Notorious RBG on the Notorious B.I.G.

Two worlds, one Brooklyn.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s affectionate moniker–the Notorious RBG–is a riff on rapper Notorious B.I.G. that has spawned a Tumblr, merch, a mountain of memes, and a mention by President Obama.

We already knew Biggie hadn’t come into Ginsburg’s orbit until after the meme came out. “I will admit I had to be told by my law clerks, what’s this Notorious,” she explained in an interview with Katie Couric. But at a talk at Duke University last night, Ginsburg revealed that the inspiration for her nickname inspired her to learn more, according to the New York Times’ Adam Liptak: “She added that her widely used nickname, the Notorious RBG.,

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