Notorious: The Biggie Biopic is Great But it Still Doesn't Answer, "Who Shot Ya?"

Biggie Smalls, for most, was the greatest rapper ever. Kanye may be the biggest star hip-hop has ever produced, but Biggie is Elvis. So the packed and raucous screening tonight of the biopic Notorious, at the Nike Montalbán Theater in Hollywood was no surprise (Full disclosure: My magazine hosted the event. And far more important, I cannot recite "Juicy" from start to finish). Hip-hop films have either been in the vein of true school documentaries (Style Wars, Scratch) or MTV-style dramas laced with bankable "urban" stars (Juice, 8 Mile). In between all of this have been a bunch of time wasters that venture into insultingly embarrassing. And as URB alum Brandon Perkins pointed out in tonight's Q&A with Notorious director George Tillman Jr., this is the first biopic of a hip-hop personality (8 Mile was largely fictional, sports fans). Think about that as both an awesome milestone, as well as a sad testament. Has hip-hop culture been seen by Hollywood as so disposable for the last 30 years that this was the first real life story told on the big screen?

In any event, I'm not here to take shots at Tinseltown -- or hip-hop, for that matter. Ultimately, it's up to an emerging generation of writers and filmmakers (like Tillman) to start uncovering rap icons and bringing them the immortality only film can achieve. But it's no doubt a tricky task to pull off well. Notorious manages to do it right, taking you along a classic linear path from Christopher Wallace's childhood in Brooklyn to the sad night in 1997. It was that evening of March 9, when he left the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and was murdered at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax. I know I'm not alone in remembering hearing the news when it happened, even though it was 12 years ago.

Notorious hits the mark on several fronts, all of which help take what could easily have been a disaster -- a big budget rap saga done wrong -- and delivers for both hardcore fans and weekend moviegoers. Die hard Biggie fans -- which means pretty much all of his fans -- were going to hold any flick under a microscope, or just not show up. Tillman, along with writers Reggie Rock Blythewood and former URB writer Cheo Hodari Coker, definitely recognized this challenge. The director mentioned his commitment to capturing things accurately, from the use of Biggie's actual Brooklyn neighborhood for filming, to the employing of Junior Mafia members, the rapper's extended family and crew. According to Tillman, Junior Mafia members served not only as actors, but as technical advisers, especially during the pivotal scene where Tupac gets ambushed and almost killed at Quad studios in Manhattan. The shooting at Quad left Pac suspicious of Biggie's involvement, eventually leading to the over-hyped but ultimately fatal East/West Coast rivalry between the two.

The final scenes in which Biggie is murdered and the grieving of his mother Voletta Wallace (well played by the almost-too-beautiful Angela Basset), family and Junior Mafia members is hard to watch. I admit, I fought back some tears in those closing moments. The sadness of Biggie's tragedy was a very real situation for hip-hop culture a decade ago, and for many of the fans who will ultimately fill the seats to see Notorious. The slain ghetto superstar is something Hollywood didn't have to invent. And as you watch the (I think) real life and staged footage of Biggie's funeral, as all of Brooklyn and the world tuned in, you can't help but be moved. It was the only time during the screening, that the audience simmered down.

One area everybody will be curious about is how the film addresses the murder at the Peterson. The longstanding belief is that Biggie's killing was in retaliation for Tupac's several months before on the Vegas Strip. But in the years following Biggie's shooting, a deeper, more insidious story has surfaced, dealing with the LAPD and others. It's far too much conspiracy theory for Notorious to tackle, but I hope somebody takes the documentary angle to give this some light. At a Hollywood Bowl concert a couple years back, Mos Def stood on the stage and boldly asked, "Who shot my man, Suge?" referring to his friend Biggie Smalls and the person many believe had at least a peripheral involvement, Death Row founder Suge Knight. Notorious will definitely reignite the passions and curiosity around this unsolved murder.

For me, suspension of disbelief comes when the actors disappear and I just see characters on the screen. Admittedly out of his struggle to find a working actor that could play the part, Tillman cast an unknown to star as the slain hip-hop hero. First timer Jamal Woolard plays the plus size don and he's totally convincing. Woolard had to gain about 50 lbs for the role (And he's reportedly diabetic? That is seriously putting your art first), but is from the same Brooklyn neighborhood as Biggie. You can imagine the outcry had he been from Queens or Compton (sorry, Guerrilla Black). The rest of the solid cast portrayed their real life iconic doppelgangers with varying degrees of success. Special props to Lil Kim's sex gangstress also done nicely (although the real Kim has beef) by freshman Naturi Naughton. Spoiler alert -- best rap sex scenes with a big man, ever. Marc John Jefferies (as Junior Mafia's Lil Cease) and the Diddy dancing Derek Luke as Puffy are also impressive. The one definite disappointment is Anthony Mackie's Tupac's character, it just seemed overdone. Maybe I wish Pac could have just played himself.

Biggie, himself, was no Tupac, in the sense that his catalog of interviews and footage is tiny compared to his one time west coast friend-cum-rival. So our collective memories come in the form of flossy videos, foamy champagne toasts and still life magazine covers. Notorious, while still utilizing its Hollywood dramatic license, does a lot to fill in the story of the larger than life rap icon. Tupac, on the other hand, left so much documentary material in his short 25 years, that 2003's excellent Tupac Resurrection was made almost entirely of interview footage and home movies. See it if you haven't. I doubt any dramatic version could best it.

