Pepsi drops unreleased 1997 freestyle by rapper Notorious B.I.G. in latest ad

Pepsi has dropped a commercial featuring an unreleased track by the late American rapper Notorious B.I.G., whose real name is Christopher Wallace, which happened to place Pepsi in the spotlight. This comes in the lead up to Notorious B.I.G.'s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which sees him joining other famous figures in the hip-hop industry such as N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash.

In Pepsi's latest commercial, Notorious B.I.G. raps: "Nothing can beat the P-E-P-S-I drink it constantly. Something ’bout the taste feels great, less filling." He added: "Tell ’em Biggie said drink it all, don’t test me. Nothing else beats a Pepsi. If it is, let’s see, I’m thirsty."

https://twitter.com/pepsi/status/1318884739806195714

The brand collaborated with the Christopher Wallace Foundation, Cey Adams and DJ Enuff, who previously worked with Notorious B.I.G., for the remastered freestyle which was first written in 1997. The animation was done by Antnamation.

Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls, reestablished the success of East Coast rap in the US during the 1990s. He rose to fame after being aided by American rapper Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, and some of his hit songs include One more chance, Mo money mo problems, Juicy, Hypnotise and Who shot ya. He was one of the focal points of the East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry alongside the late Tupac Shakur. This started in November 1994, when Shakur was shot several times in New York and robbed. Shakur accused Notorious B.I.G. and Combs of the attack and this eventually snowballed into the heated rivalry between rappers from the East and West Coast. Shakur was gunned down in 1996 and months after his death, Notorious B.I.G. was also killed.

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