Diddy probably has countless stories about his old friend The Notorious B.I.G., who passed away on this date twenty-three years ago. We are celebrating one of the greatest voices of all time today, highlighting “The What” as one of our throwback selections of the day, and Puff Daddy is also taking time to tribute his collaborator. Posting a photo of the two having a conversation in the studio, Diddy recalled how the legend was actually considering retirement at that stage of his career, explaining his thought process.

“Big was the perfect artist,” says Diddy on the throwback picture of himself and the rapper. “This candid moment when BIG was having writers block. This only happened to him once. He was talking about retiring. And I’m basically just tell him to stop talking crazy and that he was the greatest of all time. Then he went in and made hypnotize!”

“Hypnotize” was the final song released by The Notorious B.I.G. before his death. It was co-produced by Diddy and went on to become one of Big’s most popular records ever. Hearing the context of its release makes it all the more special. 

Re-visit the tune below and let us know your favorite Biggie song of all time in the comments.