Source: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty
Notorious BIG's memory still looms large in the borough of Brooklyn, so whenever a mural pays homage to New York's OG King, Brooklynites hold the art in high esteem.
Unfortunately, the owners of a newly opened cannabis dispensary in Bushwick, Brooklyn didn't quite know what a mural of Baby Biggie meant to the neighborhood, so when they were forced to paint over the decorated wall to comply with city regulations, the outcry was loud and clear. quickly. According ABC7, Emerald Dispensary CEO Christina de Giovanni, part of the deal to get a license to sell marijuana in the gentrified neighborhood was to cover up the three-year-old Biggie mural. And while he didn't want to take such actions, he felt he had to in order to comply with city regulations.
Per ABC7:
“This wasn't on our radar and we tried, we didn't want to cover it up at all,” said Christina de Giovanni, CEO of Emerald Dispensary. “We've loved this mural ever since we moved into this building and did artwork on the front of the building and on the side, we all agreed not to touch this large mural. We like this. That remains.”
At first, it didn't quite work out that way. Biggie's iconic childhood mural, which went up three years ago in Bushwick, where the Emerald Dispensary is now open for business, was covered in black removable graffiti before it opened its doors last week.
“We were following the regulations,” Giovanni said. “We had a state inspection a few weeks ago, and so prior to that, we had talked to a compliance officer and were aware of the regulations regarding exterior artwork. And so, we covered it up because we thought we were in compliance. We thought this had to happen to be in compliance.”
Of course, residents of the neighborhood who grew up finding the artwork that artist Huetek blessed the neighborhood with years ago disagreed with the move. Things got so heated that the owner was reportedly hit with death threats over the decision to black out Biggie's mural. Fortunately, no one was physically injured, and after hearing the public outcry from neighborhood residents, OCM decided the mural could remain as they saw how much it meant to the good people of Bushwick, Brooklyn.
A decision that Emerald Dispensary co-owner Roman Roman says left him thrilled.
“I'm just glad we got it over with,” he told ABC7.
We're glad Biggie's memory lives on in the most inclusive borough.
