BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- It was not gone for long, but by the looks of the crowd gathered on the corner of Suydam Street, the iconic image of rapper Biggie Smalls was missed.
The mural depicts a baby picture of the Brooklyn native, which is the photo on the cover of his debut album. The painting was commissioned years ago by the building’s owner but that changed after he rented the space to the recently opened Emerald dispensary which painted the mural to follow state regulations banning any images that may appeal to children.
“All we were doing was complying with what they told us to do, but we had the foresight to use washable paint. When we got the okay, we absolutely wanted to bring the artist back to help restore it,” said Bo Legrand of Emerald Dispensary.
After weeks of complaints from residents and pushback from the landlord, the cover-up paint was power-washed. But the damage was too extensive.
“When you lay something out that is truly yours, truly authentic, it's horrible to see it go,” said mural artist Huetek.
So, the mural needed a remix.
“You can never duplicate an original, some things cannot be restored, but it’s nearly as perfect as it could be,” said Peter Marrero the building owner.
The mural of the Bed-Stuy native Biggie, also known as the Notorious BIG and Big Poppa features the Brooklyn bridge in his eyes, the names of famous local artists in the background, and symbols of Hip-hop in the prominent afro.
“Sometimes a lot of gentrification happens, and it wipes out all that culture, the history we have here in Brooklyn. And that is one of the main reasons we wanted to put that image here,” said Huetek.
The building's owner and mural artist decided that they wanted to make the remake even more significant by establishing it on the anniversary of Biggie's death.”
“We want to pay tribute to Christopher Wallace and his family and at the same time let them know he lives on. He represents Brooklyn and so do we. This mural is here to stay,” said Marrero.
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