On the anniversary of the death of his best friend, Diddy is doing what he does best. He is not spending the day mourning the Notorious B.I.G. but instead is celebrating it with a huge bash at the Lab in Biggie’s beloved Brooklyn.

“We’re trying to make March 9th a national hip-hop holiday,” Diddy told MTV News. “It already is, on the low. MTV is going to have a big special. We’re doing a party. I’m going to Brooklyn. It’s gonna be the first time I’m throwing a party in Brooklyn. I’m from Harlem. Everybody in Harlem knows you don’t usually go over the bridge to Brooklyn. It’s a big, big deal. Me being such a Harlemite, I’m going over there to pay respect to my man. It’s gonna be a big party in Brooklyn with Mister Cee. It’s a big day. It’s a day to celebrate his life. It’s a day to celebrate the life of the man. We done did the movie, the records. It’s something that, I guess, as a label we’re obsessed with: making sure people don’t forget about this man in a positive way. March 9 is Biggie Day. … Bump Biggie all day, feel good and positive.”

Diddy also said that the party is not a black-tie affair. You do have to be extra fly, though. If you recall it was Big & Puff that brought the original swagger into HIP HOP with their Versace silk shirts (remember the Hypnotize video).

“You could wear any of your sides of Biggie,” he welcomed. “He had his ‘Machine Gun Funk’ attire. He had his ‘Big Poppa’ attire. Come as you are. Come with some positive energy. Get ready to shout his lyrics. We gonna have a special show we putting together for him. It’s gonna be off the chain.”

Biggie helped mold one of the greatest eras in hip-hop with a versatile style and gift for wordplay that has him perennially listed in the top three when you ask most hip-hop fans to name the greatest MCs of all time. Hip Hop lost one of its greats 13 yrs ago but today we are not mourning him we are remembering his great contribution to the hip hop game.

R.I.P BIG-THE KING OF NEW YORK