Today marks the 15th anniversary of the untimely death of the greatest rapper in hip-hop -- Notorious B.I.G. (real name Christopher Wallace). The Brooklyn, N.Y. rapper was shot and killed on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles. His murder remains unsolved despite speculations on who actually committed the dastardly deed.

Biggie's short-lived life ended in tragedy, but his music continues to live on. There were plenty of tributes to Biggie on the Internet, here are a few that caught by attention:

Chuck D Explains Why Suing The Notorious B.I.G. Was "Stupid" [Via HipHopDX]

Diddy, Lil Kim, Rihanna, Lupe Fisaco Remembers Biggie on Twitter [Via PopCrush]

Former L.A.P.D. Detective Claims to Know Who Killed Notorious B.I.G. [Via Complex]

Top 5 Biggie Mashups [Via Hello Beautiful]

Notorious B.I.G. Remembered Through Pictures, Music + Mags [Via Beats 'N' Tumblin']

Mister Cee’s Notorious B.I.G. Tribute Mix [Via RapRadar]

DeeJay Irie (not the Miami DJ) Beat Juggles Biggie's "Kick In the Door"

Today marks one-year anniversary of the untimely death of Keith "Guru" Elam of Gang Starr. The late rapper died on April 19 at the age of 48 after a long battle with cancer. Guru influential contributions to hip-hop have been celebrated here on Beats and Rants.

There are several tributes to Guru on the Internet. Here are a few that caught my eye:

The 50 Greatest Gang Starr Songs (Complex)

MUSIC MATTERS: WORDS OF THE GURU (Red Bull)

Patricia Elam Speaks on Her Brother Guru (XXLmag.com)

Mister Cee's Guru of Gangstarr 1st Anniversary Tribute Mix on Hot 97 (Rap Radar)

Guru's 1997 interview on Lorna's Corner | "Just To Get a Rep" b/w "Mass Appeal"

Holla!

Fourteen years ago today we lost one of the greatest rappers in hip-hop -- Notorious B.I.G. (real name Christopher Wallace). The Brookly, N.Y. emcee was shot four times in the chest at around 1 a.m. on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles. His murder still remains unsolved.

There are hundreds of tributes on the Internet. Here are a few that caught my eyes and ears.

The Source.com sat down with Biggie's manager Wayne Barrow to discuss the late rapper's legacy in hip-hop.

The world-renown DJ Clark Kent reflects on his first shows with Biggie and how he tried to convince him that an up-and-coming rapper named Jay-Z was a dope emcee.

Every March 9, Hot 97 DJ Mr. Cee dedicates his legendary throwback at noon mix to his dear friend Notorious B.I.G. This year he spun some of his favorite Biggie joints. Props to Miss Info for the audio and download link.

Props: missinfo | download

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50 Cent should consider releasing a Lost Tapes compilation (à la Nas) instead of dumping these tracks on the Internet. Granted, most of them are "free-of-consciousness" freestyles, but with a little touch up these can be full-fledged rap songs.

Here's a double dose of Fiddy for your Monday and I have to say, the rapper is in rare form on these joints. The first one is the rap ballad "Come Over Tonight," which was recorded back in 2007 and was supposed to feature Usher but it didn't materialize. The second tune is a freestyle called "The Paper" (produced by Don Pesci). The haters are going to love that song. Ha!

50 Cent -- "Come Over Tonight"

Download

50 Cent -- "The Paper (I Get It)"

Download

Holla!

Odd Future has finally made it!

Well, not quite. This is a hilarious parody of what could happened if the now celebrated rap group were in a meeting with a major label. This pretty much sums up the media saturation over Odd Future as these maniacal kids who like to set things on fire and rap about rape. I'm still on the fence with these guys -- while they are extremely talented, I'm not ready to call Oddfuture the "Next Wu-Tang Clan." The hype over Oddfuture is deafening and I'm not sure if all of it is good. I just hope this video quiets some of the noise until OFWGKTA releases a proper album in the mainstream.

Holla!