Notorious B.A.T. part one
Written by: Caiphus
I bought my first art toy when I visited Tokyo in 1999… and the cool thing is, I still have it today. A vinyl Parrapa da Rappa figure that stands about 8 inches tall. See!
He looks great for being 21 years old!
Back then I had no idea what art or designer toys were but they looked dope as sh*t and over the years I found myself being more and more drawn to them.
I started buying a few here and there but like we covered in the 1st blog, I wanted something that represented me.
And let me just say this now before I continue: I am not disregarding anyone or disrespecting artists in the scene. I’m just saying, from my point of view, I feel that there’s a lack of true authenticity for the type of toys I wanted to have.
And if I WERE to start collecting, what would a person like myself or my friends want to see?
So, I finally made the leap and bought my own 3D printer… Now what the hell am I going to make? I’m talking all this crap about what I want and how I would do it. OK, big shot, put up or shut up!
Aiight.
Form 3 printer by Formlabs.
Cost a pretty penny BUT so far, it’s been worth it!
It was all a dream… just joking. I always wanted a Biggie toy of my own but I haven’t seen one that really spoke to me. So I decided to mash up one of my favorite rappers with one of my favorite super heroes. And it had to really make sense! Couldn’t just make a metal version of Biggie and dress him as Colossus or whatever. It had to be true to the name and also to the culture. If he was a hero, who would he be?
Batman is from Gotham and B.I.G. is from Brooklyn.
Hard to creep them Brooklyn streets
It's on n***a, f**k all that bickering beef
I can hear sweat trickling down your cheek
Your heartbeat sound like Sasquatch feet
If Batman spit bars… I could definitely hear him saying that. So, I combined the two names and came up with Notorious B.A.T.
Most important aspect to me was that: He had to look like Biggie as Batman and not Batman as Biggie, if that makes sense?
So the question became; “How can I make this feel more like Chris Wallace than Bruce Wayne?” I started thinking of ideas like maybe a coogi sweater or money and jewelry. But the more I explored that path, the more stereotypical and less authentic it became. Then I started to think of Batman’s famous utility belt and what would Biggie have on his and that’s where I found success!
So we can steam on the way to the telly go fill my belly
A t-bone steak, cheese eggs and Welch's grape
Conversate for a few, cause in a few, we gon' do
What we came to do, ain't that right boo (truuuueee)
What’s more clever than having a famous line incorporated into his utility belt?! Hardcore fans would really appreciate it and those not familiar with all of his songs would discover something new. Now, this is what makes it an “art” toy. From that point on, his pose, the BKLYN insignia and his entire presence just seemed to take form automatically.
“A T-bone steak, cheese eggs and Welch's grape” Utility Belt
I played his music nonstop until (my tape popped) and I finished blocking out the entire sculpt. Real talk, I loved it!. And I have to admit that I rushed at first. I was so excited just to have something in my hand that I created from start to finish. I sat with a small, painted prototype for a few weeks and then I revisited the sculpt and refined it….
More about that in PART II