Remembering Notorious B.I.G., 15 Years Later

Notorious B.I.G. was murdered 15 years ago in Los Angeles.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., and the tributes are out.

Entertainment Weekly picks 15 songs to remember him by, The Boombox collected thoughts on Biggie from 19 other artists and even CNN pretended to be hip to hip-hop by commissioning a remembrance from Fader co-founder Rob Stone.

Biggie, born Christopher Wallace, was unquestionably one of the most influential MCs of the ’90s. It was a strange and volatile time for hip-hop, when disputes between artists too often seemed to play out in a hail of bullets. It’s shocking, and deeply sad, to think that B.I.G. was just 24 when he died in a shooting incident as he and his entourage left a party in Los Angeles hosted by Vibe magazine (which posted its own tribute to Biggie). It’s sadder still that his murder remains unsolved.

What’s left is his legacy: Four studio albums, three of which came out after he died (and one of which, 1997′s “Life After Death,” has sold more than 10 million copies), and a handful of huge singles, including “Mo Money, Mo Problems” and “Hypnotize.”