On View
Musical Crossroads Gallery
Exhibition
Musical Crossroads
Manufactured by
Shure, founded 1925
Owned by
Rakim, American, born 1968
Date
1997
Medium
metal, foam, plastic, and wire
Dimensions
H x W x D: 10 × 2 1/4 × 2 1/4 in. (25.4 × 5.7 × 5.7 cm)
Description
A wireless microphone used by Rakim to record the album "The 18th Letter" (1997). The hand-held microphone has a circular silver mesh wire grill covering the foam interior of the microphone. The grill is attached to a black plastic cylindrical handle with text printed in silver type near the attachment reading "SHURE" and "BETA 58A" twice around. The handle is made from two pieces, with a small square digital display screen on the top half of the handle bordered by gray plastic, with "L3 638-698 MHz" printed in white type below it. White type reading "UR2" on two opposing sides is printed at the bottom of the lower half of the handle. A smaller round-edged cylindrical piece of black plastic protudes from the bottom of the handle. The bottom half of the handle (b) screws off to reveal a battery chamber that holds two (2) AA batteries. Opposite the battery chamber is a digital push-button menu with four buttons reading clockwise from top: up-facing arrow, "enter", down-facing arrow, "exit". The button menu is directly below the digital display screen on the exterior of the top half of the handle. Beneath the buttons is a manufacturer's label with serial and model numbers, and a key for the menu buttons.
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Type
microphones
Topic
Hip-hop (Music)
Rappers (Musicians)
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Rakim
Object number
2016.10.1
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5aa960903-0ef7-45c0-a149-697ef225f8fe

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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