Give It Up For The 'Notorious' B.I.G.

by Brett Parker

Musical biopics over the years have displayed just about every kind of musician there is to talk about. We’ve seen rock legends like Jim Morrison, punk icons like Sid Vicious, and soul pioneers like Ray Charles all get the big screen treatment. However, there really hasn’t been a biopic that focuses on an important hip-hop icon. This is curious, considering how influential and popular this genre of music is. Well look no further, Notorious has arrived and couldn’t have picked a bigger rap legend to take on: the Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls, the man who most consider to be the greatest rapper of all time. I’m very happy to report that the film gets a lot of things right, especially finding the right actor to take on such a hip-hop giant.

The film follows the life of Biggie from his early days in Brooklyn when he was simply Christopher Wallace (Jamal Woodard), a sweet-hearted mama’s boy. Christopher is a good-natured student who quickly gets seduced by the money and hood respect of street hustling and drug dealing. As Christopher develops his hustling skills, he also begins to perfect his freestyle rapping skills. He defeats local rappers in rhyming battles and his book of rhymes makes for genius lyrics. As the drug game grows more dangerous and taxing, Christopher realizes that rapping may provide a more prosperous future. With the help of his clique, the Junior M.A.F.I.A., Christopher records a promising demo tape that he puts in the hands of Sean “Puffy” Combs (Derek Luke), a producer who decides to make Biggie the face of his up-and-coming label, Bad Boy Records.

With his smooth style, raw lyrics, and creative flow, Christopher assimilates into the persona of the Notorious B.I.G., a rap superstar who embodies a refreshing mix of a hard street attitude and an old school swagger. Biggie becomes an overnight sensation, making millions of dollars, appearing on several magazines, and romancing top notch beauties like Lil Kim (Naturi Naughton) and Faith Evans (Antonique Smith). It’s through Biggie’s turbulent relationship with west coast rapper Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie) in which things begin to fall apart. After Tupac survives a shooting outside the Bad Boy Studios in New York, he blames Biggie for setting up the hit, igniting the notorious East Coast-West Coast rap battle that would escalate towards a tragic end for both parties.

Any filmmaker who attempts to film Biggie’s life certainly has their work cut out for them. In order to give full justice to the man, the early street life, the beauty of his music, his relationships with other hip-hop legends, and the full weight of the Coastal feud must all be given equal cinematic attention in order to work. George Tillman, JR. (Soul Food, Men of Honor) attempts to show all this in under two hours and it’s certainly a watchable package. Part of me had reservations with the film’s pacing, which zips by certain passages with the speed of a made-for-TV movie. I wish the camera was more patient and atmospheric with the material in the vein of 8 Mile, another vivid look at the hip-hop world. I’m sure there’s a more dramatic way to present this material, but I’m not sure if it would be just as entertaining and likeable. With Notorious, you certainly get your moneys worth.

The film is at its best when it stays close to Biggie as a person. The major theme within the film is what it takes for Christopher Wallace to be a man. At first he thinks its being a street hustler, which provides money, then he thinks it’s his ghetto fabulous celebrity image, which provides respect and a sense of grand accomplishment. However, it’s through fatherhood, marriage, and social responsibility in which Biggie realizes that being a man means honoring your commitments and being a positive role model. I loved the moment where Biggie is in the studio and smiling over the final cut of his song “Sky’s the Limit.” He realizes he is putting out music that is more mature and thoughtful than anything he’s ever done, and he’s delighted by his growth as an artist, as well as a human being.

The film’s performances wonderfully bring to life the hip-hop personas in Biggie’s world and the myths that surround them. Derek Luke skillfully embodies Combs’ energy and swagger, Naturi Naughton displays the exact sass and sexiness we expect from Lil Kim, and Antonique Smith is a true beauty to die for in her portrayal of Evans. Anthony Mackie is so good as portraying Tupac’s fire and charisma that we wish the film developed his side of the story more. Tupac was Biggie’s equal force in the rap world and here he feels more like a supporting player. Of course, this is Biggie’s movie, but if one wants to accurately convey the weight of the East Coast-West Coast saga, it’s important to establish the full presence of Tupac’s legend. We feel like we’re only getting half the story here. I’d like to see a biopic about Shakur one day.

Now I must weigh in on the man himself: Jamal Woodard, the man with the ever-daunting task of not only nailing Biggie’s mannerisms, presence, and rhyming, but making him a likeable and compelling movie character in the process. No worries here, Woolard nails the role to absolute perfection. He embodies the rap legend so seamlessly that we forget we’re staring at an actor and we buy him as Biggie outright. He bears the overweight swagger, hidden sweetness, and pondering thoughtfulness we’ve always suspected in the man. His portrayal is one of a man who is both a smooth operator and vulnerable child occupying the same body. It’s a true acting miracle.

As a great lover of hip-hop, not only was I thrilled about a Biggie Biopic but I was extremely satisfied that it didn’t disappoint. Biggie’s music played an important part in the soundtrack of my life. I remember when his music was being blared from my high school weight room, when I first saw his “Big Poppa” video on MTV, the disbelief over the report of his murder, or when I bought the CD single for “Sky’s the Limit” and knew I just heard one of my favorite songs. I know many people of my generation who feel the same way about the man and they’ll truly be thrilled out of their mind with this film (especially the scene where Biggie composes “Juicy” for the first time). Notorious does an effective job of capturing a musical legend and the era he occupied, bringing the man himself justice and his fans a great satisfaction. Countless rock legends have had their fun on the silver screen. It’s time for more hip-hop legends to get up there and play.