I’m not really a celebrity memorial kind of person, but with today marking 19 years since Biggie’s death, I thought I’d write a little about what “no aspirations to quit the game” means to me.

About a month ago, as we were planning a joint tattoo trip, I realized that the line from Notorious Thugs that follows the one Bri had long planned on getting was perfect for me, both for what it stands for and as a symbol of a truly invaluable friendship. I typeset the line and added it to the work I wanted to get done that day. My tattoos are all fairly small and not always visible, but they are very meaningful to me and I enjoy knowing they’re there.

I have thought about quitting in a variety of ways in a lot of situations over the years. Quitting school, quitting music, quitting tech, quitting life. The thing that always pulls me through is anger, which sounds kind of strange, but also makes sense as it’s been such a driving factor in my life and still frequently comes through in the way I talk. As I think more and more about what it would mean to quit something, I get angry at myself – I’ve made it this far, and I’m going to let somebody else’s game defeat me? I don’t think so. So now I’ve got a permanent reminder that I am strong and to stay strong.

Been in this shit since ’92; look at all the bullshit I been through.

Also, Notorious Thugs is just a great track. Biggie kills his verse, and the Bone Thugs never hurt, either. Take a listen below (do I really need to warn you about the language?).