Museum Curators Track Down Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Rookie Card’ on ‘Hip Hop Treasures’
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The quest to build the perfect collection for the Universal Hip Hop Museum leads to a trove of Notorious B.I.G.’s artifacts in this new clip from the upcoming series, Hip Hop Treasures.
The new show — premiering Aug. 12 on A&E — follows LL Cool J, Ice-T, and an assortment of collectors and curators as they work to acquire items for the Universal Hip Hop Museum, which is set to open in the Bronx next year. In this new clip, one of the show’s collectors, famed DJ Cipha Sounds, links up with Biggie’s daughter, T’yanna Wallace, and Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s Lil’ Cease, to discuss one holy grail addition to the collection: The yellow “Bad Boy” jersey Notorious B.I.G. wore in the video for “Juicy.”
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The jersey, of course, has great historical significance, with Cipha Sounds noting “Juicy” was the song that really put Biggie “on the map.” Wallace — who appeared in the “Juicy” video as a baby — also touches on its massive personal significance: “When I hear the beginning of ‘Juicy,’ I know my dad rapped because he wanted to provide for his kids — me, at the time, and then later on C.J. — and his mom,” she says.
Paradise Gray, chief curator of the Universal Museum of Hip-Hop, even makes a monumental claim about the “Juicy” jersey: “It’s a more rare and incredible artifact than the crown. Me and [co-curator] Pete [Nice], we look at that ‘Juicy’ jersey that Biggie had as Biggie’s rookie card.”
Notorious B.I.G. will be the focus of the first episode of Hip Hop Treasures, with the episode also featuring appearances from Biggie’s son, C.J. Wallace, and his widow, Faith Evans. Future episodes will center around famed items like Flavor Flav’s clocks and DMX’s Aaliyah car. And there’ll also be appearances from stars and luminaries like Fat Joe, Master P, Naughty by Nature’s Treach, D.M.C. (of Run-D.M.C.), and Coolio in his last on-camera appearance before his death.
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