P. Diddy still isn’t over Notorious B.I.G.’s death.
The 47-year-old rapper paid an emotional tribute to his friend – who was killed in a drive-by shooting aged 24 in 1997 – on the 20th anniversary of his death and spoke about the impact his pal had on his life.
In an Instagram video, he said: "This year is more of a sobering year. It’s 20 years. For us, we lived 20 years of our lives without somebody that has been a big part of our lives that has basically been responsible for the legend of our careers.
"He’s fed a lot of families, made a lot of people dance, made a lot of people feel good. On this day we’re going to reflect on him because we miss him, and 20 years later, time heals all wounds, but this one ain’t healed yet."
And the ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ hitmaker – whose real name is Sean Combs – called on his fans to rap their favourite verse by the ‘Big Poppa’ rapper and share it with the hashtag #WeMissYouBig so he could curate the contributions into "something special".
He wrote: "Today is March 9. Twenty years ago today we lost the greatest rapper of all time, the Notorious B.I.G. Today, we’re celebrating his life through his music and through his legacy today. I want everyone to get involved and rap your favorite Biggie verse, tag me and use the hashtag #WeMissYouBIG @badboyent (sic)"
And in another post, Diddy shared a video in which he recalled how he first met his friend in 1992.
He said: "The first time I met B.I.G., I brought him to this soul food restaurant called Sylvia’s up in Harlem, and the first thing that I remember was how, like, big and black he was.
"Then I remember him sitting down, and he really didn’t have anything to say. So you have this big guy that has this in-your-face rap attitude but was quiet. And then here’s the mind-blowing thing that you wouldn’t have thought. We’re at Sylvia’s, and it’s the best soul food in the world … I asked him if he wanted to eat, and he’s like, ‘Nah.’ He didn’t want to eat. I realised that’s how big this moment was for him and this was really his dream. He couldn’t even eat. … It was all a dream, true story."