Posthumous Pepsi Biggie Freestyle

10.22.20

Notorious B.I.G Hot97 Freestyle Circa 1997

Not everyone is a fan of posthumous records and tapes being released, though it happens with just about every fallen artist. However, I think there is a mutual feeling we can all get excited about, when we hear an unreleased Notorious B.I.G. freestyle or verse. One of the greats, one of the few household names, one of the two solo hip-hop artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Biggie is someone that everyone can listen, many look up to, and we all can get excited about to hear some new music from.

A few months back over quarantine, Biggie’s old DJ released an unreleased verse from an old song. Everyone went crazy for it. Well, Pepsi and Hot97 are next up to share a little gem with us, from Biggie’s creatively lyrical catalog. Not that I can recall any radio interviews from 1997, but allegedly, Biggie had performed this particular freestyle back in 1997 on Hot97 Radio with DJ Enuff. Twenty-three years later, Hot97 and Pepsi have decided to, for the first time, formally release the freestyle, with an accompanying animated video, to show love and support to the late, legend.

If you are still wondering what Pepsi has to do with this, yes, Biggie does name drop Pepsi in the freestyle, dubbing it his favorite drink (I told you Pepsi over Coke). The video is one minute and thirteen seconds long. The location is clearly a Brooklyn neighborhood. Friends jumping rope, birds chirping, and kids on their front steps with a boombox, as DJ Enuff comes through the speakers reciting ‘We’re taking it back it 1997, me and Biggie Smalls free styling together’ as the freestyle begins.

Biggie name drops Pepsi several times throughout his freestyle. “I keep a Pepsi in the freezer / Other sodas taste the worst / If you can’t quench my thirst what you in my fridge for? / The P-E-P-S-I yes I drink it constantly.” The whole freestyle basically is about Pepsi, whether this was sponsored back that, or if DJ Enuff was throwing random topics at B.I.G like the Five Fingers of Death on Shade 45 with Sway.

Aside from this being a Pepsi endorsement from B.I.G., they used the video to make multiple nods at Biggie and his favorable catalog, and his legacy. There are two street signs shown in the video, St. James and Fulton. The corner between these two blocks is Clinton Hill, which has recently been co-named Christopher ‘Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace Way. This is also the street where he grew up. Every store signage, Pop’s Barber Shop, The Brooklyn Way, Spread Love, these are all things Biggie touched on in his music, in really impactful ways. The video ends with some congratulatory text from Pepsi and Hot97. “The Notorious B.I.G. 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.” “Your Legacy Lives On, Brooklyn and Beyond.”

There is, of course, a social media challenge tied to the release of this unreleased freestyle. The B.I.G. Pepsi Freestyle Challenge, asks artists to drop an original freestyle with at least on mention of Pepsi. To enter, just post your freestyle and tag @HOT97 and #BIGPepsiFreestyle, on any social media platform. The winner of the challenge will win four free nights of studio and recording time, and a week of digital marketing support.

Biggie’s legacy will live on forever, and these gems will never get old. You can watch the video on Pepsi’s IGTV, or on YouTube.