The Notorious B.I.G. mural in Bed-Stuy won’t come down after all

After public outcry, landlord Samuel Berkowitz will allow the two-story “King of NY” mural of legendary Bed-Stuy rapper Biggie Smalls to remain on his building on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Quincy Street, reports DNAinfo.

When it was revealed last week that Berkowitz planned to remove the installation, created in 2015 by Naoufal “Rocko” Alaoui and Scott "Zimer" Zimmerman, fans and members of the Spread Art NYC collective made an attempt to save it by offering the landlord $5,000. Berkowitz, however, refused, telling the group that it would take $1,250/month to keep the mural in place.

From there, supporters circulated petitions in an attempt to get the mural landmarked. According to an Instagram post from Spread Art NYC, everyone from the mayor’s office to the Brooklyn Nets offered support. With all of the hoopla, Berkowitz decided to allow the mural to remain in place.

“To be honest, [Berkowitz] just didn’t know how important Biggie is to Brooklyn,” Alaoui told DNAinfo. “He’s not a bad guy. A lot of people offered to help financially, but he said he don’t need the money, just the respect of his neighbors.”

The good news came right after hordes of hip-hop fans celebrated what would have been the late rapper’s 45th birthday on Sunday, May 21.

• Bed-Stuy Biggie Mural to Stay After Landlord's Change of Heart, Artist Says [DNAinfo]
• The Notorious B.I.G. mural in Bed-Stuy will come down [Curbed]