NOTORIOUS
3 out of 5 stars


now, i’m a fan of biopics, and i think this was actually really well done! the actor who plays biggie smalls really got to the core of biggie’s character, and i have to say, this one was overlooked by the oscars, IMO... a good tribute to the rapper who put east coast rap on the map. good job! ;)

the movie starts out with biggie’s most famous hitmaker “hypnotize” playing in the background at some hot L.A. nightclub, while biggie (jamal woodard) and his friends drink to the highlife after the soul train music awards. the year is 1997, and biggie and his friends get into a slick black cadillac escalade to head back to the hotel for some after party fun. an unknown assailant shoots at the rapper, and he dies... then, it flashes back to the time, where biggie was just known as christopher wallace, a young kid living with his single mother (angela bassett) in brooklyn, NYC. we see young chris get involved in drug deals at the age of 12, listening to 80s hip hop, and even gets into fights with his mother when she finds out that he’s been dealing drugs behind her back... we even see him deal with his first baby mama, screw lil’ kim, and eventually he’ll marry faith evans after signing a record deal with recording producer puffy AKA puff daddy. (AKA p.diddy AKA diddy) it’s your typical drug dealer turned rapper story, but christopher wallace was more than just some drug dealer. he was in fact biggie smalls AKA the notorious B.I.G., who influenced the art of rap in such a short time... ;)

this movie was produced and released nearly a decade after the death of biggie smalls AND tupac shakur, and i think it was certainly appropriately done. both rap stars’ portrayals are SPOT-ON, and like i said, i think this one was overlooked by the academy... anthony mackie (from the hurt locker) portrays tupac, and i actually think they should do a separate movie on him to explain his rage against east coast rap as well as blaming his first attempted assassination on biggie and puffy. the acting is superb, and i thought they did a good job telling biggie’s life story. you can’t help but get teary-eyed near the very end... R.I.P. biggie!