Empire State Building lit to honor The Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th birthday

Late New York City rapper Biggie Smalls is getting a very New York celebration for what would have been his 50th birthday: a MetroCard.

Strap-hangers can purchase MetroCards emblazoned with the hip-hop legend’s face at four stations in Brooklyn on Saturday, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
The artist, also known by the stage name Notorious B.I.G., was born Christopher Wallace on May 21, 1972, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. After releasing two Grammy-nominated studio records, Wallace was shot and killed at 24 in Los Angeles. His murder is still unsolved.