The Project Pharaoh

"Treasure," — featuring André 3000 for the Summer 2002 issue of KING Magazine. Photography by Michael Blackwell and text by Patricia DeLuca.

"The Marleys" for Vanity Fair's 2004 World Music Portfolio (June 2, 2004): Stephen, Cedella (seated), Rita, Ky-Mani, Ziggy, Julian, Damian, and Sharon. Photographed by Mark Seliger with styling by Lysa Cooper, hair by Simone Hylton, makeup and grooming by Jesus Abreu, and props styled by Thomas Wood.

RIP B.I.G.. (1972-1997)

Rest in Peace Christoper Wallace. (1972-1997)

Chicago, IL. (1995)

Chicago, IL. (1995)

Biggie, Nadia, & Martin. Caribe Gardens. (1999).

Jennifer: I will never forget the girls. Me, Monica, and Biggie were always together, we had each other’s back. If one of us was doing bad, we’d let her know, but we were always having a great time. We stuck together like glue. I was five months pregnant then. Monica was so happy. We all had the same twisties in our hair. We would have to stay for three hours under the dryer at the hair salon. We’d go all at the same time and use up all the dryers. Growing up here as girls, we worried about ourselves, had to take care of ourselves.

Louie: To survive outside in the world, there is a big challenge out there. Hate, jealousy, and envy, and to survive is to have money in your pocket and to have respect. If you feel you’ve got to stand on the corner, that’s your challenge; if you feel you’ve got to work to support your family, that’s another challenge. Our challenge is standing on the corner, so far so good, we survive. That day I look like I was stressed, thinking too hard, smoking weed. If you’re down, you can’t show it. Smoking feels good, it last for twenty minutes, and then if you don’t have any money to buy more, you get more stressed. I used to be a badass, liked to fight, steal but then I learned. There is a better life out there. You got to go out and meet new people and be trusted and that feels good, you know. Monica, we were going through a lot of problems because of me. Instead of me talking to her, I used to walk away, smoke weed, thinking it was gonna help. And then coming back to the same problems cause I wasn’t talking to her, I was talking to the weed. But I have learned from my mistakes. My son is gonna know who I am, just by my reputation.

Every day Louie came on the bus from Flatbush & waited for Monica to meet him in the park. They had been going out for a few months. Lindsay Park. (1995).

Tomar and Ricky, Maujer Boys, standing by a memorial for Benji, a Maujer Boy who was killed in 1992 at a Manhattan club while looking out for a friend. Maujer Street. (1994).

“Let the boys be boys…” Lorimer Street. (1994).