“Brooklyn, New York City, where they paint murals of Biggie.”
The memory and image of the late great Notorious BIG, has been commemorated in various fashions, as described by the Talib Kweli quote above. But the newest tribute to the fallen emcee is an awe inspiring 6 foot tall effigy of Biggie’s iconic face.
The monumental sculpture was created by native Brooklynite and artist Tanda Francis, and made its debut at Brooklyn’s 210 Gallery last month. Though the exhibit has ended, a new home is (hopefully) on the horizon for the massive piece. The Hip Hop Hall of Fame sees it only right finish and transport the sculpture to The Livest One’s neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The HHHOF, and Dennis Mathis, of the Christopher Wallace Foundation, has teamed up with Tanda to raise funds necessary for the move. The $35k effort to complete, bronze, transport, and pay for city expenses for the statue will require the help of fans and friends of the arts through crowd funding.
“Biggie represents the pride of Brooklyn,” said Dennis Mathis in a recent interview with NY1 News, “He’s our own. So I think we do murals — that’s cool — but one day they’re gonna paint over those depending on what the landlord of the building is but if you put a sculpture, then that’s permanent and it’s not just to memorialize him but economically what it does to the area.”
The team has set up a Go Fund Me page to make it happen, and you can check it out here.
Image sources: NY1.com & Instagram.com/TandaFrancis
