Notorious is about the short life of rapper Christopher (Biggie Smalls) Wallace . I like rap music, but bios about rappers is another story. I saw “Notorious” on DVD and I must say it was very good. When they make movies about real people you should read about them before you see the movie, for they add or take out things that didn’t happen in their lives. He grew up poor, became a drug dealer, then a rapper. Jamal Woolard as Biggie is fantastic---he gained weight for the role and did a very good job. Always talented Angela Bassett is even better as the mother of Biggie. She could have her own biopic made of what she went through besides raising her son.
Newcomer Naturi Naughton plays Lil Kim. She got the skank part right, but the relationship with Biggie was a little bit more complex---that’s why the real Lil Kim didn’t like the movie and the way she was portrayed. The entire cast was fantastic. In a comment about Biggie one person said he got what he deserved. Well, every rapper, rock star and most actors would be dead then. It is rated R so there is nudity and very foul language-be prepared. If you saw it in the theaters good for you. The DVD has the extended version which I saw, but no extras.