The musical composition “I'll Be Missing You” (1997), performed by Puff Daddy (now Diddy), Faith Evans and the 112 group, is not just a tribute to the deceased rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace), but also a symbol of modern musical elegy, in which the themes of loyalty, loss and religious faith are closely intertwined. hope. The composition combines elements of rap, gospel and pop culture, acting as a kind of requiem for a wide audience experiencing tragedy. This piece became a significant cultural phenomenon of the late 1990s and an example of musical mourning.  This article examines the 1997 musical tribute "I'll Be Missing You" as a cultural requiem that blends personal grief with collective mourning.

Through lyrical analysis and discourse study, we explore how the song:

1. transforms The Police’s "Every Breath You Take"into a memorial hymn,
2. articulates hip-hop’s approach to mortality, and
3. employs Christian imagery to process trauma. The study reveals how musical intertextuality and religious motifs create a therapeutic space for public grieving.

musical requiem, hip-hop memorials, grief discourse, intertextuality, religious symbolism

"I'll Be Missing You". Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans & 112. No Way Out. Bad Boy Records, 1997. CD.

The Police. "Every Breath You Take". Synchronicity. A&M, 1983. Vinyl.

Scholarly Works:

Dyson, M.E. Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur. Basic Civitas, 2001. 308 p.

Lena, J. Entitled: Discursive Death in Popular Music. Chicago UP, 2018. pp. 45-78.