All-New Notorious B.I.G. Documentary

Published 2 years ago -


Maureen Lynch, Staff Writer

The newest documentary on the famous rapper, Biggie Smalls, is set to be released the first of March on Netflix. Though there have been several documentaries, TV shows, and even a few biopics on The Notorious B.I.G, this documentary promises never before seen footage and in-depth interviews with the people who knew Biggie best.

Biggie Smalls had many names throughout his short life, but the documentary by Emmett Malloy will focus on when Biggie was still Christopher Wallace, while he was still struggling to get his career off the ground. The documentary seems to strike a more personal note, focusing on the artists inner life, according to AVClub.com. Malloy uses never before seen footage from a close friend of Biggie, Damion Butler. Part of Biggie’s entourage when he was touring, Butler was constantly carrying a camcorder. Interspersed with the footages are interviews with close friends, P-Diddy (who produced Biggie’s first albums) and most notably, Biggie’s mother. Voletta Wallace shares her side of the story as she watched her son rise to stardom and then lose him so young.

The documentary, according to Indiewire starts with Biggie’s death, and then loops back to present his childhood, moving forward through his life from there. Though the story of Biggie’s death is almost as famous as his influence and music, Malloy doesn’t follow totally the typical structure of a documentary. According to Datebook, the documentary doesn’t use typical narration that one typically hears when watching documentaries, and very little music is used, other than videos of Biggie’s performances.

Though the documentary is meant to celebrate his life, preview.com informs viewers that even Biggie’s friends and family don’t want to paint him as completely unproblematic. From his lyrics to his hustler past, The Notorious B.I.G was not always a saint. And the documentary doesn’t shy away from depicting all sides of Biggie. The famous story of Biggie’s fame and death are rehashed, but hopefully this documentary paints a more complete picture of one of hip-hops most influential stars. The documentary will appear on Netflix March 1st.

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