City Council approves street naming after Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, and Woody Guthrie

On December 21, the New York City Council voted unanimously to honor three music legends by co-naming streets in their respective boroughs after them, reports Gothamist.

During the final meeting of the year, the Council voted 48-0 to place the names of rapper Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a Biggie Smalls, a.k.a Christopher Wallace), the Wu-Tang Clan, and folk singer Woody Guthrie on street signs.

St. James Place, between Fulton Street and Gates Avenue—the block where Biggie Smalls grew up—will become Christopher Wallace Way; Vanderbilt Avenue and Targee Street in Staten Island will be named the Wu-Tang Clan District; and Mermaid Avenue, between West 35th and 36th streets in Coney Island—where the singer lived with his wife for decades—will be called Woody Guthrie Way.

Culture advocate LeRoy McCarthy has been lobbying for the renaming of streets to honor Biggie Smalls and Wu-Tang Clan for more than five years and is happy to see his efforts come to fruition. “I’m happy that NYC officials are finally giving the city’s indigenous ‘Hip Hop’ music the respect and recognition that it deserves,” McCarthy told Gothamist.

Mayor Bill de Blasio must sign-off on the bills before the co-namings can become official.

• City Council Approves Street Co-Naming For Woody Guthrie, Notorious B.I.G. & Wu-Tang Clan [Gothamist]