Musuem Makes B.I.G Wax Figure

In a moving tribute to her son, Ms. Voletta Wallace today unveiled a wax figure of legendary rapper Biggie Smalls (born: Christopher Wallace) at Madame Tussauds New York. Many of Biggie’s friends attended the figure unveiling, which also featured a performance by members of the Brooklyn High School of Arts’ choir, who sang “I’ll Be Missing You,” a tribute song composed shortly after Biggie’s death, and gospel classic, “I’ll Fly Away.”

Biggie’s figure dons a white three-piece suit, white hat and white shoes and is standing with one hand in its pocket and the other hand resting on a gold and wood cane. Madame Tussauds’ studio artists studied hundreds of photos and hours of video footage of Biggie to create the figure and to ensure that they captured Biggie’s spirit and demeanor, as well as his physical likeness.

Madame Tussauds visitors will be able to take photos with and even hug Biggie’s figure, which will be housed in its own room on the attraction’s ninth floor. As guests approach the figure, they can use parts of their body to break moving multi-colored light beams to trigger clips of Biggie’s songs to play.

“Biggie is a cultural icon and we are thrilled to have his wax figure in our attraction,” said Bret Pidgeon, Acting General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York. “We are also honored to have Ms. Wallace here for the unveiling and cannot thank her enough for supporting us throughout the figure creation process. We can’t wait for our guests to see and interact with Biggie’s figure, which we think is one of our best figures yet.”

“It is such an honor to have my son’s memory memorialized in such a grand way by Madame Tussauds,” said Ms. Wallace. “Their prestigeously recognized attraction showcases the history of many great men and women the world abroad and I’m touched that they have embraced my son Christopher amongst them. My family thanks you for this beautiful statue symbolizing the legacy of a great man!”

Biggie is largely recognized by the music community as one of the greatest rap artists of all time. His influence on and absence from the hip hop community can still be felt today – more than 10 years after his tragic death.

Associated Press