Death Row Records released the Murder Was The Case soundtrack on October 14, 1994

Today we pay RESPECT. to one of Hip-Hop’s greatest soundtracks — Murder Was the Case — based on a short film starring Snoop Doggy Dogg. Looking back 18 years, the 18-minute film was a collaboration between the one and only, Dr. Dre and Hip-Hop originator, Fab Five Freddy. The film is a fictional depiction of the death of Snoop Dogg and his deal with the Devil. The Calvin Broadus story is one of the most well produced rap records of all time.

Signifying Snoops continual evolution as a artist and businessman, we picked this gem from the RESPECT. archive by esteemed photographer, Piotr Sikora that was several years later in 1998.

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This summer, Brooklyn residents were blessed with a sneak peak of what is sure to be next year’s most exciting public art work. Set for Spring 2013, Word Above the Street, a new york based non-profit group, plans to collaborate with a variety of artists (Andy Goldsworthy, Fab 5 Freddy, and Jay-Z to name a few) to paint, tag, graffiti, and adorn new york city’s ancient water towers. The Water Tank Project, as it’s called, aims to bring awareness to new york’s water conservation initiative and will ultimately change New York’s beloved rooftop skyline for the better.

Those living in DUMBO park, however, have gotten a chance to see some water tower art this summer, courtesy of Tom Fruin’s mosaic, plexiglass, sculpture entitled WaterTower. The project is entirely of his own and marks the fourth installation of the Icon series that transforms “scavenged, reclaimed, and recycled materials into sculptural tributes.” Needless to say, Brooklynites are definitely impressed by the massive masterpeice, and welcome the sparkly new art addition down under the manhattan bridge overpass.

As of yet, Tom Fruin is not signed as one of the artists to debut in The Water Tower Project, but for more information on Word Above the Street or Tom Fruin’s work visit their website.

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The classic MTV hip-hop show will return for one night, featuring original hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover and Dr. Dre. The special will juxtapose hip-hops “golden-era” artists with its newcomers, and will include special guests such as: Q-Tip, Scarface, Ice Cube, Wiz Khalifa, DJ Khaled, Questlove, Busta Rhymes, Mac Miller, Machine Gun Kelly, Young Jeezy, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Phife, Fat Joe, Common, Mike Epps, Ice-T, Meek Mill, Tyga and Naughty by Nature and more. The one night only special will air on MTV2 on December 4th, following the Sucker Free Awards at 11 p.m.

Hit the jump!

The show’s original hosts will be on hand to discuss some of the clips that aired on the program, including interviews with the masterminds behind three of the all-time “Yo!” classics: A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” Geto Boys’ “My Mind’s Playing Tricks on Me” and Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day.”

YO! MTV Raps

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After decades of staying in touch with the true mavens of hip hop, Charlie Ahearn recently wrapped up a new project spotlighting one of the first street photographers in the most literal sense of the word. Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer is Ahearn’s documentary about the Back in the Days photographer, and the film includes interviews with Jamel Shabazz, KRS-One, Fab 5 Freddy and many of the subjects Shabazz captured throughout the 80s.

The documentary premiers this Sunday at BAMcinemaFest in Brooklyn.

Here are some of Shabazz’s famous pics from his book, Back in the Days.

Via Complex

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Fab 5 Freddy, hip-hop icon and former host of “Yo! MTV Raps“, is currently showcasing his newest exhibition at Gallery 151 on the Bowery in New York. The exhibit, entitled “New York: New Work” features works of two distinct artistic styles; the new show combines crystal-encrusted digital renderings of pin-up models and boxers, as well as reworked paintings of famous graffiti tag works. Freddy comments: “We take these images [of boxers and models], we digitally alter them, and then the images are printed on canvas, and then we apply thousands of these little of these Swarovski crystals to them…[the other] pieces are new wave work[s] with with elements of graffiti, and the background is a train that I executed quite a while ago, which was a homage to Andy Warhol..I’m remixing forms and shapes of my past and turning it into something new.”

Freddy’s exhibit can be seen at Gallery 151, located at 350 Bowery (Btwn. 4th Street and Great Jones), and will be running until July 1st, so hurry and check it out. Hours are Tuesday – Friday 2-8pm, Saturday & Sunday 12:30 – 7:30pm.

Check out Freddy’s interview with Pix 11 about the gallery below

photo via Bowery Boogie

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First famous for his art and then famous for being famous, Jean-Michel Basquiat is a legend. And nowadays, every legend deserves their own movie.

Here’s where Tamra Davis comes in. Davis who was a friend of Basquiat’s filmed an interview in 1985, where their mutual friend Becky Johnson asked questions and Basquiat subtly and brilliantly answered. The footage from that interview has never been shown publicly before, but now over 20 years after his death, Davis has put together a movie surrounding that interview. Besides for the actual interview footage, the movie includes commentary from close friends of Basquiat like Julian Schnabel, Fab 5 Freddy, Annina Nosei and Suzanne Mallouk giving us details on the artists remarkable, yet short life. The Radiant Child allows us a glimpse into Basquiat’s brilliant mind, but leaves us saddened that a man who was so innovative and  possessed such talent couldn’t stick around for longer.

Basquiat began his career as a graffiti artist and later became a neo-expressionist painter with Andy Warhol as one of his top admirers. On August 12, 1988 Basquiat died of heroin overdose in New York City.

Jean-Michel Basquiat will forever be remembered.

The Radiant Child is in theaters now.

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