Any '90s hip-hop fan can attest to the reverence shown to the masterful Biggie Smalls. And anybody dare tempting to portray his story in dramatic fashion had better get the full blessing of the family and friends. Tonight's audience was loud and boisterous, audibly showing their opinions of each scene, down to the love making between Biggie and Kim. Overwhelmingly, they approved. Like a great hip-hop show, this film is best served in front of a crowd (read: not on DVD). This one's definitely for the fans.

Comments

[mikeodd]

Unbelievable, all of you. In a world where cobweb-mouth drone John Mayer gets a TV show and Britney Spears is accepted with a straight face as a real artist, you casually dismiss The Greatest of All TIME?
Same people probably rolled their eyes at the Sex Pistols going into the RockNRoll HOF. Go listen to Margartitaville for the millionth time ya haters.
Respect the Don
Brooklyn Go Hard

[terraprieto]

Thug life, Thug death.

The big question for me is why so many glorify the thug.

[blahber]

quite a "milestone" !


"The First African-American, hip-hop, ganster, grosely obese rapper to be immortalized on film" ....


I'm buying stocks in companies that produce "First African-American to ...." trophies. I suspect
they'll boom.

[joker1982]

If people are going to be dismissive of Biggie's music due to his character, then you should be disregarding all of Michael Jackson's music as well.

Didn't Jerry Lee Lewis marry his 13 year old cousin? Can't listen to him, either.

[jazzdrummerb]

You're a little sensitive there joker...you want to listen, then listen. This is America, a free country.

And in accordance with those freedoms, I'm saying Biggie was a thug. I have better role models in mind.

You dig his stuff? Go for it. No one's standing between you and iTunes. Get over it,

Personally I can't wait for the day that no one puts those guys on a pedestal.

[Raymond Leon Roker - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm just curious: Who are your musical heroes?

[maninla]

And this is important to me how?

Hey, where's the write-up on Ken Blackwell and why the GOP decided to make him the head of the RNC?

[joker1982]

This is in the ENTERTAINMENT section.

Do you phone up the sports editor of your local newspaper and demand exposes on Iraq?

[maninla]

Actually, it was on the front page.

[overd0g1]

Blacks have created a lot of great art in America, but hip-hop ain't nothing to be proud of.

[janinei]

quite literate there with your double negatives and all!

[overd0g1]

I'm felling y'all.

[Mabo]

I still think that it is funny that the trailer calls this movie the "most anticipated movie in years"...haha.

[mcthfg]

Who? And I like hip hop. Good hip hop. The Coup, Del, Mos - you know - SMART people.

In 20 years, no one will know or care about a fat gangbanger dude with a silly name.

[unclesmedley]

Absolutely correct!!!

[AntiSocialite]

Spoken like a true hater, If you don't see the lyrical genius in Biggie's style and flow don't listen, but ease up with that kind of perjorative crap. Oh, and anyone listening to Del the Funky Homosapien should never criticize another rapper's name as silly.

Peace

[jazzdrummerb]

He lived by the sword, died by the sword and you want to glorify the dude? No, I say good riddance.
I don't care how popular he was, how much money he made or how many CD's he sold. A thug is a thug.

[Pulemerci]

Is there any other segment of the "entertainment" industry that shoot each other? That demoralizes women and glorifies gangs and violence? I can't believe people pay money to hear this garbage.

[coolmaiden]

You obviously don't listen to rap. You listen to Bill O'Reilly talking about rap. Your ignorance clearly shows. I have a solution for you.
CONTINUE TO NOT LISTEN TO IT!

[unclesmedley]

Smart, coolmaiden. What's the plan? Keep all the critics away so you can keep your spot as self-appointed expert?

[Pulemerci]

Who's ignorant?

Who brought the Bloods to NYC?

Who sponsored a rap concert that oversold tickets that were twice the capacity fo the venue that casesd a stampede in which 9 people were killed?

Which rap star was shot 9 times and has to wear a bullet - proof vest all the time?

How amany other musical entertainers (other than rap) have been gunned down by rivals in the music industry?

[dj5850]

Who Shot Ya?

Who Cares.

[coolmaiden]

Please tell me you're not a cop.

[worldwithoutus]

hes not even in elvises shadow

[rzzza]

Big L was better imo, they shoulda made a movie about him

[AntiSocialite]

Too true, but he never got as mainstream as BIG.

Peace

[kamau006]

Christopher Wallace was and still is one of the most talented and prolific poets in modern history

When the la-la hits ya, lyrics just split ya, hit so hard that your hat can't fit ya,
Either I'm wit ya or against ya, format bent ya, back through that maze I sent ya,
You talkin to the rap inventor

R.I.P.

[CatfishJohn]

..the quality of the music deabte aside, why is it necessary to glorify this violent, misantthropic, deeply misogynistic subculture that leads so many young black men to lives of antisocial conduct, prison time and dead end futures????

[TwentyCharactersLong]

I'd say that the antisocial conduct and prison time lead to the culture more than the culture leading to the antisocial conduct and prison time, although a feedback cycle could be argued.