Sotheby’s Unveils the Full Contents of Inaugural Auction Dedicated to HIP HOP
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Presse15.09.2020
A signature of his unmistakable panache, the sale includes an eye patch from the collection of rap legend and style icon Slick Rick (estimate $20/25,000). The eyepatch was made by the "King of Bling" Jacob the Jeweler and custom designed by Slick-Rick's wife and manager Mandy who presented it to him as a gift for his 40th birthday.
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES WITH HIP HOP LEGENDS
The auction includes one-of-a-kind experiences with some of Hip Hop’s most esteemed and revered luminaries. Among them is a private lyric writing lesson and studio session with The God MC Rakim Allah (estimate $20/30,000). In the history of the Hip Hop, few artists have had as great an impact on the development and progression of the art of lyrical style as Rakim Allah, whose albums include the all-time classics Paid In Full, Follow the Leader and The 18th Letter. Universally referenced as one of the Masters of the Microphone and an influence and inspiration to his peers and followers alike, up to 3 participants (in person or virtually) will learn directly from the master in this highly personal session.
Sartorialists can bid on a chance to win a private atelier experience and couture design session with the legendary tailor of Harlem, Dapper Dan (estimate $10/15,000). The experience will include a private behind-the-scenes tour of his atelier in Harlem, New York, where you will get to work with Dapper Dan to design a custom piece of couture. This experience is best enjoyed in-person, however accommodations can be made to enjoy the experience virtually. With his eponymous store on 125th Street and known for using exquisite leathers, furs, and other fine materials, Dapper Dan pioneered streetwear in the early 1980s, co-opting luxury branding to design original garments with high-end detail.
Bidders can also vie for a virtual wine tasting with Grammy-Award winning rapper and actor Big Daddy Kane, where together you will explore a selection of European and Californian red wines (estimate $20/30,000). The Hip Hop legend has garnered several gold albums in his long career, including Long Live The Kane, It's A Big Daddy Thing, Taste Of Chocolate, and Prince of Darkness, and was awarded a Grammy in 1990 for his work on “Back on the Block”, and nominated for another Grammy for his single “I Get the Job Done.”
ART & HIP HOP
Phase 2 Logo Sculpture
The auction features the only known dual-sided Logo Sculpture by the pioneering Hip Hop artist Phase 2, who was a pivotal early figure in the development and formulation of Hip Hop culture (estimate $40/60,000). The late artist’s oeuvre encompassed artwork, fashion, music, dance, and party flyers, and set the groundwork for a growing inner-city culture and became a worldwide phenomenon. A first-generation “writer” with roots in the NYC subway art movement, he was an innovator of what he called “wild lettering.” In 1972 he pioneered the “softie” (bubble) letter used in the earliest subway “pieces” and introduced arrows, curls, twists and other connections that became universal visual elements in the worldwide graffiti movement. He also introduced the B-boy world to battle (up) rocking and other styles and assembled one of the most important B-boy crews (The New York City Breakers), among many other notable, trend-setting achievements.
The present sculpture was commissioned for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame's 1999 touring exhibition entitled Hip-Hop Nation: Roots, Rhymes, and Rage. Instead of rendering one of his classic "softie"-style pieces, Phase 2 chose to construct this floating, dual-sided wooden "logo" relief. The artist began creating wood reliefs in the mid-1980s as extensions of his visual symbolics, and continued to create them into the 2000s.
The Wall of Boom
Created by world-renowned Roc Nation DJ and collector of all things Hip Hop, DJ Ross One, The Wall of Boom (estimate $70/100,000) is an art installation that features 32 vintage boomboxes from the early 1980s through the early 1990s, displayed together on a custom-built shelf, and wired together to function as a singular sound system. The installation consists of some of the rarest and most recognizable vintage boomboxes, including: Two Clairtone Super Jumbos, the same model radio used by Radio Raheem to blast Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" in Spike Lee's classic Do The Right Thing; Two highly coveted JVC M90s, which featured on LL Cool J's "Radio" album cover, Beastie Boys albums, and many others, and were immortalized in LL Cool J's song "I Can't Live Without My Radio” ("while my JVC vibrates the concrete"); a DiscoLite, the light-up boombox made famous in Madonna's "Hung Up" music video; two Sharp GF-777s, a popular boombox featured in many 80s NYC photos with 4 speakers lining the bottom; A Sanyo MX-920, the same radio Malcolm McLaren transformed into his iconic "Buffalo Gals" boombox; and a Toshiba BomBeat 40, one of the rarest and most highly prized boomboxes among collectors.
HIP HOP FASHION & STYLE
Custom Juneteenth Nike Air Force 1
The auction features a custom-designed pair of Nike Air Force 1, created in honor of the Juneteenth national holiday campaign. Estimated at $5/10,000, all proceeds will be donated to the non-profit organizations Hip Hop Public Health and Unity Unlimited, Inc.
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15.09.2020Presse »
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