Memory of Bad News Brown honoured with fresh new mural
Montreal rapper remembered as iconic figure of city's hip-hop scene
A new mural is paying homage to Montreal rapper Paul Frappier, better known by his stage name Bad News Brown.
Frappier started his career in music busking and playing harmonica as a teenager in the metro.
He went on to open for artists like Snoop Dogg, Kanye West and 50 Cent.
Frappier was born in Haiti but moved to Montreal at a young age, where he lived with his adoptive family.
He was found dead in an industrial area near the Lachine Canal in Montreal in 2011. He was 33.
The new mural, located at the corner of Clark and Ste-Catherine streets, was unveiled to the public on Thursday.
It was done on top of the site of the original mural honouring Frappier's legacy, created in 2014.
That mural was later damaged when construction work was done on the wall.
The new mural, according to A'Shop graffiti artist Fluke, is meant to stand the test of time.
"We thought of this mural in terms of longevity," said Fluke. "The bottom part is protected to last maybe 10 years."
The artist said that he felt connected to Bad News Brown and that it helped him create the artwork.
"Even though he expressed himself through music, he's someone who used the streets as a stepping stone to a greater public and that's something that I felt I shared as well in my career."
Fluke explained that he really wanted to "pay tribute to a man who we've all heard play in the metro and panhandle and be a part of our urban culture in Montreal."
Bad News Brown is remembered as an iconic figure of the Montreal hip-hop scene.
