If you are a true hip-hop lover with some money to blow, historic items from rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur are set to be sold during an upcoming auction.
The international auction house Sotheby’s is hosting its first-ever hip-hop auction with 120 items to be sold. Of those, two prized items from the two late hip-hop heavyweights will be up for purchase.
The items include Biggie’s signed crown from his 1997 “King of New York” photoshoot, which happened days before he was killed, and 22 love letters written by Tupac Shakur to his teenage sweetheart Kathy Loy.
Photographer Barron Claiborne, who shot the iconic image of Biggie, has had the crown that they both signed in his possession ever since. The inscription reads “Crown from Biggie KONY Shot NYC 3-6-97.”
Claiborne explained what the piece means to him. “After 23 years in my possession, I’m very excited to share this iconic piece of hip-hop history with the public,” he said in a press statement.
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Shakur’s handwritten letters showcase his poetic nature during his two-month-long romance with Loy.
The West Coast rapper’s heartfelt signatures, which include “Love, Tupac,” “4 Eternity, Tupac,” “With Passion, Tupac,” “Forever Yours, Tupac” and “With All My Heart, Tupac,” can be seen on the letters, which total 42 pages on 24 sheets of paper.
One of the letters even highlights his deep friendship with fellow student Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Jada told me she can see how much I love you,” he wrote.
Cassandra Hatton, vice president and senior specialist in Sotheby’s Books and Manuscripts Department, explained why this inaugural hip-hop auction was important.
“This auction is a celebration of that story and the many ways in which hip-hop continues to resonate across all aspects of culture,” Hatton said in the statement.
The live auction will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. Sotheby’s has estimated the purchase price for Biggie’s lot as $200,000 to $300,000 and $60,000 to $80,000 for Tupac’s items.
A portion of the proceeds will go to Building Beats, a Brooklyn, New York-based nonprofit that teaches entrepreneurship, leadership, and life skills to youth of color.
