Poppin’ Up : Rap’s Junior M.A.F.I.A. Is Making It in B.I.G. Time

When Notorious B.I.G. made it as a rap star earlier this year, he promised to help some friends do the same. The result: The Brooklyn-based rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. has come out of nowhere to storm the R&B; (No. 12) and rap (No. 10) charts with its single “Player’s Anthem.”

Notorious B.I.G., whose hit “One More Chance” has made him rap’s current hot item, guest raps on “Player’s Anthem.” He also co-produced the single, as well as “Conspiracy,” the group’s album for Big Beat/Atlantic, expected to hit stores mid-September. The idea of a popular rapper helping an unknown act has proved to be a good one (see Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg), and the group’s album--like the single--could be a smash.

Group member Little Kim acknowledges that without the help of B.I.G., who’s been a friend of the rappers since childhood, Junior M.A.F.I.A. would not be where it is.

“B.I.G is family--he’s looking out for us and we owe him so much,” she says. “Everyone wants to hear everything he touches.”

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Junior M.A.F.I.A., whose name stands for Masters at Finding Intelligent Attitudes, is composed of four separate rap entities: Kim, Klepto, a duo called Snakes and a quintet called the Sixes. Little Kim says that the diversity that each offers has made the laid-back “Player’s Anthem” a hit and that the song is really about unity despite diversity.

“It’s a song about people grooving together and for them to groove together,” she says.