The beginning of March is always a somber time in Hip-Hop. What was supposed to be the beginning of something positive — 1997's Soul Train Music Awards at the Shrine in Los Angeles — ultimately served as the final time the general public saw The Notorious B.I.G. alive.

The year, itself, had been a huge one for Hip-Hop culture. 2Pac and OutKast were the big winners that evening off the strength of their projects, All Eyez On Me and ATLiens. Performances included Black Street's "No Diggity," Keith Sweat's "Twisted," and Fugees "Killing Me Softly."

When it was time to award the Best R&B Single — Female, The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, 112, and Brian McKnight served as presenters.

"What's up, Cali," Biggie says.

While it certainly could have been an attempt at mending hurt feelings between the East and West Coasts, many in attendance took it as a, "poking the bear" kind of moment in the aftermath of Tupac Shakur's murder on September 13, 1996. Earlier in his West Coast trip, Biggie appeared on The Wake Up Show and was asked about any potential involvement in Pac's murder.

"“I ain’t that powerful. Yet," he remarked.

It seems rather apropos — and cryptic — that Biggie's freestyle over Sadat X's "Stages and Light" revealed what would ultimately be "Long Kiss Goodnight" off his yet-to-be-released sophomore album, Life After Death. Many believe Biggie's aggression on the song stems from 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up." Eerily, Biggie ends with, "“I spit phrases that’ll thrill you / You’re nobody until somebody kills you.”

The Soul Train Awards and appearance on The Wake Up Show reveal a 24-year-old prodigy who was so full of life.