It's the photo that broke the hip-hop internet. The research for this book [Contact High] turned up a never-before-seen image of young Tupac and Nas at a party at Club Amazon on the West Side of Manhattan. Al Pereira was already known for his shot of Biggie, Tupac, and Redman that was taken on the same night, but he didn't realize the other image existed until he looked at the contact sheet nearly twenty-five years later. According to Al Pereira, he was shooting photos of Tupac, "then Redman jumps into the shot and this big guy came over. I had no idea who Biggie was, so to me he was just some guy ruining my shot of the famous guys. Nas was the other guy in the frame that I didn't know, but he came over and they were all posing together, having fun. I was just clicking and in the energy of it all. I also love that the image meant so much to Nas as it showed one of his closest confidants, Draws, in several frames. I am thrilled that my photography contributed to hip-hop history and the narratives of two legends before they were famous, just hanging out." The pic was taken in 1993. If you don't own Contact High - once again! - go pick it up!
