Notorious B.I.G. x Carl Posey

I wanted to do a portrait on the stoop because i was fairly new [to NYC at the time].so my eyes were wide open to the texture. Claifonira’s a fairly young state, but the texture in New York, the texture of the buidlings we don’t have that. when we were doing this shot over in Brooklyn, we did a few inside of a few bodegas, then i had him ping some portrays. cats was hanging out , everybody was around. it was just me and i think i probably had just one assistant then. i wanted to do a portrait so that part i set up. and i said i want to get everybody i on this one. because everybody was just kinda of hanging out while i was shooting. so i said let’s just gather everybody up, let me just do a portrait on the stoop. i wasn’t trying to recreate the one in harlem, nothing like that. it was just was a moment, a portrait of all these cats. cause i felt like it was a strong energy. so i just wanted to do a poretait quick like that.

that was on Big when he pulled the peiuce out like that. i had sense it before, but that was his move. and then when his eyesdid like that and when he just went there , it’s not like i said , let’s do it again, let’s doit again. i think i got two pops of that and that’s it.

I wanted to do a portrait on the stoop because I was fairly new [to New York City at the time], so my eyes were wide open to the texture. California’s a fairly young state, but the texture in New York, the texture of the buildings—we don’t have that. When we were doing this shot over in Brooklyn, we did a few around a few bodegas, cats was hanging out, everybody was around. It was just me and I think I probably had just one assistant then. I wanted to do a portrait, so that part I set up. Then I said, I want to get everybody in on this one, because everybody was just kinda of hanging out while I was shooting. I said, Let’s just gather everybody up; let me just do a portrait on the stoop. I wasn’t trying to recreate the one in Harlem, nothing like that. It was just a moment, a portrait of all these cats, ’cause I felt like it was a strong energy. I just wanted to do a quick portrait like that.

That was on Big when he pulled the piece out like that. I had seen it before, but that was his move. And then when his eyes did like that and when he just went there, it’s not like I said, Let’s do it again. I think I got two pops of that and that’s it.

—Carl Posey