CLINTON HILL — A fan of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. has started a petition to get a corner near his childhood home named in his honor.
LeRoy McCarthy, 45, has 562 supporters for his plan to get the city to co-name the intersection of St. James Place and Fulton Street Christopher Wallace Way, after the rapper's given name.
"He has such a legacy as a music creator and always represented Brooklyn with pride," McCarthy said. "I want to pay tribute to him in some way."
Wallace grew up at 226 St. James Place, located between Fulton Street and St. James Place, and bagged groceries at the Met Food still standing around the corner — making it the perfect place to bear his name, according to McCarthy.
McCarthy said his proposal meets the Transportation and Public Safety committee of Community Board 2's requirements that the candidate for co-naming be "historically or culturally significant" and deceased for more than three years.
McCarthy hopes to get 10,000 people to sign his petition in support of the co-naming. Once completed, he plans to present it to the board for approval.
The three-bedroom apartment where the rapper grew up was listed in April for $725,000.
Wallace was a seminal figure in the East Coast rap scene of the 1990s, put out mega-hits such as "Big Poppa" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" and often performed with rapper Sean Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy. His relationship with Tupac Shakur devolved into escalating violence as part of an East Coast-West Coast rap feud.
On March 9, 1997, Wallace was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His killer was never caught.
McCarthy has garnered several local business' support, including Met Food and Habana Outpost.
