1 / 19

A Christopher That We Celebrate - What Jay Z said is real: Only Christopher we acknowledge is Wallace. 19 years have passed since a drive-by shooting claimed the life of Biggie Smalls, yet his spirit lives eternally through his music, which has forever impacted hip-hop and touched listeners around the world. Still, Big had a lot more to offer before his untimely death. In observance of his premature demise (instead of observing Columbus Day), BET.com dwells on 18 ways the world would be different if B.I.G. hadn't left us. — John Kennedy and BET Staff(Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage)

2 / 19

1. Shyne Would’ve Never Signed to Bad Boy - No need for two husky-voiced hardcore Brooklyn MCs on the same label. And had he not signed with Bad Boy, Shyne probably wouldn’t have opened fire at Club New York in defense of Puffy, which led to a nine-year prison sentence.(Photo: Debbie Hill/UPI/Landov)

3 / 19

2. Brooklyn Mint Would’ve Popped - Before Sean John took over urban fashion beyond the hood, Biggie had been planning a clothing line for big dudes like himself. Brooklyn Mint would’ve built on his Gucci-down-to-the-socks swag and spread it to the masses.(Photo: Brooklyn Mint Clothing co)

4 / 19

3. Big Would’ve Rapped Over Original Kanye West Beats - Even if the credits didn’t say so. Ye got his start ghost-producing for D-Dot Angelettie, a member of Puff’s go-to production team The Hitmen. Aside from appearing in a skit for Life After Death (as his fictional alter ego The Madd Rapper), Dot laced “Hypnotize” and “The World Is Filled” and he surely would’ve continued working with Big through the Kanye years.(Photos from Left: David Corio/Redferns, Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

5 / 19

4. Nas and Biggie Would've Publicly Clashed - “Y’all ain’t know about my Biggie wars,” Nas rapped in 2002 on God’s Son’s “Last Real N***a Alive.” The rivalry for New York’s crown in the mid-’90s flew under the radar for most hip hop fans, despite sly jabs between the Queensbridge and Bed-Stuy MCs. The Notorious One was killed before his “Kick in the Door” subliminals reached Nas, but the on-wax friction was building. “Ether” might’ve been aimed at a different BK legend.(Photos from left: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for GQ, Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

6 / 19

5. Jay Z Wouldn’t Have Become King of New York - Hov rose to the top of the rap world by equally appealing to underground and mainstream ears, a balancing act that B.I.G. had mastered. With two multi-platinum classics in the can, Biggie had the New York City crown on lock. Instead of dropping “The City Is Mine,” Jay would’ve been watching the throne, not sitting on it.(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

7 / 19

6. Puff Daddy Would’ve Never Fallen off That Motorcycle - The video for “I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff’s tribute to his friend and franchise artist, opened with the Bad Boy founder taking an ugly spill off his bike while riding on a lonely stretch of road. He would’ve never recorded that song — and eaten pavement — if Biggie hadn’t been killed.(Photo: Bad Boy Records)

8 / 19

7. There’d Be No Notorious Movie - The 2009 movie Notorious, which featured rapper Gravy playing a convincing B.I.G. and former 3LW singer Naturi Naughton as an impressive Lil' Kim, portrayed the life and death of Biggie Smalls. A biopic would be premature for a man who had a lot more history to make.(Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

9 / 19

8. But Biggie Would’ve Appeared in Other Movies - We only got glimpses of The Notorious B.I.G. on the small screen. He appeared on one episode each of New York Undercover and Martin. But given all of his peers’ eventual acting careers (Method Man, LL Cool J, André 3000, Ice Cube, Common, uh... Nas), it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t pursue acting, too. There was a rumor floating around that he was set to appear in a movie as a drug lord alongside Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken.(Photo: David Corio/Redferns)

