In August Steve Stoute, one of Biggie Small’s contemporaries who worked as a talent manager and executive at Interscope Records, wrote a letter to Big about the current state of hip hop and how the legendary rapper's legacy lives on. It's a moving written homage that was recently animated by Florence, Italy-based animation director Alex Grigg.
The release "Dear B.I.G." is narrated with a voiceover both written and voiced by Stoute, who wrote The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy, and stands as an homage to Biggie, telling the story of his part in hip hop's rise. “A B.I.G song told the world the hard truths of growing up with all the odds stacked against you,” Steve claims. “You demonstrated the dichotomy of being black in America in a way that was inclusive and awe inspiring. So what does the world look like to you now?” asks the minute-long animation.
Using a black, white, red and yellow color palette, "Dear B.I.G" visually depicts the poignant elements of Stoute's spoken words, if anything leaving you wanting more from the short animated clip. Grigg does an impeccable job of capturing the most substantial moments of Stoute's monologue.1