davidgreenwald

The mysterious death of the Notorious B.I.G. has left a long shadow over the hip-hop community since he was gunned down in 1997 at only 24 years old.  But 11 years later, the search for the larger-than-life rapper's killers continues: reversing an earlier ruling that would've dismissed the case, a Los Angeles judge has reinstated his family's wrongful-death lawsuit.

The suit targets two former police officers allegedly involved in a plot to kill B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, and is one of two filed on behalf of his mother, wife and two children. The ruling comes in the wake of a March 21 decision to throw out the case due to a missed deadline, which the family appealed. The first suit, filed in 2002, ended in a 2005 mistrial though the case remains open on the strength of new evidence.



Meanwhile, the rapper remains as successful posthumously as ever, with last year's Greatest Hits bowing at the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 despite missing signature hits "Mo Money, Mo Problems" and "Sky's the Limit." He's also the latest musical figure to get the biopic treatment, with a film due on Fox Searchlight next year. The Diddy-produced movie will star rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard, who was chosen after an unsuccessful open casting call failed to find an actor who could fill Biggie's considerable shoes.

-David Greenwald