Emily Irish

Life After Death: Notorious B.I.G. Returns for a Concert Hosted by Meta

If you have spent the last twenty-five years in regrets that you’d never be able to see The Notorious B.I.G. on the stage, your time has suddenly come. Thanks to Meta, the rapper who was shot dead in 1997 will be back on the stage. Of course, such an event will take place in Meta’s Horizon Worlds.
 
We have got used to artists giving their performance online, on popular platforms from Zoom to PUBG and Fortnite. But all of them, from Ariana Grande and Post Malone to Gorillaz, are physically alive. It’s not the case with Biggie Smalls who got shot in 1997 and released his most famous album, prophetically named Life After Death, posthumously. On the day which would have been his 50th birthday, Biggie will appear on the stage, digitally resurrected.
 
The appearance and the moves of the artist will be recreated using archive footage to achieve the effect of the “hyper-realistic avatar”. Along with Biggie, there will be artists who collaborated with him, like The LOX, Latto, Nardo Wick, Lil’ Cease, and Sean “Diddy” Combs who back then was known as Puff Daddy. Also, there will be a documental movie about Biggie’s life, narrated by Touré.
 
The Notorious B.I.G. is not the first rapper, though, to appear onstage after death. 10 years earlier, 2Pac could be seen as a hologram on Coachella, being the first of the two iconic opponents to be shot as well as to be brought back to life with technologies. Probably one day we see the former enemies together on the stage performing Runnin’ (Dyin’ to Live).
 
Ideas like this are often ethically questionable. But as for this concert, it’s approved by the Biggie estate and made with full respect. So, all you need is your VR headset, and though Biggie can’t see, his words will hypnotize thee. Those without Oculus will be able to enjoy the 2D version of the event on The Notorious B.I.G.’s official Facebook page.
 
Will you watch the concert? What do you think about both technical and ethical aspects of it? Share your opinion about it in the comments!