These Wooden Biggie Sculptures Were So Hot They Sold Out In Just Hours
Graffiti artist Kimou Meyer (commonly known as Grotesk) has created a hand carved tribute to rapper Notorious B.I.G. made completely from wood.
Titled "A Bigger Big Poppa" the sculpture stands at eight inches tall, and is made from yellow pine and walnut wood. The creation was limited to only eight pieces and two artist proofs, with each one being slightly different than the other because they are handmade.
The body, head and cap are not glued to the sculpture, meaning that can change the motion and posture of Biggie to your liking.
"Like Biggie's songs, each of the sculptures has a unique flavor to the constantly changing wood grain and tone of the walnut and pine wood used," Grotesk stated on Case Studyo, the website where the sculptures were being sold. Yes, that's right — all eight pieces are already accounted for. They dropped earlier today so when we say they sold out in hours, we are not kidding.
"I wanted to pay homage to Biggie by getting to the essence of his personality," Grotesk added. "He was an extremely raw MC but had a super smooth delivery. That's why I decided to do a sculpture using only raw wood and no paint. The object has a super smooth finish so it looks and feels luxurious."
Grotesk had created a similar sculpture back in 2015 (which also sold out immediately), but this latest iteration is twice the side of the original.
Aside from being immortalized as a wood sculpture, Biggie was also commemorated with his own statue in New York. About six months ago the Hip Hop Hall of Fame Museum tried raising enough money to finish the completion of a bronze Biggie statue, which highlights the rapper's distinguishable face.
"The Biggie Memorial will be a new New York landmark in the neighborhood which still treasures him. The memorial will be a bold reminder of the hip hop and music history which has helped form the creative and cultural landscape of New York City and around the world," a press release for the project stated.