Notorious Review from an Hip Hop Fan

I know some of you don't care about the Notorious B.I.G. or this movie. I'm just going to give you an opinion from the point of view from an Hip Hop head. I have hip hop music from the 80's, 90's and 00's. I don't want to hear that Hip Hop sucks or whatever. You need to listen to some underground artists and 1980's/early 1990's music. Don't formulate your opinion of a music genre based on today's music. I'm going to end my rant on today's music and start my review.


Personally, I prefer Bigge Smalls over Tupac but overall I think Tupac was the better artist. There is no doubt in my mind why this movie was made. B.I.G. had a big influence in the hip hop scene in the early to mid 1990's. Without B.I.G., Bad Boy Records would have not been as successful in the 90's as it was. There would have been no Junior M.A.F.I.A., no Lil' Kim, or no Ma$e because of the money and promotion B.I.G. gave to Bad Boy Records. Enough with history lesson.

The characters in the movie feel like the real people that portrayed. I was a little disappointed Mase wasn't in the film but I guess he wasn't an important factor in the movie. Also, the actor playing Tupac didn't look anything like him. Luckily, they mentioned he was Tupac or I wouldn't have know it was him until later in the film.

Antonique Smith as Faith Evans

Faith Evans and her son Chris

Puff Daddy was especially portrayed well with his goofy outfits and the way he carried himself. For example, Puff Daddy with his little dance everytime he's talking was funny and there is an recurring joke about Puff Daddy's dancing and antics. There really isn't a point in movie where it felt like an actor was trying to hard. Don't get me wrong the movie isn't perfect with the short hour and 40 minute running time. The movie could have explored more about B.I.G. relationship with Faith Evans and maybe more of the fallout from the East Coast/West Coast feud. The movie felt rushed at some points were the time jump was a little too much and only a few times the date of an event would flash on the bottom of the screen. From what they had, the movie showed the journey of B.I.G. becoming a man and learning lesson to better himself. The ending of the movie is very touching with an monologue by Bigge Smalls' mother narrating the influence her son has made on people even after his death.

Even though this is a biopic, there were multiple parts were the audience watching the movie was having a good time. Watching the movie with a semi-packed theater, the movie wasn't trying to be funny but it was, like Puff Daddy's dancing once again. Of Course, the movie's music will put a smile on the face of people who listened to anything that came out of Bad Boy in the 1990's (when Bad Boy actually put out good music). There were songs ranging from Juicy to Who Shot ya to Flavor in Ya Ear.

If you're a Notorious B.I.G. fan or a hip hop fan in general, it's a movie worth seeing. For anything who doesn't listening to hip hop at all or only are moderate listeners (aka only listen to 2000's hip hop music), this movie is a rental at most.

Pros:
Good message on responsibility
Good music (for those who like rap/hip hop)
No bad acting (the acting wasn't great but it was good)

Cons:
The movie was a little short
May only appeal to certain audiences

Overall:
Hip Hop fans
7 Microphones out of 10.

Non Hip Hop fans
5 Microphones out of 10.