Budweiser pays homage to Notorious B.I.G. with limited edition cans, free concert

The king of beers is celebrating New York City’s king of hip hop.

Budweiser has released a series of collectible beer cans and merchandise featuring The Notorious B.I.G.

A hand-drawn sketch of the late hip-hop superstar, whose birth name is Christopher George Latore Wallace, now adorns Tall Boy cans, alongside motifs of the Brooklyn skyline and lyrics from his hit song ‘Unbelievable,’ which reads: “Live from Bedford-Stuyvesant the livest one, Representin BK to the fullest.”

Designed by Anheuser-Busch’s in-house social and creative agency, draftLine, the limited-edition cans are currently only available for sale in the Grammy-nominated, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s hometown of New York City while supplies last.

Emblematic of the enduring love and respect for the artist, who was killed in March 1997 at age 24, the collectibles were created in partnership with the Christopher Wallace Estate.

“I am honored to know that a brand such as Budweiser wanted to celebrate my son in this way,” B.I.G.’s mother Voletta Wallace said with the product’s announcement. “Christopher’s legacy and brand value is extremely important to myself and the family and memorializing him on the can of an iconic beer brand such as Budweiser is something I believe he would be happy with.”

“The Notorious B.I.G. Budweiser Tall Boy can is the most iconic can collaboration we’ve done to date,” Budweiser’s marketing chief Daniel Blake added. “We’re grateful for the collaboration with the Christopher Wallace Estate and Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace to bring this special can to life so that we can celebrate the legacy of the greatest rapper of all time.”

Fans of Biggie Smalls – as the rapper considered among the best was affectionately known – can also purchase T-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants emblazoned with the branding emblazoned on it through a new partnership with ShopBeerGear.com.

In addition, an Aug. 19 “Celebrate Biggie” concert hosted by Budweiser is scheduled to take place in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Bandshell featuring appearances from his friends including Lil Kim, Busta Rhymes, DJ Steph Cakes and The Lox.

The concert is free and open to the public 21+. To reserve a ticket, eligible fans are invited to visit https://us.budweiser.com/celebratebiggie