As the past two years have shown us, remix work can be original and diverse. The latest example comes in the shape of Viceroy's rendition of The Notorious B.I.G.'s classic Life After Death Easy Mo Bee-produced cut "Going Back To Cali." The prolific producer indeed takes a whole different route on this one and replaces the West Coast elements with chill Jamaican vibes. Listen to it below while the piece is downloadable on Viceroy's Facebook page.

In paying tribute to the 15th anniversary of Notorious B.I.G.'s tragic passing, XXL Magazine has chosen to lace the cover of its forthcoming issue with the late, great Christopher Wallace. The edition is slated to hit newsstands on February 7. Read a short description of the piece below:

The XXL team spoke to some of those closest to Big for an in-depth look into his life and death. From his kids T’Yanna Wallace and Christopher “CJ” Wallace and their mamas, Jan Jackson and Faith Evans, to his closest friends like members of Junior M.A.F.I.A. and others, many got their chance to share stories and more to pay homage to the beloved MC. Most even disclosed rare, never-before-published photos of Biggie from their personal collections, which are featured in this month’s issue. Since Big was the most swagger-jacked rapper of all time, there’s a list of the 100 best Biggie bites, a look a what The Notorious One might have looked like at 40 plus much more in the magazine.

It’s not every day that new footage of the late and great Notorious B.I.G. surfaces online. Filmmaker Keith O’Derek has provided live unreleased footage dating back to 1995 of the iconic MC alongside Puff Daddy (now known as 'Diddy') performing “Can’t You See.” Shot in Irvine, California, O’Derek states that Biggie gave him “the honor of documenting his entire live performance.” So we may well be seeing yet more footage from this particular gig, let’s hope!

Justin Bieber is at it again. After showcasing his lyrical skills over prestigious instrumentals of "Otis" and Gang Starr's "DWYCK," the Bieber visited Las Vegas’ Hot 97.5, and upped the ante by dropping rhymes over The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya?" which was produced by Sean "Diddy" Combs & Nashiem Myrick. Share you thoughts below.

Last month we caught a snippet of Donatella Versace’s feature with Interview Magazine in regards to deceased rapper Notorious B.I.G. We now present the full interview, conducted by female emcee Nicki Minaj. Speaking on a variety of topics, the Vice President of the Versace Group transitions from small talk to Minaj’s music to Versace’s feelings towards the legendary Prince. The conversation then shifts to the luxury brand’s forthcoming Spring 2012 collection, which bears an “under the sea” theme. Excerpt from the interview are offered below:

How are you?
Very good. How do you feel today? Your eye is better?

I’m feeling better. I had a little health scare yesterday with my eye. But I drugged myself up and got really drunk and passed out, and now I’m feeling better.
Sometimes that’s the only therapy that works anyway. I can’t wait for the show. It will be amazing.

I know. Everyone is talking about it.
I love “Super Bass.” But the song I’d really love to hear you sing is “I’m the Best.”

You like that song?
Love that song. Love it.

I wanted to talk a bit about the recent collections. We’re really seeing the influence of Versace a lot right now in fashion. I think a lot of critics were excited to see the return of some of the iconic house codes in your Fall 2011 collection—the studding, cut-outs, micro-shorts, Miami art deco colors, and Medusa heads, and stuff like that. Was there a specific reason why you chose to return to the history of Versace for that collection?
The reason I did it is that I feel like so many young people today don’t know Versace’s past and what it stands for, so I wanted to make an homage to that history in the collection. Of course, you can never put out the same thing exactly as it was because we live in different times, but I wanted to show with that collection where Versace comes from. I felt the Medusa is an iconic sign because people in the past were afraid of the Medusa. In mythology, the Medusa can petrify people with a look—which is a good thing, I think. [laughs] But the Medusa is a unique symbol—something strong. It’s about going all the way. That’s why I do things like the H&M collaboration, because I want to reach a bigger audience of young people. These are the people I look to for inspiration, so I wanted to make it affordable for them to buy a piece in the Versace style. Versace was—and still is—about the sophisticated woman who is elegant, not afraid of her own sensuality, and not afraid to dare or take risks in life. I think women are much stronger than men in society now. We take more risks than they do in general . . . I mean, there she is: Nicki Minaj.

Where do you find your inspiration? Would you say you’ve had a muse at any point?
Well, my muse changes all the time because I think every designer is a bit of a muse for themselves in a way—they just don’t want to say it. But I also think Madonna was an influence in the ’90s. I love her. I think she’s the most amazing, talented woman around . . . She’s an incredibly well-styled woman. Prince, obviously, is someone I’ve been close to also. I think Lady Gaga today is very inspiring. But as a designer, you always take facets of different people and you mix them together with your own thoughts and information and creativity and passion—because I think fashion has a lot to do with passion—and that’s where you get your inspiration.

I wanted to talk to you a little bit about growing up with Gianni. You’re from the southern part of Italy, right?
I grew up in the south of Italy, next to the sea, which was a great place to grow up. The type of life we lived there was very relaxing, you know? Just very fun, open-minded people . . . It was all very sociable and low-key. I was the youngest one in the family, so it was nice for my brother and I. But fashion was always in the air. My mother worked as a seamstress, and Gianni was always looking at the dresses she would make for clients.

