An initiative to rename a street in Park Slope, Brooklyn after rapper Pumpkinhead has gotten an initial green light from the Community Board 6 transportation committee in New York City, according to DNAInfo. The push to honor the late rapper, whose given name was Robert Diaz, was sparked by his longtime friend Claudia Imperiale last month. "I always thought it was kind of brave of him to represent Park Slope so hard, because it had an image of being a white neighborhood and upper-middle class," Imperiale told DNAInfo, later adding, "It’s important for him to be remembered. There are barely any original Park Slopers left in Park Slope. He was an important part of it... He loved his art, he loved rapping, he loved doing it. It's an important message for people to not give up."
Last night, Imperiale and other friends and family of Pumpkinhead petitioned the committee to rename Degraw Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues. "My first reaction was, 'Rapper — yech,'" one committee member said of the plan. "But he wasn't that kind of rapper. As Park Slope changes, I think it's important to remember who was there and that we have a tradition that's longer than the new condos that are there now."
The next steps in the renaming process requires approval by the full community board and City Council.
Pumpkinhead, an underground stalwart in Brooklyn for much of his career, passed away in June at the age of 39. Diaz is survived by his wife and two children. At the time of his death, Pumpkinhead and his wife were expecting a third child.
