The Notorious B.I.G. was murdered on March 9th, 1997. Nineteen years ago. It’s been two decades since he last roamed the streets of Brooklyn. Gentrification has drastically changed the look and racial dynamic of his native borough, especially in the Bedford Stuyvesant section that he once occupied. Median rent prices in Brooklyn have
risen to $3,112 a month, up 77% from 2000. The rising prices have led many to follow the lead of Brooklyn-born producer
Dre Dollasz and
leave the city altogether.
There has been one positive change since the ‘90s: the violent crime rate has
dropped 71% since 1993. Many of the residents who now roam Bed Stuy, Williamsburg, and other hipsterized locales wouldn’t have dared set foot in the 1990s “Bed Stuy do-or-die” jungle that Biggie chronicled in his music. I say this not to shame them, but when I see paintings of his cold semi-scowl in expensive coffee shops, I wonder how much connection newer Brooklyn residents
truly feel with the rap icon.
Twenty-six-year-old lifelong Bushwick resident and multi-talented artist
Civil Justus has the same concerns. He believes that Biggie has “become like a mascot” for gentrifiers “who don’t know anything else about Brooklyn. All they know about Brooklyn is Biggie so they just throw him around to try and ‘rep’.”
Justus recalls “hipsters” down the block from him creating a Biggie mural a couple years ago, but he says he didn’t respect their intentions. Justus recalls the mural’s creation as an “inauthentic” scene that resembled an “after-school special” to him. He admits that he didn’t interact with those painters, so he doesn’t know how much they actually listen to Biggie’s music.
