In 1997, Notorious B.I.G rapped about his love for Pepsi during an on-air freestyle for a Hot97 interview. The song was never sponsored, picked up or given the respect that it deserved. It laid dormant over the next 20 years. In early 2020 it was announced that Notorious B.I.G, one of the most prolific and boundary-breaking music artists of all time was going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Being only the second solo hip hop artist ever inducted.

When Pepsi heard that Notorious BIG was going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we sought out to celebrate this transcendent hip hop star and pay homage to his creative past. To celebrate his induction, we wanted to honor his freestyle from 23 years ago.

Pepsi joined forces with Cey Adams and DJ Enuff, two artists that played a crucial role in the early stages of the Brooklyn native’s career to remaster his freestyle in an animated music video.

Accompanying the remastered track, which features JIV POS as a co-producer with DJ Enuff, is a unique animated short by Antnamation (Ant Blue) which includes a slew of references to Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, the setting of some of the most iconic and memorable storylines from Biggie’s life.

Pepsi realized that while a freestyle about the brand was a gift, to capitalize on the gift, we needed to bring it back in a way that was modern in 2020 but representative of the mid-90s. We wanted to engage with creative talent that was endemic to the music industry and was authentically a part of the music industry in the 90’s with BIG.

To lean into the authenticity, we left hidden easter-eggs that only true fans would pick up on in the content.

Highlighting BIG home address in Bed-Stuy by having the girls jump roping infront of 226 St James Place, a live VO from DJ Enuff’s track producer and B.I.G. Road DJ. Showing fans, the street names of St James Place and Fulton which is now known as Christopher Wallace Way. And a few other golden tips with a nod to his most famous tracks.

In honor of hip hop icon The Notorious B.I.G.’s induction into the Rock Hall of Fame, Pepsi released the remastered version to his one-of-a-kind Pepsi freestyle from 1997.

“Nothing can beat the P-E-P-S-I drink it constantly / Something ’bout the taste feels great, less filling / Tell ’em Biggie said drink it all, don’t test me

Pepsi collaborated with Antnamation to create a short video, which includes a slew of references to Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood, where Biggie was born and raised. A group of animated figures can be seen gathering in the streets of Brooklyn, listening to a boombox, break-dancing and of course, drinking ice-cold Pepsi

Through a strategic rollout including embargoed talent interviews, pre-seeded coverage, and a focus on deep storytelling, PR positioned Pepsi as a brand with a unique and organic tie to a significant music and culture moment.

National and local coverage was extremely message-rich and praises the authenticity of Pepsi’s marketing. PR’s variety of tailored pitches and robust outreach led to robust trade and consumer entertainment, music, lifestyle, F+B, breaking news press.

The short form animation made its way into over 110 organic news stories with swift pick up in press. Over 81 million impression on social media and an impressive 1.7 billion earned media impressions.