Willingie and Gunpowder & Sky announced today that, together with Meta and The Notorious B.I.G. Estate, they will bring Biggie’s 50th birthday year celebration to culmination with The Notorious B.I.G. Sky’s The Limit: A VR Concert Experience. On December 16, one of the world’s most influential rappers and cultural icons of all time is returning to the stage, in true-to-life hyper-realistic avatar form. The Notorious B.I.G. will lead fans on a VR experience in Meta Horizon Worlds to celebrate his life and legacy within a virtual recreation of 90’s Brooklyn called The Brook. Audiences follow a day in Biggie’s life through a narrative journey written and voiced by American writer and music journalist Touré. The concert will feature performances of classics from Biggie’s beloved catalog, guest performances by Sean “Diddy” Combs, The Lox, Latto, Nardo Wick, Lil’ Cease, a special set from DJ Clark Kent, and more. The concert will premiere exclusively in Venues in Meta Horizon Worlds (and Meta Quest TV) accessible with a Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro, and those without the VR headset can view the 2D version of the concert on the official Notorious B.I.G. Facebook page.
Ms. Voletta Wallace, Christopher Wallace’s mother, stated, “Having the ability to create a variance of new opportunity to showcase my son Christopher’s music through the advancement of technology is hard for me to grasp at times, however, I’ve found so much excitement in the process of developing his avatar, understanding the value added for fans to experience him in ways unattainable till now. Thank you to all who have contributed to bringing this project to fruition.”
“Biggie’s music has been streamed over 11 billion times worldwide and 6.5 billion in the US alone, but because of his untimely death there just wasn’t enough content to support the overwhelming demand for his music. This is why I originated the idea and came up with the decision to create a digital avatar,” says Elliot Osagie, founder of Willingie, who spearheaded the technology innovation development with VFX director Remington Scott, CEO of Hyperreal. Together with Gunpowder & Sky, the studio responsible for production of the concert, and William Morris Endeavor, who represents The Notorious B.I.G. estate and has provided support throughout the development of the project, they are re-introducing Biggie to a new world of fans, technology and advancements in virtual Web3.
Biggie’s Manager, Mark Pitts, President of RCA Records, stated, “It’s amazing to create new content for BIG. The world was robbed of an opportunity to watch Biggie grow and evolve as an artist. The wonder of Web3 is that it gives us an opportunity to celebrate his music with visuals that Biggie never got to make.”
“Biggie’s untimely death, similar to that of Kurt Cobain and Tupac, was a seminal moment in my prior gig at MTV,” said Van Toffler, CEO, Gunpowder & Sky. “So, having the opportunity to be part of his rebirth in the virtual world – coupling the latest avatar & motion capture technologies with the best music & storytelling – is a dream come to life. Biggie’s impact on music & culture will never have an expiration date.”
© 2022, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
