Sotheby's is set to host its first fully hip-hop auction, where some of the most iconic cultural pieces in music history will be up for sale.
Cassandra Hatton, a senior specialist at Sotheby's, organized the September 15 event and told Cheddar it's been in the works for seven years.
"It really started in earnest when I met Monica Lynch, who is formerly the president of Tommy Boy Records," she said. "We've hand-curated the sale, hand-selected each item, to help tell an overarching story about the culture."
The goal of the auction, according to Hatton, is to celebrate hip hop's cultural impact on the world. Likewise, Sotheby's plans to give a portion of the auction's proceeds to two programs: Building Beats, a youth program which uses DJ'ing to teach kids entrepreneurship and leadership, and other programs spearheaded by hip hop pioneer "Uncle" Ralph McDaniels at the New York's Queens Public Library.
So what will be hitting the auction block?
Among the items slated for sale are contemporary art pieces, music-related items, and fashion pieces. But, the auction's "crown jewel," Hatton said, is late rapper Notorious B.I.G.'s iconic King of New York crown, worn on the cover of Rap Pages magazine in 1997.
"It's the greatest object that I can think of in the category of hip-hop," she noted. "It's one of the most iconic portraits of all time. It's absolutely gorgeous and I think it's almost gained this religious symbolism. It's turned Biggie into an icon."
The auction will also include more than 20 love letters written by a then 15 or 16-year-old Tupac to a girlfriend in the late 1980s.
"I think the thing that really stood out the most was how respectful he was. How he really wanted to communicate and talk about the parameters of the relationship and define the relationship, that was very important to him," Hatton said.
While these iconic pieces of hip-hop history are for sale, it's hard to predict just how much they could potentially sell for since this is the first auction of its kind at a major auction house, Hatton explained.
"There are no market precedents and the best way to find out what something is worth is to offer it at auction where you have competitive bidding," she continued.
