Pepsi just took us back to 1997 by creating a fully animated music video for Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 Pepsi freestyle. Pepsi collaborated with animators Enuff and Cey Adams to create this short video.
“Welcoming Notorious B.I.G. into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a remastered release of his one-of-a-kind Pepsi freestyle from 1997,” Pepsi stated in the video’s caption. Notorious B.I.G. will be admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 7th.
Although Pepsi claimed the video was to welcome Notorious B.I.G. into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Pepsi received some criticism for using Notorious B.I.G.’s freestyle as a form of advertisement. One YouTube user commented on how they hope that Biggie’s family is receiving the money accumulated from this advertisement, and other user mentioned that this instance is a “perfect example of capitalism profit.”
Other fans have praised the music video, with one YouTube user saying that Pepsi’s music video for Biggie’s Pepsi freestyle is the only advertisement that they have voluntarily watched.
Regardless of the controversy behind the music video, it was apparent that Biggie Smalls was a big fan of Pepsi through listening to his Pepsi freestyle. Some lyrics in his freestyle include “Whether too cold or too hot, you got to keep Pepsi in the freezer. I keep a 3 liter for my crew.”
