After its sneakers and handbags highlights, Sotheby’s is conducting another auction on September 15. This auction will feature upto 120 Hip-Hop items including the Crown and the love letters of these rivals. Both the rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur are uniting for this auction. this will be the first-ever hip-hop dedicated auction at this famous international auction house.
“The impact of hip-hop is everywhere — sneakers, clothing, jewelry, art, music. I wanted to have a sale that really recognized how massive that impact really is,” said Cassandra Hatton, the Sotheby’s senior specialist who organized the sale.
How Biggie and Tupac Went From being Friends to Rivals
B.I.G and Tupac were two of the most talented Hip-Hop rappers at their time. Both these rappers were dedicated to exposing the truth of the life on the streets, the racial division and social injustice. however, they were very much different than each other. the most major one was that they represented different coasts. this rivalry lead to their deaths when their carrers were sky-rocketing.
Tupac was shot on September 7, 1996, and died six days later. whereas Biggie was shot and on March 9, 1997, just 6 months later.
watch: Beef: Tupac Shakur vs The Notorious B.I.G
The most awaited items: the Crown and the letters
this year’s auction is said to be one of the first hip hop auction ever conducted by the Sotheby’s. the biggest items of which are the crown worn and signed by the Notorious B.I.G. during a 1997 photo shoot. This was taken three days before his murder. Another big item is an archive of 22 autographed love letters written by Shakur at the age of 15-17 to a sweetheart in high school.
However, the estimates for these lots is supposed to be low. this has been done to attract first-time bidders. The crown is estimated to be $200,000 to $300,000. As for the letters, $60,000 to $80,000.