LONDON: Christopher Wallace — better known the world over as The Notorious B.I.G. — would have turned 50 this year, and this intimate character portrait from director Emmett Malloy spends a lot of time reflecting on the promise and potential he had, even beyond his existing legacy and influence on the course of hip-hop history.
“Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell” was made in partnership with Wallace’s estate, so it’s no great surprise that there’s a tremendous amount of love emanating from its contributors, including Biggie’s mother and grandmother, childhood friends, Sean Combs (aka P. Diddy, who signed Biggie to his Bad Boy Records label in 1993 and released his debut album ‘Ready To Die’ the following year), music producer Mark Pitts and many others.
As a result, “I Got a Story to Tell” is a far-from-impartial recounting of the rap star’s meteoric career trajectory, and huge swathes of Wallace’s life are given only a brief mention, at most, and then rarely referenced again. His rivalry with Tupac Shakur and his part in the larger East versus West Coast feud are given short shrift, for example; his marriage to Faith Evans is addressed only in archive footage; while his early relationship with rapper Lil’ Kim is totally eradicated from the story that’s told.
Malloy seeks to redress the balance somewhat by including frank discussion of some of Wallace’s less glamorous history, including his role in the Brooklyn crack-cocaine hierarchy. But it’s no surprise that far more screen time is given to extolling Biggie’s virtues than critiquing his flaws — after all, his mother serves as one of the documentary’s producers, and presumably held sway over what was covered and what was off-limits. Similarly, Combs (who is also a producer) spends far more time championing what a star Wallace was than addressing much of the controversy that has become synonymous with Biggie’s career, and his death.
There is an air of celebration about this film — and perhaps that was always the intention. Through incredible archive footage and home recordings, there’s rarely-glimpsed insight into Wallace’s talent: Seeing him battle during a legendary Brooklyn block party, or hearing his friend (and jazz musician) Donald Harrison highlight the origins of his snare-drum-like rap style is simply wonderful. “I Got a Story to Tell” may not paint the full picture, but it’s no less enthralling as a result.
