
THESE ARE CANVAS PRINTS
This piece is to pay homage to the literary genius of Christopher Wallace, most notably known as, Biggie Smalls. He came onto the scene in 1994 with "Ready to Die" with this image as his cover art in 1994. The album had futuristic cadence, wordplay , and vocals that haven't been duplicated to this day. Biggie's "Ready to Die" had dark tales of growing up in the aftermath of the crack era, and painted a vivid picture of culture at the time.
While we can celebrate the artistry, we can critique the influence it had. At the height of this album, black people were dealing with systematic oppression thru the 1994 crime bill policies. These policies were being put in place to railroad young black men and label them as "Super Predators". The innocent nature of the cover coupled with the darkness of the album content made it easy for those in support of the crime bill. Those individuals in power felt justified in throwing away our youth for assumed "inant criminality". When you are gifted with influence you have to be careful with the power of the tongue and what we are speaking onto the culture. Now I want to use the image to flip the narrative. We aren't the Super Predators, we are the Super Prodigies. This piece confirms that affirmation for our gifted youth.
• 20.5 mil thick poly-cotton blend canvas
• Hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars
Size guide
16×20 | 18×24 | 24×36 | |
Height (inches) | 16 | 18 | 24 |
Width (inches) | 20 | 24 | 36 |