Synopsis:

A biopic that explores the life and death of East Coast rapper Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G. (Woolard). Executive produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Our Thoughts:

Back in 1996 and 1997, two of rap’s biggest stars at the time were killed in drive-by shootings - and no arrests have yet to be made in either case. Since the deaths of both Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, various theories have been put forth as to the reasons behind the tragic deaths, explored in films like Biggie & Tupac and the recent Tupac Assassination.

Will Notorious, coming January 2009, bring to light any new evidence in the cases? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean moviegoers aren’t going to go to it anyway.

And while Biggie Smalls’ portrayer Jamal Woolard is new to acting, he’s got plenty of backup in Notorious, including Angela Bassett as Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as Sean “Diddy” Combs, Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur and Charles Malik Whitfield as Biggie’s manager Wayne Barrow.

Since Notorious is being executive produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs, don’t go in expecting to see any mention of the rumor that Biggie was behind Tupac’s death, with Biggie’s death a revenge killing. Instead, look for East Coast Rappers to be portrayed in as positive a light as possible.

Whether or not West Coast Rappers get the same treatment in the film remains to be seen. With both Biggie and Tupac already taken, chances are studio execs don’t want to be responsible for re-starting the East Coast/West Coast thing, so it’s likely both sides will be portrayed with care.

Still, it’s going to be interesting to see how the movie plays out the deaths of the two rap icons.

With the rumors still flying about the untimely deaths of both Tupac and Biggie, Notorious should attract viewers - and the acting should keep them around.

 

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