Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G.

Even if you're not really into rap music this biography is worth watching. The life story of Biggie, as short as it was, is something that had to be told, just to understand how it all started and how it ended with his death. The rivalry in the Hip Hop scene between East Coast and West Coast started because of Tupac Shakur and Biggie and just got blown out of porpotion by the press that thrives on scandals like this. Unfortunately it ended up with two talented rappers getting killed. This biography contains alot of archived footage but also some unseen scenes and interviews that are interesting to listen to. Biggie, as well as Tupac, left a hole in the lives of their friends, family and fans so this biography is a nice tribute to him for them.

Not a fan of his music but I recall how he affected the culture than and continually since his death. A unique take on a biography-style documentary is the use of videos (some cell-phone?) to fill in important times of his life. Important people - including his mother, wife, childhood friends, other musical talents, etc are included so it fills in a lot of blanks.

An elephant in the room - he bragged about being a street kid, but went to Catholic Schools. I would have liked to have some tougher questions asked of his mother about his upbringing.

About the East-West Coast rivalry. The story downplayed his role (as well as Tupac and Snoop). However, you see them taunting the other during shows, hanging outside of cars, etc. Blame this on newspapers? No - I think they liked the spike in sales it generated. He could have picked up a phone and called, but didn't. He that sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind, right?