Today would have been the Notorious B.I.G.’s 44th birthday, and Puff Daddy and the Family celebrated at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center last night. The first evening of the Bad Boy Family Reunion tour featured performances by Jay Z, Puff Daddy, Mary J. Blige,Lil’ Kim, Faith Evans, Mase, Total, 112, and French Montana, as well as an all-star list of unannounced guests including Nas, Rick Ross, Ty Dolla $ign, and Busta Rhymes.
Puff Daddy introduced the show with a tribute to Biggie and an appreciation of Jay Z. “Whenever I get in trouble, this is the one I call,” Diddy said of Jay. “This is my strategist, right here, this my brother, this B.I.G.’s brother, this Brooklyn’s own.”
Conspicuously absent from the celebration: the long-rumored B.I.G. hologram. Below, watch clips of the heartfelt introduction (via Pitchfork), Nas and Diddy’s performance of “Hate Me Now,” a compilation of Instagram videos, and a few shots from throughout the show.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FvZrxxhSM-E
A photo posted by Ty Dolla $ign (@tydollasign) on
A photo posted by Misa Hylton, CPC, ICF (@misahylton) on
