace's old block.[112] A fan petitioned to have the corner of Fulton Street and St. James Place, near Wallace's childhood home renamed in his honor, garnering support from local businesses and attracting more than 560 signatures.[112]

A large portrait of Wallace features prominently in the Netflix series Luke Cage, due to the fact that he served as muse for the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Marvel Comics character Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes.

In August 2020, Wallace's son, C.J., released a house remix of his father's hit "Big Poppa."[113]

A March 2021 Netflix documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, executive-produced by Voletta Wallace and Combs, focuses on B.I.G.'s life before he rose to fame as "The King of New York," and features “unprecedented access granted by the Wallace estate.”[114]

Biopic

Notorious is a 2009 biographical film about Wallace and his life that stars rapper Jamal Woolard as Wallace. The film was directed by George Tillman Jr. and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Producers included Sean Combs, Wallace's former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, as well as Voletta Wallace.[115] On January 16, 2009, the movie's debut at the Grand 18 theater in Greensboro, North Carolina was postponed after a man was shot in the parking lot before the show.[116] The film received mixed reviews and grossed over $44 million worldwide.[117][118]

In early October 2007, open casting calls for the role of Wallace began.[119] Actors, rappers and unknowns all tried out. Beanie Sigel auditioned[120] for the role, but was not picked. Sean Kingston claimed that he would play the role of Wallace, but producers denied it.[121] Eventually, it was announced that rapper Jamal Woolard was chosen to play Wallace[122] while Wallace's son, Christopher Wallace Jr. was cast to play Wallace as a child.[123] Other cast members include Angela Bassett as Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as Sean Combs, Antonique Smith as Faith Evans, Naturi Naughton as Lil' Kim, and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur.[124] Bad Boy also released a soundtrack album to the film on January 13, 2009; the album contains many of Wallace's hit singles, including "Hypnotize" and "Juicy", as well as rarities.[125]