Published on May 28, 2009, 12:00 am
Features
If you missed Notorious on its UK release in February, don't fear because the DVD is out on June 22. If you are a hip- hop fan then this biopic is a must see, but even if you don't favour the genre, you will be entertained by a dramatic and edgy action- packed production.

The rags to riches tale which chronicles the life of a hip hop icon Notorious B.I.G/Biggie AKA Christopher Wallace, is well told by director George Tillman Jnr. (Men of Honor and Soul Food and producer of the Barbershop series).

We all know the ending; Biggie was shot killed in a drive by shooting in LA in March 1997, after receiving numerous death threats. But while the film starts and ends with this unavoidable fact, it is a celebration of the life of a legendary and talented wordsmith whose life and death forever changed the landscape of music.

We see how Biggie quickly realised the American Dream and how his musical narratives became the voice of the people on the streets and helped him to become an unconventional star. Newcomer Jamal Woolard does a convincing job in the lead role. Derek Luke easily adopts the swagger of Biggie's friend and mentor P.Diddy, reminding the audience just what a visionary Diddy was/is in changing the world.

Relationships are a recurrent theme in the film and it is touching to see the early bond between Biggie and Junior M.A.F.I.A's Lil Cease and Damion "D- Roc" Butler. Perhaps most poignantly, the film traces Biggie's at times prophetic relationship with fellow rapper Tupac, played by Anthony Mackie, at the height of their careers, before they became embroiled in a feud. This developed into a highly publicised and media - fuelled, east coast versus west coast battle, which quickly escalated.Mo' money Mo' problems.

More intriguing is the love triangle which emerges between Biggie, his wife Faith Evans (Antonique Smith who steals at least one particular scene) and his rapping protege and on and off girlfriend, Lil Kim (Naturi Naughton of R&B group 3LW). Naturi was brave in adopting such an extravagant persona as Lil Kim, especially as Lil Kim was not involved in the research in the same way that some of the other living, real life characters contributed to the film.

There have been many rumours about Lil Kim disapproving of her depiction in the film. Still, her character actually garners much sympathy. The pivotal woman in Biggie's life is his God fearing, country music- loving mother, Jamaican immigrant Voletta Wallace, played excellently by Angela Bassett.

His mother, a co- producer of the film with P.Diddy and Biggie's former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, tells her story.Some people have suggested that it presents a sanitised version of Biggie. I think this is far from the truth. Plagued by insecurities and conflicted, Biggie is repeatedly seen drug dealing, being arrested and jailed; being violent to his partners and not seeing his children (his son CJ plays a young Biggie).

But with writers Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker at the helm, there is also balance with his realisation of what it will take to become a man, ease his moral conscience and allay his suicidal thoughts. This film has an authenticity that Nick Broomfield's Biggie And Tupac documentary could not capture.

Shot in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles, the film merges recreated scenes such as the infamous 1995 Source Awards with contemporary news footage and pictures from family albums to give an authentic feel. Of course, the film would not be complete without the music and it is compelling to see the backstory to such memorable hits as Juicy from Biggie's debut album Ready to Die and Faith Evans' hit You Used to Love Me.

There are many concert sequences which allow Woolard, who raps in real life under the name 'Gravy' and featured in the song Untouchable by Tupac on the Pac's Lifealbum, a chance to shine. Dead at 24, Biggie did not live to see the release of his second album, but by this time he was as his mother says, "Ready to live".

Taking a trip back to the nineties, you almost become oblivious to the stonewashed jeans, Timberlands and large cell phones, if like me, you get lost in the nostalgia. But it is really weird to see your memories on celluloid! But, as the film and Biggie's legacy remind us, No dream is too big; the sky is the limit!

Actors: Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie, Antonique Smith
Directors: George Tillman Jr
Classification: 15
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: 22 Jun 2009
Run Time: 117 minutes
Price: £ 12.68 (DVD, Amazon) £17.88 (Blu- ray, Amazon)

Notorious [DVD] [2009] BUY NOW on Amazon.co.uk