Considering the infamous crown was bought for six dollars, that’s quite a price to pay for a piece of hip-hop memorabilia.
Hip Hop culture has been sculpted by a certain few, and within the revered halls of hip-hop greatness, the Notorious B.I.G still shares the throne with his famous ‘frenemy’ Tupac Shakur. If you’re familiar with Biggie’s iconic moments, you’ll know the famous gold King of New York crown featured in many pop-culture images taken before the rapper died at age 24.
Since Biggie made the purchase at a Brooklyn grocery store for six dollars, the crown has fetched one-hundred-thousand times the original value at an auction. Talk about a smart investment. The crown was made famous by a photoshoot where a morbid Biggie Smalls gazes hazily into a camera while a red backdrop flows behind him. The image since has been sprawled everywhere. From cafes to houses, street walls to social media. Biggie’s famous crown has made it all around the world.
Biggie’s crown is being sold by Barron Clairborne, who captured the famous image three days before the famous rapper was murdered in Los Angeles. The auction was held by Sotheby’s, a famous auction house specialised in rare items and real estate. While Biggie’s crown is set to please hip-hop fans around the world, Sotheby’s has noted their will be plenty more hip-hop memorabilia to purchase, mentioning the auction will also feature twenty-two love letters written by Tupac Shakur to his then, high school sweetheart, Kathy Loy.
Biggie’s crown sold for $594,750 USD reminding everyone just how influential the Notorious one remains twenty-three years after his murder.
