Piece of the week: BNB Tribute by A'Shop

This is partly a tribute post and a shout out to Fluke, Zek, Axe, Phile, and Oser from A'Shop for their great work on the BNB tribute wall right off the corner of St. Catherine & Clark. Aper & Saer also contributed to some of the lettering when they stopped on through at some point over the weekend too. I wasn't able to make it out the weekend that they were their painting as I was flying back in from out of town, but I made a point of it to catch fresh flicks of the wall when I got back.

This was a finely executed mural combining wild letter styles and a portrait of the late BNB playing the harmonica he was so well known for. The purple-blue-green letters made for a nice background to the BNB logo that pops right out at you in the center. This is another production that I think used the wall space quite well, and has a nice flow from the letters over to the portrait of BNB in a signature brown suit and hat. From the other side it's almost as if the wave of colorful letters is pouring from the masterful tunes from his harmonica.

Image source: www.514smoke.biz 

For those who don't know of Bad News Brown, his early street busking and metro playing, music success, and even some acting before he passed, then here's a little background. Originally from Haiti, BNB -Paul Frappier -came to live in Montreal with an adoptive family at the age of ten. He quickly became a local celebrity for his harmonica playing in the streets and metros, and for contributing to other local shows and hip hop events. He had opened for Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Soulja Boy, and shared the stage with Ice-T, Cypress Hill, and De La Soul. In 2009 he released his first solo album called "Born 2 Sin" with a title track of the same name. You can check it here on YouTube. He was really starting to come into his career before his untimely death, murdered at the age of 33, just this passed February. Police are apparently still searching for leads.

Image source: www.ctv.ca

The death of Bad News Brown was a serious blow to the local hip hop and music community. His family, friends, and fans paid their respects and laid his remains to rest at his funeral on February 21st at St. Zotique Church in St. Henri. A candle light vigil was also set up at the park in front of the church later that night where about a hundred people showed up to remember the man who said to have left a mark on everyone he ever met.

RIP Band News Brown, a true grinder and icon of the local Montreal music scene.