In this rags-to-riches true story, newcomer Jamal Woolard fits snugly into the extra-large shoes of Brooklyn-born rapper Christopher Wallace, better known to hip-hop fans as The Notorious BIG. The singer's mother Voletta co-produced the film with, among others, Sean "P Diddy" Combs, the man who gave the ex-drug dealer a record deal and sang a chart-topping tribute to him following his murder in 1997. The fatal shooting was seen as reprisal for the gunning down of LA rapper-turned-actor Tupac Shakur months earlier in a much-hyped East Coast/West Coast rivalry. Unfortunately, director George Tillman Jr doesn't get to the root of the trouble between one-time friends "Biggie" and Tupac (Anthony Mackie). Instead, he focuses on the former's bling lifestyle, which conforms to every bed-hopping, hip-hop "player" cliché. Combs (sharply portrayed by Derek Luke) appears to take credit for helping Wallace grow up and "be a man". This shallow film could likewise have done with showing a bit of maturity.

"Notorious" is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers of all time: The Notorious B.I.G. Follow his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectations - redefining our notion of "The American Dream."