Facebook’s Meta to host Notorious B.I.G VR concert with realistic avatar

Legendary Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G is coming back to life as a “hyperrealistic” avatar in recognition of the 25th anniversary of his death.

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and The Notorious B.I.G. Estate are collaborating on the project titled “Sky’s The Limit: A VR Concert Experience” on Dec. 16.

The avatar of Notorious BIG, whose real name is Christopher Wallace, will perform in a virtual recreation of Brooklyn — called “The Brook” — inside Meta Horizon Worlds.

Facebook’s Meta Horizon Worlds allows users to interact with each other in various worlds that host events, social activities, and games, according to the platform.

Notorious B.I.G was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in March 1997. He was 24 years old.

“Having the ability to create a variance of new opportunity to showcase my son Christopher’s music through the advancement of technology is hard for me to grasp at times,” Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G’s mother said in a statement.

Journalist and writer Touré, who will narrate the special, worked with the rapper’s estate throughout production.

“They were really enthusiastic about all of this, so that made things easy,” Touré told Oculus. “I’ve also interviewed Big’s mother and sat in her kitchen, so she knows that I love her son and will take care of his legacy.

For Meta users without the headset, a 2D version of the concert can be seen on the official Notorious B.I.G. Facebook page.

Other artists in attendance for the VR performance will be Sean “Diddy” Combs, The Lox, Latto, Nardo Wick, Lil’ Cease, and DJ Clark Kent.