Rapper Notorious BIG -

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The famous crown worn by Notorious BIG during his last photoshoot was sold for $ 594,750 at an auction organized by Sotheby's in New York.

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All hail the King of New York!

Tonight during our inaugural Hip Hop auction, one of the most iconic symbols of Hip Hop's heyday: the crown đź‘‘ worn and signed by Notorious BIG from @ barronclaiborne's iconic 1997 'King of New York' photoshoot for Rap Pages Magazine sold for $ 600,000.

The photograph is one of the most recognizable images in Hip Hop culture and it has endured as the defining portrait of the artist more than 20 years since it was taken.

Achieving an overall total of $ 2 million, the auction was a celebration of the history and cultural impact Hip Hop has had on art and culture from the late 1970s through the “Golden Age” of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, and up to the present.

A majority of items included in the sale were consigned directly from Hip Hop's most pivotal and well-known artists and figures, several of who will be sharing their proceeds with a variety of charities.

A portion of Sotheby's own proceeds from the sale will benefit the Hip Hop programs at the @qplnyc, as well as @buildingbeats, a non-profit community organization that teaches tech, entrepreneurial and leadership skills to underserved youth through DJ and music programs.

#hiphop #hiphopmusic #notoriousbig #biggiesmalls #barronclaiborne #HipHopxSothebys #QPLHipHop

A post shared by Sotheby's (@sothebys) on Sep 15, 2020 at 6:44 pm PDT

The iconic accessory had been signed by the artist a few days before his death in 1997 and its value was estimated between 200,000 and 300,000 dollars.

If the object was undoubtedly the centerpiece of this sale, Sotheby's also presented an impressive collection of memorabilia from the history of American hip-hop.

From the hand of Tupac

Among the items in the spotlight during the sale, there was also a drum kit that belonged to Questlove of the Roots sold for $ 30,240, or an eye patch set with multicolored fake diamonds that belonged to Slick Rick sold for $ 25,200 .

Finally for a handwritten correspondence between Tupac Shakur and one of his comrades from the Baltimore School for the Arts, the bids have climbed to reach the sum of 75,600 dollars.

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