Cover Stories - George DuBose & The Notorious B.I.G.

Cover Story - Subject - George DuBose & The Notorious B.I.G. -

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait of the then 19-year-old Biggie Smalls and 50G.

Originally published March 30, 2007 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

Originally apprenticed to commercial and fashion photographers, George DuBose first became associated with New Wave music after he began speculative work with the fledgling B52s from Athens, Georgia. He has photographed and designed over 300 album covers, collecting 18 gold and platinum albums for groups as diverse as REM, The Go-Gos, Melissa Etheridge, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and many of the pioneers in the world of rap/hip-hop music such as Biz Markie, Afrika Bambaataa, Run-DMC and Big Daddy Kane. The Ramones commissioned him to photograph or design their last nine covers and it is his shot for their only gold record (Ramonesmania) that he treasures most.

One of his most-memorable assignments involved a photo shoot of an up-and-coming young rapper who went by several names, including Biggie Smalls and The Notorious B.I.G.. The resulting portfolio of photographs show the young rapper and his "posse" visiting some of their favorite local haunts and leaving the photographer a bit uncomfortable about what he'd just witnessed...

The story behind the photograph, in the words of George DuBose -

"Mr. Cee, Big Daddy Kane’s DJ, called me one day and told me that he was working with a young rapper. The track for the young rapper was going to be on a compilation 12” vinyl that would be released by a NY radio station. I forget the name of the station - I think it was WKTU.

 

Mr. Cee asked me if I would go to Bed-Stuy (Brooklyn) to take some photos. Cee went on to say that there was 'no budget' for the session and would I take the pictures for free. As I had already photographed and designed several packages for Big Daddy Kane and Kane had been a big factor in my buying a house, I could certainly offer a freebie to pay back Cee.

 

'Sure, I’ll go to Bed-Stuy, if you come with me. No way am I going there with my photo equipment without a bodyguard.' He agreed that I was being sensible and we made a date to travel together from Manhattan to Brooklyn by subway. We got to the corner of Bedford Avenue and Quincy, where I was introduced to Biggie Smalls and his DJ, 50 Grand. Biggie was BIG and not very friendly. I had worked with quite a few rappers by this time, so I was aware that some of them preferred a hard image. No smiles, no humor in their songs...

 

The young rapper wanted his photo taken in front of the street signs that marked the epicenter of his ‘hood.  I shot a dozen pictures of Biggie and 50G in front of the street signs, but to get their faces and the street sign in the same frame, I had to shoot from quite a low angle. I wasn’t too pleased about this arrangement so I made some more shots of the two of them against a wall on the other side of the street.

 

Not particularly wanting to linger in this area of Brooklyn, I said I was finished, then thanked them and told Cee I was ready to leave. Biggie then asked me if I had more film. I had a few shots left on the one roll of film that I had used. Would I take a picture of his posse? OK', I replied, but I didn’t see any posse...

 

Fifteen seconds later - it was like someone blew a whistle - there were 20 guys around me ready to pose for their fifteen seconds of fame. I looked around for a suitable background and told the crew to line up in a sunlit spot on a sidewalk across the street from where we were. I got Biggie in the center of the crowd, and then I told them to get closer together.

 

I, then, looked into the viewfinder of my camera to focus and I saw that Biggie was pointing an Uzi machine gun at me. Oops! In my politest voice, I asked Biggie to point the gun away from the camera and then took only two photos before I realized I was at the end of my roll. I said 'Thanks. That’s it, we got it.' I then looked at Cee and said, 'Let’s boogie!'

 

A few days later, I gave Cee the shot he wanted of Biggie and 50G and that was the end of it. Until...Biggie was shot and killed only a few years later! I hadn’t realized how hugely successful Biggie had become in only a few years. He had been signed to Bad Boy Records that was owned by a character named, Sean Combs. Now he was 'the Notorious B.I.G.'

 

Evidently, Bad Boy had decided make some kind of video right after B.I.G. was killed. I never saw the video, but Mr. Cee told me that a couple of the shots I had taken in Bed-Stuy were used in the video. I called my photo resale agent to ask them about this sale of my photos to Bad Boy. They confirmed the transaction and told me that I would net a few hundred $$ from the sales. I was told a few months later that the label refused to pay for them. I guess they don’t call themselves 'Bad Boy' for nothing...So I just go went with my life."

 

- George DuBose

 

The Notorious B.I.G.'s 2007 release on Bad Boy was titled Greatest Hits and reached #1 on the Billboard "Top Album" charts in March of 2007. It was the third #1 record in his career and reached this position 10 years after he was killed.

 

From his studios in Cologne, Germany, he continues to provide creative guidance, art direction, computer graphic design, photography, manufacturing assistance for major record companies and up-and coming artists that want to produce their own albums.

Du Bose’s professional experience includes staff positions as art director and photographer for Island Records and Cold Chillin’ Records, the first photo editor for SPIN Magazine and The Image Bankbook division and staff photographer for the original Interview magazine. His company information lists Island Trading Company, The New Music Seminar, PolyGram, Warner Bros, Island Records (since 1978), Sony, MCA, Playboy Enterprises, Thirteen/WNET and others among its clients. A summary of his professional experience includes roles as Assistant Production Manager for Westshore Publishing Co. from 1975-78, freelance photographer from 1978-84, photo editor for SPIN Magazine from 1984-87, photo editor for Image Bank from 1987-88, Senior Art Director and Photographer for Island Records from 1988-91 and he’s worked as a freelance photographer and art director ever since. I'd invite fans to read George’s book, titled “I Speak Music – Ramones” – This book is 104 pages of text and colorful photos (many unpublished) that document the 10 year relationship between the Ramones and their “official” photographer, George DuBose.

You can see more of this artist's work - including some great calendars featuring photos from his New Wave and Hip-Hop portfolios - on his web site at http://www.george-dubose.com/