Diddy and Faith Evans played central roles in Notorious B.I.G.'s life and in the immediate success that followed ... so it's only fitting they'll be front and center when Biggie gets inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Sources close to Diddy tell TMZ ... the music mogul and his family will attend the ceremony -- broadcast live on HBO -- on May 2 in Cleveland. We're told Diddy may have something up his sleeve to honor Biggie ... though it's unclear if he'll perform or pay tribute onstage.
Faith tells TMZ ... she's ecstatic about her late-husband being honored as a first-ballot inductee. And, like Diddy, Faith tells us her plan is to attend the ceremony. She's also hopeful she'll be part of the night's festivities honoring Biggie.
The duo, of course, go way back with Biggie. Diddy and Biggie met in the early 90s and he signed Biggie to Bad Boys Records in 1993. Faith was also signed to Bad Boys when she met Biggie at a photo shoot in 1994 and got married just days later.
When Biggie was tragically gunned down in 1997 in L.A., Diddy and Faith collaborated with 112 and released the tribute song, "I'll Be Missing You."
When the Rock Hall announced its honorees, Diddy couldn't hold back on his excitement ... filming himself on the street going berserk.
Biggie's among 4 inductees getting called to the Hall as first-time ballots -- Whitney Houston, The Doobie Brothers and T-Rex are the others. Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails round out the 2020 Hall of Fame class.
Congrats!!!