New Yorker Claims To Be the Baby on Notorious B.I.G. Album Cover

New York teenager Keithroy Yearwood could be linked to a landmark hip-hop album.

The high school senior from the Bronx told the Daily News that he is the baby  on the cover of late rapper Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 multimillion-selling album “Ready to Die.”

"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 corrobarate’s 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 album—including the graphic designer–wasn’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 a n honor to be on the album.

The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was gunned down in Los Angeles on Mar. 9, 1997.

Recently, Smashing Pumpkins bassist Nicole Fiorentino claimed she was one of the kids featured on the band’s 1993 album "Siamese Dream."

Selected Readings: The Daily News, The Guardian, All Music

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