Biggie Smalls mural to remain in Brooklyn
Update: “We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us…” – The Notorious B.I.G.
Biggie would be proud.
A single landlord was the only thing in the way of an iconic mural in his honor remaining intact in his native Brooklyn. Everyone from fans of the late rapper, to the Brooklyn Nets to the artists who first painted the piece themseleves urged Samuel Berkowitz to change his mind about destroying it so he could install windows and increase rent prices. Eventually, their pleas came through.
The mural of Biggie Smalls will remain after Berkowitz changed his mind, according to DNA Info.
“To be honest, he just didn’t know how important Biggie is to Brooklyn,” said Naoufal “Rocko” Alaoui, who painted the mural with Scott “Zimer” Zimmerman in 2015. “He’s not a bad guy. A lot of people offered to help financially, but he said he don’t need the money, just the respect of his neighbors.”
Earlier: For two years, a mural dedicated to Brooklyn’s own Biggie Smalls could be seen on a building at Bedford Ave. and Quincy St. Sadly, due to the landlord’s determination to renovate the building, the mural is likely going to be destroyed.
The landlord, Samuel Berkowitz, told DNA Info that he has every right to do so given that he could tear the building down if he really wanted to. Residents have also complained of the foot traffic that the building brings from people looking to see the artwork.
An Instagram post published by Spread Art NYC tells an account of how the mural would be damaged so that extra windows could be put in the building to increase rent prices.
It’s sad, but not entirely surprising, that a piece of art would meet its end because someone is looking to make some extra cash.