A Never-Before-Seen Picture of Nas & Tupac From 1993 Was Just Unearthed

Music - 5 years ago

Dimas Sanfiorenzo Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. He specializes…

A post shared by Nasir Jones (@nas) on Oct 10, 2017 at 3:33pm PDT

You’ve seen the picture.

The Notorious B.I.G., wearing a Morehouse shirt, standing next to Tupac and Redman who are both sticking up their respective middle finger. It was a photo captured at the Palladium on July 23, 1993. And it’s one of two Tupac and Biggie pictures that exist.

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It turns out there was another legendary rapper at the Palladium that night: Nas. On Tuesday morning, an Instagram account called Contact High Project posted a number of never-before-seen pictures from that night. One of the pictures featured Nas posting with future foe Tupac.

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Now, to put it in some context: in 1993 Nas hadn’t dropped Illmatic yet, while Tupac has released his sophomore album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… earlier in the year.

(On another note: Another picture displayed was one of Redman and Biggie hugging.)

Wuuuuuut??? That thing when you look at a contact sheet for the first time in years and realize #Nas was there too 🔥 @redmangilla and #big hug it out 👑👑👑 #Tupac #Redman #DJClarkKent @djscratch #nasirjones #biggie #puffdaddy @diddy Photo: @lasagnakng Al Pereira #1993 #visualculture #shootfilm #analog #contactsheet #contacthighproject #35mm #shootfilm #analogphotography @djclarkkent @djqbert #invisiblescratchpickles #pagers #motorolatwowaypager

A post shared by CONTACT HIGH PROJECT (@contact.high.project) on Oct 10, 2017 at 5:49am PDT

So where did the pics come from? They were taken by legendary rap photographer Al Pereira, and were featured on a contact sheet from the show.

Apparently Pereira is getting ready to drop a book using some of his more iconic shots.

After the photo started spreading, Nas dedicated a number of posts toward the lost photo on his Instagram:

Thank GOD there’s pictures like these that pop up here n there. I never liked taking pictures back then so this photographer knew what he was doing. RIP DRAWS from QB to my left. 2pac & Reggie Noble on deck Bless up! My man BJ from QB behind Pac. #partyandbullshit #REBELS

A post shared by Nasir Jones (@nas) on Oct 10, 2017 at 5:14pm PDT

There’s a book coming out by Photog: Al Pereira @lasagnakng and @contact.high.project. Shot in 1993. Book “Contact High: hip-hop visual culture” to be released fall 2018 by Random House/Clarkson Potter by @vtobak (not my book)

A post shared by Nasir Jones (@nas) on Oct 10, 2017 at 6:02pm PDT

If only IG was around in the ’90s.

Source: Instagram