10 / 19

9. The Mystery Behind 'I Got a Story to Tell' Would’ve Been Solved (Or Debunked) - B.I.G.’s impeccable narrative about sexing the girlfriend of a New York Knicks player is one of rap’s illest tales. But just who is the mystery orange-and-blue baller? Or is the song even true? Biggie would’ve spoken on the song by now — either that or an awkward encounter at All-Star Weekend would’ve put to rest all the questions that have persisted for nearly two decades.   (Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

11 / 19

10. There’d Be No Duets: The Final Chapter or Frankensteined Born Again LP - Which means Korn would’ve likely never shared a song with Big Poppa. If only.(Photos: Bad Boy Records)

12 / 19

11. His Supergroup The Commission Would’ve Been The Throne before WTT - Jay Z and Biggie Smalls would’ve been rap’s dopest duo. Could you imagine a full project of “Brooklyn’s Finest” and “I Love the Dough”?(Photos from Left: Des Willie/Redferns, Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Power 105.1)

13 / 19

12. Charli Baltimore Would’ve Never Signed With Murder Inc. - The Philly rapper, who was romantically involved with Big, was expected to complete The Commission trio. Speaking of Murder Inc., Biggie might’ve given Ashanti an original verse for “Foolish (Remix),” which utilized the same sample as his “One More Chance (Remix).”(Photo: John Ricard / BET)

14 / 19

13. Rick Ross Wouldn’t Have Puffy’s Phone Number - What’s a Bugatti Boy anyway?(Photo: Rick Diamond/BET/Getty Images for BET)

Photo By Photo: Rick Diamond/BET/Getty Images for BET

15 / 19

14. Biggie Would’ve Eventually Faced Backlash - No one can stay on top forever without resistance. Just as every No. 1 guy in rap ever has experienced, the public would’ve eventually resisted Big’s rap dominance, but only marginally.(Photo: David Corio/Redferns)

16 / 19

15. 50 Cent and Biggie Would’ve Traded Wisecracks on Wax - A pre-Shady 50 Cent schemed on the entire music world on his 1999 debut single “How to Rob,” plotting to stick up everyone from Big Pun to Mariah Carey to Mister Cee. Had Biggie been alive, he surely would’ve been a target on the track, and his return diss would’ve been hilarious. Also: No “Realest N***a,” the Big-Fiddy mashup that appeared on the Bad Boys II soundtrack.(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

17 / 19

16. Rap Regionalism Would’ve Ended Quicker - Biggie’s Life After Death was brilliant in the way it expanded beyond the five boroughs. Big adapted to Bay Area and Midwest sounds via collaborations with Too $hort and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, exposing his Big Apple core to rap vibes from elsewhere. Organized Noize producer Rico Wade remembers Big fanning out over OutKast at an NYC concert, so a collabo with Big Boi and André 3000 wasn’t far-fetched. Plus, Big proved he could rap with virtually any style and still shine, creating a bar for which his peers would strive. Acts from outside of New York — then-media and hip-hop epicenter — would’ve integrated prior to the Crunk Era.(Photos from Left: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Jason Kempin/FilmMagic)

18 / 19

17. We’d Have One Less Reason to Loathe the LAPD - The Los Angeles Police Department botched the still unsolved murder case of Christopher Wallace. But even if Biggie weren’t gunned down, you’d probably still dedicate “IDFWU” to L.A.’s boys in blue.(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

19 / 19

18. Hip Hop Would Have a Lot More Classic Material - The gifts Biggie left us with in his short time in the spotlight are hallmarks of excellence that will hopefully be studied and enjoyed for generations to come. The guy has never released a lame verse. His imagination was full of so many more stories, clever punchlines and fluid flows. And still, there was so much room for growth. He was not even 25 when he died. Big showed us how he was maturing on songs like “Sky’s the Limit.” Would he have injected more political content in his music? How would he have artistically reacted to the murder of Amadou Diallo? 9/11? Hurricane Katrina? Unfortunately, we’ll never know. (Photo: Bad Boy Records)