The film opens at a party in Los Angeles in March 1997. Biggie Smalls (Jamal Woolard) is seen sitting at his chair smoking. People, including Faith Evans (Antonique Smith) and Sean ”Puffy” Combs (Derek Luke), move to the music on the dance floor. Moments later, Biggie, Puffy, and friends are driving away from the party. They stop at a red light while Lil’ Cease (Marc John Jefferies) is flirting with women outside. A black Chevrolet Impala then pulls up and a single shot is seen being fired at Biggie.
The film then flashes back to Biggie’s childhood in 1983, recounting his tough upbringing in Brooklyn. Christopher (Christopher ”CJ” Wallace, Jr.) writes several rap songs, enduring the ridicule of some classmates. Christopher then starts selling drugs at the height of the crack epidemic. In 1990 Biggie finds out from his girlfriend, Jan, that she is pregnant. Biggie, distraught, begins to take his drug dealing more seriously, and makes plans with his friend D-Roc (played by Dennis L.A. White) to expand their operations. After gaining recognition in the area for his rapping skills, Biggie eventually takes part in a rap battle, which he subsequently wins. After the battle, Biggie meets Kim Jones (Naturi Naughton) for the first time. Kim is attracted to Biggie instantly and they later have sex in her apartment. However, Kim is afraid to enter into a new relationship because of a past relationship in which she was abused. Biggie assures her that she can trust him and they begin dating (despite the fact that he is still with Jan). Prior to this, Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace (Angela Bassett), throws him out of the house after discovering his involvement with drugs and his girlfriend’s accidental pregnancy.
Biggie then lives in a crack house with four young drug dealers working for him, eventually ending up with a substantial amount of money. However, Biggie is soon caught in possession of weapons and cocaine, and as a result is sentenced to two years in jail, with his bail set at $250,000. After serving nine months in jail before making bail, Biggie comes home to see his mother, girlfriend Jan (Julia Pace Mitchell), and their recently born daughter, T’yanna (Taylor Dior). After reconciling with his mother, he goes to find D-Roc and Li’l Cease, then records a demo called ”Microphone Murderer”. Shortly thereafter, Biggie meets Sean Combs, an ambitious producer for Uptown Records. Puffy promises Biggie that he will sign him to a record deal. However, Puffy reveals that he will only accept Biggie on the condition that he gives up drug dealing, which Biggie agrees to. Biggie then learns that Puffy has lost his job at Uptown Records. Frustrated and upset, