If you’ve ever visited a Jewish summer camp, the one thing I can guarantee you’ll hear booming from old-school stereo systems and Apple earpods is rap music, and my memories of summer camp were no different. Each kid would show up with a black Case Logic full of CD’s (remember those?), and without fail, the coolest kids would have an extensive rap collection that typically included theNotorious B.I.G.albumsReady to DieandLife After Death.
From “Juicy” to “Big Poppa” to “Hypnotize,” we’d listen to these songs while playing cards, talking sports or cleaning our bunks, and even though we were a bunch of white Jews from the various suburbs of New England, everyone seemed to appreciate the lyrical genius of B.I.G., akaChristopher Wallace, whose remarkable life was tragically cut short in March 1997 at the young age of 24.
Now, the late rapper’s mother,Voletta Wallace, and his close pal,Sean “Diddy” Combs, have teamed with Netflix for the documentaryBiggie: I Got a Story to Tell, for which a trailer was just released. And folks, this looks like the real deal.
Made in collaboration with Biggie’s estate and featuring the people who knew him best,I Got A Story To Tellis described as an intimate rendering of a man whose rapid ascent and tragic end has been at the center of rap lore for more than 20 years. This intimate documentary features rare footage filmed by his best friend,Damion “D-Roc” Butler, and new interviews with his closest friends and family, revealing a side of Christopher Wallace that the world never knew.
Emmett Malloydirected the Netflix documentary and executive produced alongside his brother,Brendan Malloy, as well as Combs, Voletta Wallace,Mark PittsandStanley Buchthal. The film was produced byDavid Koh,Wayne Barrow,William Green,Aaron L. Ginsburg,Terry LeopardandDaniel Pappas.
Netflix will releaseBiggie: I Got a Story to Tellon March 1 – two months shy of what would’ve been his 49th birthday. Watch the trailer below, and let me know which Biggie song is your favorite. “And if you don’t know” any, then check out hisGreatest Hitsalbum, which finds Wallace spitting fire and turning rhymes into poetry. And hey, speaking of rappers, did you knowChance the Rapperis going to star in theSesame Streetmovie? Well, now you do!
