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"If BIG Had Survived, Y'all Would've Got The Commission:" Jay-Z & Notorious B.I.G's Planned Supergroup Explained

screenrant.com 2025/2/17
Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. in various music videos, edited over a blurred background with white musical notes
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The longevity of Jay-Z is worth studying for any music historian. Jay-Z has been active in the music space for almost 40 years. Not only has he maintained relevancy across four decades, but his status in the rap genre continues to evolve and elevate from rapper to mogul to even a movie executive. However, critics questioned how lengthy his longevity would be today if Notorious B.I.G. was still alive.

In 2022, Jay-Z addressed these critics as a guest feature on the song, "Neck & Wrist," alongside Pusha T and Pharrell Williams. A select few bars of his verse stand out:

They like, "If B.I.G. was alive,

Hov wouldn't be in his position"

If B.I.G. had survived

Y'all would've got The Commission

Hov was gon' always be Hov

It 'twas the universe's will

'Cause Allah said so

And now I'm here

Jay-Z is quick to deny that his success would have differed much if Biggie Smalls were still alive, but some hear these lines and raise an eyebrow at a reference to The Commission. Few listeners are aware of what The Commission was (or, rather, could have been), but The Commission can be best described as the supergroup that never was, starring Jay-Z and BIG.

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What Was The Commission? What We Know About Jay-Z & Biggie's Supergroup

It Was So Much More Than Just These Two Icons

Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. first met long before either had become famous, or even professional rappers. Both young men attended Westinghouse High School​​​​​​. Although the future legends would not grow close until reaching fame, they were passing friends in high school, the kind that would pass each other in the halls and acknowledge each other with a head nod, if nothing else. Fast-forward to years later, when both men would officially become indoctrinated into the music industry.

Post-high school, Jay-Z would be signed to Roc-A-Fella Records while The Notorious B.I.G. was the superstar of Diddy's Bad Boy Records. The former classmates would run into each other frequently at parties, and that's how they would rekindle their relationship. In fact, they would strengthen it, stronger than it even was back in the day. Big would encourage a collaboration between him and Jay, and since Jay was working on his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, at the time, Big offered a verse for "Brooklyn's Finest."

The duo grew closer, and as this happened, they began planting seeds for The Commission, a concept that Big references in the song, "What's Beef," where he lists the other would-be members.

The Commission:

Uncle Paulie

P. Diddy

Cease-Aleo DeGenero

Charli Baltimore

Iceberg Slim

The most shady, Frankie Baby

We here

Charli Baltimore was once interviewed by The Art of Dialogue, confirming that while the supergroup was in its infancy before Big was murdered, they likely wouldn't have been on Bad Boy Records. Dame Dash shared this sentiment to Hip Hop Motivation, revealing Big planned to produce three more albums for Diddy to satisfy his label's contract. Once that contract was finished, he'd go to Roc-A-Fella to produce music with his handpicked Commission members.

Why People Compare Jay-Z With The Notorious B.I.G.

Parallel Lives, Parallel Music

The Commission was far too early in the development stages before any of its parties could sit down and discuss the direction of the actual music, so it's hard to say what a collective featuring Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls would sound like. That being said, some readers may be wondering why so many critics even compare Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. in the first place. The obvious answer would be because of their state in the G.O.A.T. conversation. Big is just as universally revered as a greatest rapper of all time candidate as Jay-Z is today, despite having a limited discography.

It's easy to hear Jay-Z being the biggest representative of that sound today and wonder "what if?" in terms of if Biggie was still alive.

Otherwise, the comparisons come naturally because Jay-Z and Big have natural similarities. Both men grew up within minutes from each other in the same area and went to the same high school. With shared experiences, they rap about similar topics in their music, and with similar upbringings, both men embody the East Coast Hip Hop style and sound. By that accord, it's easy to hear Jay-Z being the biggest representative of that sound today and wonder "what if?" in terms of if Biggie was still alive. Would both men co-exist in the culture with the same kind of star power?

Would Jay-Z Have Still Found Success That He Has Now With Biggie Alive?

Most Likely, More or Less

It's difficult to say whether Jay-Z would carry the same monumental success that he has today if Biggie Smalls were still alive. A bigger curiosity would be wondering if Biggie would have become a billionaire in the same regard as Jay-Z, and even then, it's a difficult prospect to hypothesize. Jay-Z's success wasn't solely attributed to hip-hop. It was his launching pad, but his investments and business decisions as a mogul are why Jay-Z is a billionaire today. Big never lived long enough to have the same ambitions that would drive Jay-Z to his current status.

But when it comes to the root question that critics ask Jay-Z about, the answer is more or less, yes, he would still be successful, more or less. Jay may not be the undisputed G.O.A.T. in the current rap landscape as easily if Biggie were still alive, but largely because of The Commission coming to fruition, Jay-Z would've still been destined for greatness. Both men's star power would've continued to rise, and even if Big's star superseded Jay-Z's, The Commission would've continued to propel everyone involved, while the stable's brand name would have propelled the more that Big's star soared.

Headshot Of Jay-Z
Jay-Z

Shawn Carter overcame the hardships of Brooklyn, New York's Marcy projects to become a multi-billionaire business mogul. More than a rapper, the founder of Roc-A-Fella Records and Roc Nation (among other brands) perfectly symbolizes the rags to riches fairy tale story as the world's richest musician

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