So how old were you when you started to get into what Gianni was doing?
Well, I studied at a university in Florence and finished my degree. My mother was very strict about this recipe: You need to get your degree. So this was in the ’80s, and around that time, Gianni had gotten his first job in fashion for another company, so on the weekends I used to go see him because we were a one-hour train ride away from each other. When I’d see him, he was always working, and he would ask me what I thought about his work, like, “What do you think?” So he got me into this, really, because I’d studied something different at university. It was really the way our family was, because Gianni really trusted women’s opinions, and he felt it was his sister who was able to tell him the truth. So this is how it started.

To read the entire piece between Minaj and the chief designer, head on over to Interview Magazine.

Producer Andrew Kelley teams together with DJBooth to bring us an exclusive collection of remixed cuts by Raekwon the Chef.

Originally conceived as a mixtape project in conjunction with the Wu-Tang spitter’s management, but never completed (read the full story at Kelley’s Tumblr), the set has been resurrected in the form of a Booth-exclusive, seven-track EP. Included on the tracklist is Kelley’s reader-approved reinterpretation of Chamber Music inclusion “Ill Figures.”

Kelley provides all production throughout the project, which features guest appearances from Big L,M.O.P., Kool G Rap, Notorious B.I.G., Ghostface Killah, Sean Price, Pusha T, Littles, Fabolousand Big Boi.

Check out the Sean Price and Pusha T-assisted track "401K," and download the entire project below.

Download: Andrew Kelley Presents: Raekwon – Dope On The Table EP

Tracklist

01. Two Brothers on the Corner (ft. Big L)
02. Ill Figures (Remix) (ft. M.O.P. & Kool G Rap)
03. Bricks (ft. Biggie Smalls & Ghostface Killah)
04. 401k (ft. Sean Price & Pusha T)
05. Hallwayz (The Good Die Young) (ft. Littles)
06. Fools Paradise (ft. Fabolous)
07. So Called Friends (ft Big Boi & Pusha T)

Biggie Smalls' impact on modern hip-hop culture has been extensively documented, but the late and great rapper had also a weak spot for fashion. Point in case, Big dedicated numerous verses to his appreciation for Versace and other brands. In a conversation with Nicki Minaj for The FADER's December/January issue, Donatella Versace opens up on her take on The Notorious B.I.G. and confirms that the love was mutual.

I think Biggie was amazing. He came to my shows in Paris many times, and we’d see each other often. He always used to talk so nicely about my family. I think he was so smart, so intelligent. He had such a mind. So I loved what he was doing and how he was giving people a way to know about Versace—I do think he was giving people a way to know about Versace—I do think a lot of people started to know about Versace because of him.

Illustration: Stacey Rozich

During his sit-down with XXL, rapper Lil Cease spoke of a close bond between two of hip-hop's finest – The Notorious B.I.G. and the recently departed Heavy D. Biggie's former Bad Boy associate elaborated on the great influence D had on Biggie. Had it not been for the Brooklyn rapper's hectic schedule, a full-length collaborative album between the two heavyweights would've had happened. But as a result, they only managed to record three tracks – "Jam Session," "A Buncha N–gas" and most notably "Let’s Get it On" featuring Grand Puba and 2Pac.

“After Big took off, it was hard for them to set up the schedules,” Lil Cease said. “But, Big always had the idea in his head like, ‘Yo, you know what? Me and Hev doing something together.’ The relationship was there being around the whole Uptown situation. It was a unit, everybody was a family up there; Mary [J.] Blige, Jodeci, Christopher Williams — it was that bond. Him and Big was gonna try to put something together. That’s why they were doing all those records together [and trying to get] a vibe off each other.”

Very sad news has struck the world of music today. As TMZ.com and numerous other sources are reporting, renowned rapper Heavy D has passed away in a Los Angeles, California hospital near his Beverly Hills home. According to the report, he was found unconscious around 11:25 a.m. PST this morning, but retained consciousness and was able to speak when police arrived. Shortly after, however, he was pronounced dead at the young age of 44. No cause of death has been confirmed yet, but it has been indicated that foul play does not seem to be a factor involved with the tragedy.

Heavy D, whose real name is Dwight Arrington Myers, rose to prominence in the 1990s with songs such as the Heavy D & The Boyz hit single, "Now That We Found Love," the theme song to the popular TV show In Living Color, and features on Michael Jackson's Dangerous hit, "Jam," and the remix to Janet Jackson's 1990 hit, "Alright." Myers will forever be remembered through his music; acting, which includes a cameo in the brand new Brett Ratner film, Tower Heist, starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller; production credits, which include Beanie Sigel's popular 2004 single, "Feel It In The Air"; and pop culture references, including the famous lyric in Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy"—Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine. But above all, as acclaimed author Dream Hampton stated on Twitter, Myers should be remembered as a great man and a great father.

Myers' death comes unexpectedly, not only because of his age, but because just last month we saw him grace the stage at the BET Hip-Hop Awards for an energetic performance that catapulted him onto our Twitter feeds and back into our music rotation. Also, he just recently released his ninth album, Love Opus, in September of this year. Below, watch the video of Heavy D's performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards and the music video for "Now That We Found Love." Rest in peace to a true hip-hop legend.

Heavy D & The Boyz featuring Aaron Hall - "Now That We Found Love"

Heavy D performs live at the BET Hip-Hop Awards on October 11, 2011

After bridging a wide array of artists – such as Kanye West, M83, KiD CuDi and Tiesto – mashup duo The White Panda dropped their latest creation. Tom Evans (Procrast) and Dan Griffith took the vocals of Biggie Smalls' "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" and backed them up with the instrumental of "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty. Listen below!