The late Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace will posthumously receive an honor from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in the year that marks the 20th anniversary of the rap icon’s death.
ASCAP will bestow Wallace with its Founders Award during its 30th annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards on June 22. His mother, Voletta Wallace, wife Faith Evans, children, former managers and estate consultants will accept the award on Wallace’s behalf.
Wallace, a hip hop legend, was fatally shot in 1997.
“Biggie was a legend in his own time and his legacy lives on through his music,” ASCAP president Paul Williams said in a statement. “Like all songwriters, he was a master storyteller, but it was the realism in his rhymes that captured so many.”
The ASCAP Founders Award honors songwriters and composers who contribute pioneering works to music.
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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com