“Homeboy, throw in the towel, your girl got dicked by Ricky Powell” – Ad Rock on “Car Thief”

A integral part of early Beastie’s lore, Ricky Powell was a little bit of everything. A TV host, an artist, author and photographer but mostly just a New Yorker through and through, at least back when that meant something.

The Rickster fell out of step with the Beasties over the years but back in the 80s he was a central member of their crew. Powell snapped some iconic photos of the Boys early in their career.

While most of The Rickster’s photography work was with the Beasties, his most famous picture was an impromptu off the cuff snapshot in a nightclub bathroom of a young Cindy Crawford:

According to Powell, he snapped the pic of Crawford while working as a busboy. He said he always wore a camera around his neck just in case. He also nabbed Basquiat as well:

Rest easy Ricky Powell, a true Hip Hop New York original.