Notorious (2009) 7/10

Starring : Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie
Director : George Tillman Jr
Running Time : 123 mins

Christopher Wallace (Woolard) is a young kid growing up in the crime ridden area of Bedstuy, Brooklyn. As he grows up, following his dream of writing rap lyrics, he gets involved in drug dealing and becomes a big time dealer, eventually making a mistake that sends him to prison. When he makes friends with Sean Coombs (Luke), a record producer, Wallace soon finds himself on the road to stardom as the Notorious B.I.G.

This movie looks at the rise to fame of the Notorious B.I.G, his feud with Tupac Shakur, and how fame and fortune went to his head and lead him to cheat on his wife Faith Evans. It’s an interesting drama, and doesn’t make any false claims that Biggie is a sympathetic character, and shows that he was a rapper who actually wrote about his life, not one of those wannabes you get nowadays who just write about bitches and drugs because that’s what they think rap music is all about. This biopic is a little long, but it is entertaining and gives a good picture of how Biggie’s life was from a young age until his death.

You’ll like this if you liked : Tina