The Notorious B.I.G. Wore His Suit From His ‘Martin’ Guest Appearance For a Week After
By the mid-1990s, The Notorious B.I.G. had become a looming figure in hip-hop, with hit songs like “Juicy” and “Big Poppa” and an image that attracted fans from around the globe. In 1995, the rapper appeared in the hit sitcom Martin starring Martin Lawrence and Tichina Arnold. Biggie was thrilled about his appearance on the show — so much so that he didn’t take his wardrobe off for a week.
The Notorious B.I.G. appeared on ‘Martin’
The Notorious B.I.G. released his debut album Ready to Die in 1994, and he quickly became one of the hottest new names in hip-hop. After years of West Coast domination, Biggie — along with other rising rappers like Nas — showed that New York was the birthplace of hip-hop for a reason.
In 1995, Biggie was presented with the opportunity for a guest appearance as himself on Martin. He jumped at the opportunity, and those involved with the show were excited to have The Notorious B.I.G. on set.
“Working with Biggie was amazing because we never really saw Martin excited about anybody that came to the set other than Biggie,” Tichina Arnold told HipHopWired in 2012. “When Biggie was coming to the set, we just made sure all of us were on good behavior.”
“Biggie was so cool and his aura … was like a Godfather kind of presence,” she continued. “He was very gracious and really, really even-toned. Very quiet. He didn’t talk a whole lot, but he was very observant and very appreciative of being there.”
“We all had an amazing time and I’m just so happy to have been in his presence,” she concluded.
He wore his suit from his ‘Martin’ appearance for a week
Biggie played himself on the show, which was his first and only scripted on-screen role he ever appeared in. Because he was playing himself, it required no acting skills. And according to Biggie’s longtime friend and former Junior M.A.F.I.A. groupmate Chico Del Vec, Biggie wouldn’t be able to act his way out of a paper bag.
“If you thought he was acting, Big cannot act at all!” Del Vec reflected on Biggie’s appearance, according to the 2022 book It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him. “But you know what’s funny with that episode? He basically freestyled it. For one thing, he don’t eat seafood. He allergic to seafood. But he was on Martin talking about them shrimps was banging! We all started laughing.”
Del Vec also revealed that Big had a special love for one of his outfits from the show in particular: dark Sergio Tacchini track pants and a matching jacket with red and blue details. “It’s funny because he had that Sergio Tacchini sweatsuit [he had on in the episode] on for a whole week after that!”
If you want to copy Biggie’s style, you can buy your own Sienna tracksuit from Sergio Tacchini.
He continued to gain popularity after appearing on ‘Martin’
The Notorious B.I.G. became a household name — literally — after his appearance on Martin. It only became bigger as his feud with his onetime friend Tupac Shakur gained more public attention. Unlike Biggie, Tupac had done many more acting projects, including starring alongside pop star Janet Jackson in the 1993 film Poetic Justice.
In early 1997, Biggie was primed to solidify his spot as the greatest rapper alive. But he was gunned down in March 1997, just two weeks before the release of his smash sophomore album Life After Death.
