Well Friday, Jan. 16th will be the release of the "Notorious movie chronicling the life of Christopher Wallace AKA The Notorious B.I.G. AKA Biggie Smalls... Frank White... & so on & so on.....
I've heard so much about it, that it seems like it's becoming priority to MLK day & Obama's inauguration via Black media. Which is why I don't watch BET like I used to... if any, although this week, I found myself watching one of the syndicated shows (Smart Guy.... which I actually liked back in the days.) And they had the cast of the movie.
Now, I've been an admirer of Biggie's music since the first time I heard "Bullshit & Party" in 92 on the "Who's the Man" soundtrack & even when he repped on Heavy D's "A Bunch of Ni66az" from his Blue Funk album. (BTW... The best album The Hevster dropped & an unsung treasure.)
I wasn't really feeling "Juicy" when it dropped & he was cool on "Flava In Ya Ear" remix (he didn't smash it... I guess it was b/c he went first... IDK), but my roommate at the time, Trisham, had a dubbed copy that he begged to have played on my cassette player. (yeah.. yeah... this was 94, before CD's took over.) After countless begging & him promising me that I would actually like the album, I went ahead & let him bump it.
After listening to it (with the exception of the last 3 or 4 cuts... cassette's was only 45 minutes on one side & didn't get all of it. LMAO.)... that following weekend, I drove to the mall in Macon & purchased the CD.
I say this to say, I was a huge fan of Biggie back then & copped everything he rep. He put Bad Boy on the map... (not the East Coast to me since... Wu, Nas, Boot Camp Click, & so many others was bringing that raw shit prior to & during Biggie's reign.) And he's definitely one of my Top 10 Favorite Emcees of All Times.
However, it's hard to classify him as "The Greatest" in my opinion. (AND MINE ALONE... SO BIGGIE STANS FALL BACK. LOL) Everything that's been said about the movie I'd already known about or read about in other documentaries, so I doubt if there are many surprises. However, I am wondering about how 2Pac & Lil' Kim are gonna be portrayed.
And honestly, I feel kinda bad for Lil' Kim. Becuz if anyone seen the vh-1 behind the music of her life told by other ppl (not Lil' Kim herself). BIG used to physically & mentally abuse her. I think she genuinely had feelings for him, but b/c of her upbringing & putting so much love in him, she was looked upon as an easy lay, so he settled for marrying Faith after only a few months.... (although he was screwing around with Kim b4.)
Lil' Kim fell into the trap a lot of sistas made. Allowing a man to define their happiness & instead of being mad at him, she took it out on the woman, Faith. And telling by the plastic surgeries, she's definitely have self esteem issues. Come on, I was in love with Lil' Kim in the mid 90's on that "No Time" & "Get Money" video & a few others..... And on that Skin Deep joint.. OMG. Why Kim? Why? (Wish I could post a pic of her in that video, but even on Google, it's hard to find pics of her before the surgeries.)
I-ight..... I'm getting off topic.
Even though I was a huge fan of Biggie, it's hard for me to want to waste money on this movie in theaters when I know how it's gonna end. Besides, like a lot of ppl, I'm tired of the exploit of BIG & 2Pac, when it's so many living emcees that can't get a break. Hip hop didn't die with him, cats don't want to give newer emcees saying something different the time of day. Plus, I don't buy that whole Biggie the G.O.A.T. or he put Brooklyn on the map (as if Whodini, GangStarr, Jeru the Damaja, Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace, Chubb Rock, 3rd Bass, Digable Planets, Boot Camp Clik, Special Ed, MC Lyte, & so many others didn't exist before him. Brooklyn have always been nice.).
If Biggie was alive today or 2Pac, there probably wouldn't be a debate over who's the G.O.A.T. & if it was... they probably wouldn't be on many ppl's top 20, more or less they're top 10. IMO, Nas has been the nicest from day one, but cats hate on him saying he need to give it up or keep throwing "Illmatic" back in his face. I bet those same ppl would be calling him the G.O.A.T. if he woulda died at a younger age.
It's amazing how an artist has to die to be appreciated. And you still have ppl eating off his legacy, when they should be trying to find his killer.
But... anyway, I'll wait for the bootleg & for Lil' Kim to drop her album to expose everybody. I believe she will... And anybody that's heard the original "Big Mama Thang" (minus Jigga with verse dising Faith & Pac).. know I'm right. LOL
4 comments:
He's not the greatest. I liked his music for the most part, but I'd never call him the greatest. I am excited about the movie, however. But, like you said...I'm not excited about it to the point of losing focus on other important events. I do see more "Notorious" commercials than I see info about the inauguration or MLK's birthday. Hmmmph!
Great blog, Phella. I didn't know you were on blogger. :)
I know exactly what u're saying & I agree. I've been on blogger for about 2 years, but I rarely blogged on it, b/c I put so much emphasis onto Myspace. I want to start using it more this year.
I wanna see the movie...but I don't wanna pay...so I'll probably wait till a good copy hits the net, then download that ish.
I am a low key Biggie Stan. I dunno if he's the greatest, but he's definitely top 10 and more than like likely top 5. The way dude put together songs
-Concepts
-Rhymes Schemes
-Dope lines
made dude stand out. And believe it or not I didn't really get into Big till a couple years after his death due to the Pac controversy. Don't get me wrong. I heard all his joints. But I wasn't really listening underdig.
Just the fact that dude stood out front in a time when skills were what got people deals says alot.
Riddle me this...If B.I.G's verse wasn't the illest on Flava in your ear than who's was??
What up Jay. I feel you about the movie. I actually became a die hard fan after I herd his album & actually fell out with 2Pac when he dissed him. But the one thing I loved about Biggie back then was from a commercial standpoint, he was the only mainstream artist I heard that I thought was the illest to come lyrically on the mic at that time & to still sell records the way he did.
Biggie's verse has aged well along with others, but at that time, LL shocked the hell out of me. lol
Even though Nas was still my favorite, Nas was more underground back then (he didn't sell until his 2nd album.)
You might laugh, but the rapper that impressed me the most in "Flava In Ya Ear" remix at that time was LL Cool J. After "14 Shots to the Dome" & him trying to do the fast rapping & R&B at the time, he impressed the hell out of me with his more smooth slick style & lyrics. "I'll tongue kiss a piranna, electricute a barricuda. I'm here to bring the drama."
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