Brooklyn will honor the legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G. by naming a Clinton Hill basketball court in his honor. Details on the renaming ceremony and more, here’s everything you need to know.
The legacy of New York rap king Notorious B.I.G. (A.K.A. Biggie Smalls, Big Poppa, and Christopher Wallace) is still strong in his native home of Brooklyn. Officials confirmed last week that a basket ball court at the Crispus Attucks Playground in Clinton Hill will be named after the rapper in a ceremony next month.
The renaming ceremony will take place days before an annual basketball tournament that will be held in the Notorious B.I.G’s honor.
City Council member Robert Cornegy told Daily News that he has been pushing to rename the court after the artist for several years. “This honor is very personal to me,” said the council member. The court, located at on Fulton Street at Classon Avenue, being renamed after the rapper will fulfill a promise the Councilman he made to Biggie’s mom. In an article by DNAInfo, Cornegy is reported to have said:
“Christopher Wallace’s music put Bedford-Stuyvesant on the map in a billion dollar global industry, […] I promised his mother, Ms. Voletta Wallace, I would preserve his legacy, so naming this park after him seems very fitting.”
According to DNAInfo article, push back about the renaming came from some community members because of his “objectionable” lyrics. Councilman Cornegy prevailed and the court renaming is expected to take place in early August.