New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries had a noteworthy mic-drop moment during Donald Trump's impeachment trial on Tuesday night (Jan. 21), after he referenced the late Notorious B.I.G. with a "if you don't know, now you know."
Though it seemed a bit out of character for a congressman to shout out Biggie, it's actually not the first time Jeffries has done so. He shares his Brooklyn hometown with B.I.G., and represents the 8th congressional district, which includes much of Brooklyn. As a result, Jeffries is often tweeting about the late icon and talking about him in interviews.
So, we at Billboard have compiled a list of other times Jeffries has mentioned Biggie Smalls. See them below.
March 2017
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the legend's death, Jeffries took to Twitter to share a photo of the rapper, along with the caption: "Proud to rep the neighborhood that gave the world Brooklyn's Finest."
Proud to rep the neighborhood that gave the world Brooklyn's Finest. May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997 #BiggieSmalls pic.twitter.com/4iPzyJdgBZ
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) March 9, 2017
March 2017
Jeffries continued to honor Biggie's legacy on the House floor, reciting lyrics to his 1994 single, "Juicy."
“Biggie Smalls, Frank White, the king of New York," he continued. "He died 20 years ago today in a tragedy that occurred in Los Angeles. But his words live on forever. I got the privilege of representing the district where Biggie Smalls was raised.”
Just paid tribute to late/great #BiggieSmalls on House flr. Gone but never forgotten. #WhereBrooklynAt @OmariHardwick @diddy @MichaelSkolnik pic.twitter.com/2QaXOkmJdp
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) March 10, 2017
March 2017
Following his tribute, which got a lot of press attention, Jeffries spoke to CNN about what inspired him to honor the rapper on the House floor.
"Given the fact that people all over the country and, indeed, throughout the world were marking the 20th anniversary of Biggie's untimely passing, I thought it was appropriate given that I represent the community which gave Biggie Smalls to the world," he told Wolf Blitzer. "That I at least give him the same amount of respect as other significant cultural figures have been given in the history of the United States."
Interviewed by @WolfBlitzer on @CNN. Asked about Trump. Russia. Taxes. HealthCare. And Biggie. Never thought Hip Hop would take it this far pic.twitter.com/SUyJWmSMaO
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) March 11, 2017
March 2018
A year later, Jeffries tweeted out a female rap collaboration he really likes, Da Brat's 1995 tune, "Da B Side," which features Biggie and JD.
"Da Brat demonstrates why she became the first female hip hop artist to go platinum as her so so def style goes toe to toe with the Notorious B.I.G.," he wrote.
4th Best Female Rap Collaboration: Da Brat – Da B Side
Da Brat demonstrates why she became the first female hip hop artist to go platinum as her so so def style goes toe to toe with the Notorious B.I.G. https://t.co/wpXb9NOjEg
#WomensHistoryMonth https://t.co/2jJyGhp2As— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) March 7, 2018
July 2019
In an interview with Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne tha God mentioned his 2017 tribute by telling the Rep. that he "brought hip-hop to the house."
"As I was listening to his music, I was just reflecting on what it meant to me when I was coming of age in the 1990s, I was in law school at the time when he passed," he recalled.
After being met with some hesitance by his staff to go to the House floor with the tribute, Jeffries asked them to "check the House record and see whether there have been tributes to Frank Sinatra, or Elvis Presley or Bruce Springsteen. They came back like, yeah, tributes to all three. So if we can tribute and shout them out, we should be able to tribute and shout out Biggie."
The conversation begins at the 3:10 mark.
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