Meta hosting VR Notorious B.I.G. concert in December

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta have announced that they are hosting an upcoming virtual reality concert starring the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.

The digital event is called ‘Sky’s the Limit’, and it will be exclusively premiered on Meta’s Horizon Worlds VR platform and Facebook on December 16th, boasting a realistic avatar of the Brooklyn rapper.

The VR concert is being held 25 years after Biggie’s murder in Los Angeles in March 1997, and has been produced in tandem with his estate. Also on the bill are the likes of Diddy, Latto and Nardo Wick, and many others.

Biggie’s avatar is to perform a setlist that accounts for his full back catalogue. Adding to the excitement is that his avatar will lead the audience through a virtual recreation of his native Brooklyn, in what has been described as a “narrative journey” through a day in his life. The narration will be voiced by music journalist Touré.

Discussing the momentous event in a statement, Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace said: “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.” 

Wallace helped to create her son’s avatar, and explained that she: “[understood] the value added for fans to experience him in ways unattainable until now.”

The announcement comes after over 100 musicians performed at the Metaverse music festival last week. Taking place in the specially designed ‘Decentraland’ virtual world, it featured sets from Ozzy Osbourne, Soulja Boy and DJ Eddy Temple-Morris. It was so extensive that Osbourne even held his famous Ozzfest festival within the virtual world, marking its return since its last edition in 2018.

Elsewhere, this year has seen a host of virtual sets take place, with the likes of Yungblud and Charlie Puth all performing in the Metaverse at different points.