Keith Yearwood probably couldn't talk, let alone appreciate that he was becoming a part of a landmark hip-hop album, when he was photographed for the cover of late rapper Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 album Ready to Die. But now he gets it, and he wants people to know who that he's the infamous baby on the Biggie cover. NBC reports:
"I just want people to know that's me," Yearwood, 18, said. "The truth is finally coming out."
Apparently, Yearwood earned $150 from the photo shoot through a child modeling agency, Chicky’s Kids, that has since gone defunct. Yearwood’s mom found agency papers to corroborate the teen’s assertion.
In the "Ready to Die" cover photo, the baby is wearing a diaper and sporting a large Afro.
Those associated with the album — including the graphic designer — weren't sure who the kid was. Bad Boy Records, Diddy's label that released the album, couldn't verify whether it is really Yearwood on the album cover; it did say that the baby came courtesy of a modeling agency.
Yearwood also told the News that it wasn't a huge concern to him until he was eight years old. "Now, of course, it's a big deal to me." He added that it was an honor to be on the album.
Lesson of the month: When you make your child into a mini-model, there's no telling how much attention his or her image will receive and what it will come to symbolize. Recently, the mother of Anissa Fraser, whose stock photo became the centerpiece of a controversial New York anti-abortion billboard, was outraged and asked for it to be taken down.
Yearwood was a little luckier. We're guessing there aren't any complaints from his family about his small but recognizable role at the heart of hip-hop history (and we really can't be mad at him for milking it for all it's worth).
Read more at NBC.
In other news: Barry Bonds' Perjury Trial Gets Under Way.