Method Man & Stankbreath Mahoney Debate Who's 'Doper'…: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Method Man & Stankbreath Mahoney.

Method Man is sitting on a ledge on the proper right side of the image. He is wearing a dark colored hoodie with the hood up and a leather jacket over it, dark pants, and untied black boots. He is also wearing glasses. his proper right foot is on the ground. His proper right arm is across his body, resting on his left thigh, and his proper left arm is bent, resting on top of his right hand. He is holding a cigarette in his left hand. Stankbreath Mahoney is sitting on some stairs on the proper left side and is looking at Method Man. He is wearing a jacket, dark pants, sneakers, and a ski cap with a pom-pom on top. His proper right hand is on his right knee. He is reaching out with his left arm, which has a watch on the wrist. There is a guitar in front of the steps with an [ego trip] sticker on it. There is also a brown paper shopping bag near the guitar.

2015.132.359.1 has a white border around the image. It is thinner on the top and bottom and thicker on the two sides. The back of the photograph is white and has a tear on the top right side and some dirt smudges in several areas. 2015.132.359.2 has a white border around the image. It is thinner on the top. There is an inscription and a signature on the front of the photograph. The back of the photograph is white.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1997
• Photograph by: Ricky Powell, American, 1961 - 2021
• Subject of: Method Man, American, born 1971
• Subject of: Stank-Breath Mahoney, American
• Subject of: Ego Trip, American, founded 1994
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.359.1 Sheet): 19 15/16 × 15 15/16 in. (50.6 × 40.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.359.1 Image): 18 × 12 in. (45.7 × 30.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.359.2 Sheet): 13 15/16 × 10 15/16 in. (35.4 × 27.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.359.2 Image): 12 1/8 × 8 in. (30.8 × 20.3 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.132.359.1-.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Ricky Powell Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.