Notorious

I didn’t have high expectations for this movie because there has not been any good mainstream hip hop movies made except for maybe Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow.
Notorious surprised me and may well be the best movie made about a hip hop artist to date.
Not only does this movie review the rise and fall of Biggie Smalls but you also see how Puffy was able to rise from the ashes after making big bank for Andre Harrell and then getting fired. P Diddy, Puffy or Diddy was portrayed very well by Derek Luke who does not look anything like Diddy but gets all of his early, off the wall, dance moves down and shows the passion Diddy had for succeeding it in the music business.
The story is about a talented boy from Brooklyn who went from slinging crack to selling millions of albums. The story is true for those of you who don’t know about Biggie. Having grown up in Brooklyn I knew every part of his story, which is now legend and it was good to see that it was captured well with very good acting. This is a breakout role for Jamal Woolard who did an amazing job playing Biggie considering he has not been in prior movies. Newcomers Antonique Smith and Naturi Naughton are mesmerizing as Faith Evans and Lil Kim.
At a premiere for the movie in Brooklyn four people were stabbed and in Greensboro NC a 32 yr. old man was shot. The theater I attended, in suburbia, had a Mall Cops standing in front of the theater room to ensure children would not sneak in and attend the screening. I could think of a dozen other R rated movies that should have had real cops to keep kids from seeing due to violence, sex, and foul language.
Angela Basset's stock goes down like 2008. She portrays Biggie’s mom but does not take the time to learn a Jamaican accent. One minute in the movie she has somewhat of an accent and then when she appears again in another scene it’s gone. Angela lost MAJOR points with me for being lazy. Next time Angela, take a trip to Jamaica and practice your craft. Angela really wasn’t needed because the newcomers were able to pull it off. Angela plays the same strong matronly role that she portrays in every other movie that she’s in.
The director did a great job of capturing Brooklyn landmarks such as Junior’s Restaurant and the Brooklyn Bridge and various well known sections of NYC in grainy vivid colors. He also included actual footage of Biggie's final ride through Do or Die Bed-Stuy.
Some people think Biggie was the biggest, baddest, bestest rapper ever to have graced the hip hop universe in the history of, like, ever. Others may not agree with this however he is the first rapper that has been portrayed in a mainstream movie about hip hop.

Verdict: I enjoyed it with a group of people in the suburbs. If you know his songs you will love it. Best scene was Biggie’s first performance at Howard University. Good acting by all involved except for Angela Bassett.