Biggie Smalls

On Saturday I saw the movie “Notorious” chronicling the life and death of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace. As a Biggie fan, I definitely give the movie a B+ because it does a great job of transforming B.I.G.’s vivid lyrics and transforming them into moving images. Biggie is first shown as a nerdy school boy who foregoes a high school education for the drug game. The film doesn’t glorify B.I.G.’s immoral behavior, as one scene shows him selling crack to a pregnant woman and when questioned by a fellow hustler, Biggie simply says, “I’m not on the streets to be a social worker.” We’re introduced to up and coming business mogul Sean “Puffy” Combs, who convinces B.I.G. to leave the street game and enter the rap game. As they say, the rest is history – the Notorious B.I.G. goes on to become one of the best rappers of all time. As Biggie Smalls and 2Pac will forever be linked because of the East / West Coast feud, I felt the film respectfully portrayed 2Pac and shed even more light on his complexities.

The casting and acting was great. Jamal Woolard plays a convincing Biggie. Angela Basset plays Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as Puffy, Antonique Smith as Faith Evans, Naturi Naughton as Lil’ Kim, and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur.