Clinton Hill Block Renamed For The Notorious B.I.G.

CLINTON HILL, BROOKLYN — If you don't know, now you know.

A block in Clinton Hill where rap icon The Notorious B.I.G. once lived has officially been co-named in his honor.

Hundreds of fans, elected officials, fellow musicians and members of B.I.G.'s family braved the rain — or as many called it, Biggie's tears of joy — Monday afternoon to formally dedicate a block of St. James Place as "Christopher Wallace Way" in memory of the late rapper.

The co-name, which extends from Fulton Street to Gates Avenue, marks the end of a years-long initiative led largely by mural artist LeRoy McCarthy and the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation. It will serve as inspiration to those that, like Biggie, aspire to live out their dreams against the odds, speakers said.

"There are so many Biggie Smalls that are in every block, every neighborhood and every street in this borough and we need to allow them to flourish and prosper and grow in the capacity they know they ought to be," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said. "Where you are is not who you are as long as you believe in yourself and continue to reach for the stars."

Monday's ceremony featured Biggie's friends, family, his former rap crew and, of course, his music.

Adams and others used the ceremony as a call to end violence like the drive-by California shooting that killed Biggie in 1997 and that once overwhelmed his Brooklyn neighborhood. But also, to highlight how far the borough has come.

Biggie grew up on St. James Place in the 1970s, 80s and 90s before rising to fame after dropping his first album in 1994. He is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Local Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, whose office helped spearhead the co-naming, said the rapper is one of the reasons Brooklyn has become the hotspot it is today. The new block, though, she said, will ensure even newer residents that have flocked to the borough won't forget its history.

"We created this borough and Biggie Smalls created the soundtrack of inspiration that gave us the growth, the ability, the inspiration and the blue print to create success in Brooklyn New York," she said. "Brooklyn you did this. You deserve this."

The new street will join several other homages to the hip-hop legend in the neighborhood, including a mural just across the Fulton Street intersection where Monday's ceremony was held.

Biggie also has large murals dedicated to him in Bed-Stuy and has basketball courts named after him at the Crispus Attucks Playground, which was named in 2017.

"This street is going to be a love street," his mother, Voletta Wallace said Monday. "People are going to come here and they're going to know that a young man, my son, lived here."