User:Wcamp9/sandbox
| King of New York (photoseries) | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Barron Claiborne |
| Completion date | March 6, 1997 |
| Medium | Photograph |
| Subject | The Notorious B.I.G. |
King of New York, also abbreviated to K.O.N.Y., is a series of photographs taken by Barron Claiborne of American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie Smalls. It was captured on March 6, 1997,[1] in New York City three days before Biggie was killed in Los Angeles, California, making it one of the last photographs of the rapper.[2] Claiborne captured the photo of Biggie to be used as the cover of Rap Pages Magazine.[3]
Claiborne had given Biggie a plastic crown prop, later stating "Every time I thought of Biggie, I always thought of him as a big, fat West African King"[4]. Despite rapper Puff Daddy's concerns that Biggie would resemble the Burger King, which Biggie assured to Puff Daddy would not happen, Biggie used the crown for a photoshoot,[4] with it tilting on his head.
King of New York is one of the most iconic photographs of Biggie and a visual representation of his title as the "King of New York". The photograph has been used many times, with it even inspiring Biggie's posthumous album Duets: The Final Chapter (2005).
Background
[edit]Claiborne had been hired by Rap Pages Magazine to do a photoshoot of Biggie for their front cover. Claiborne made the decision to picture Biggie as a king. Claiborne said in an interview "Every time I thought of Biggie, I always thought of him as a big, fat West African King." According to Claiborne in an interview with Angie Martinez, he had bought a plastic crown at the store Gordon Novelty, a store on Broadway at around 21st and 22nd Sts.[5] Rapper Puff Daddy, who booked the photo shoot for Biggie, was concerned that Biggie would look like the "burger king"[6]
However, Puff Daddy said that Biggie would look like the "Burger King"
Crown Auction
[edit]- ^ "Rap at auction: Biggie's crown and Tupac Shakur letters". AP News. 2020-08-25. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ "How I Took The Last Ever Picture Of Biggie Smalls - GQ Middle East". www.gqmiddleeast.com. 2019-03-09. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (2020-09-16). "Notorious B.I.G.'s 'King of New York' Crown Goes For Nearly $600,000 in Hip-Hop Auction". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ a b "THE DAY BIGGIE SMALLS WAS CROWNED "KING OF NEW YORK"". THE DAY BIGGIE SMALLS WAS CROWNED “KING OF NEW YORK”. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ Barron Claiborne shares how iconic Biggie crown photo happened | Photographer- Barron Claiborne shares details about ' the crown photo', what BIG was like during the shoot, and who owns the crown now | By Angie Martinez | Facebook. Retrieved 2024-09-21 – via www.facebook.com.
- ^ "[THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.] BARRON CLAIBORNE | The crown worn by Biggie when photographed as the King of New York, 1997. | Hip Hop | 2020". Sotheby's. Retrieved 2024-09-21.