BIG STARS

Twelve years have passed since the murder of the Notorious B.I.G., and his influence continues to resonate in music today. Celebrating the man who has become bigger than himself, the Hip Hop Karaoke 3rd Annual Biggie Tribute marks the first time the competition will be held in Biggie Smalls’s hometown of Brooklyn. Before practicing your Biggie impersonation, take a tip from the Notorious D.R.E.’s winning performance the first year out. As HHK co-founder Jason Newman recalls, “He didn’t just rhyme a Biggie song—he embodied the man himself. He rolled up in a black Kangol and old-school Coogi [Biggie’s trademarks] and nailed Biggie’s laid-back, but completely confident, tone.” (It also didn’t hurt that he threw a stack of dollar bills into the crowd when he hit the “Fuck a dollar and a dream” line of “Big Poppa.”) First place receives $100, second place wins $50, and runners-up get Biggie-related goodies—now that’s what we call a real stimulus package.

Fri., March 27, 8:30 p.m., 2009