FACT CHECK: Did Biggie Smalls Predict The COVID-19 Pandemic in 1994?

April 14th, 2023
U.S. rap singer Notorious B.I.G. is shown on stage at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles in this file photograph. The rap star was shot to death in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles March 9, 1997. A federal judge on July 6, 2005 declared a mistrial in the wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, filed by the family of Notorius B.I.G. which began in federal court June 21, 2005 in Los Angeles. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/Files/FSP/KS

A video shared on social media purports rapper Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G, predicted the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Verdict: False

The claim is inaccurate. The video has been digitally altered.

Fact Check:

President Joe Biden recently signed a congressional bill officially ending the COVID-19 national emergency, CBS News reported. This law moves the termination date up by a month with the previous date being May 11, the outlet reported.

The Instagram post purports Wallace predicted the COVID-19 pandemic in his song, “Juicy.” The post shares clip from the music video for the track. “I used to read Word Up Magazine/ there will be a global pandemic in 2019,” the rapper appears to say.

The claim is inaccurate. There is no credible news report that suggests this video clip is the original unaltered version. The clip is from the video for the song “Juicy,” which was released in 1994. The actual lyrics feature no reference to the year 2019 or any mention or predictions of Covid-19, according to AZ Lyrics.

 

Wallace was killed in 1997 in Los Angeles, California. The violence was from a long-standing feud between rappers from the east coast and west coast of the United States. Contemporary rapper Tupac Shakur was killed due to this rivalry.(RELATED: No, This Is Not A Real Headline About Male Pregnancy)

This is not the first time a video has spread online with a false or misleading caption. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim that video showed a violent protest in Kenya.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter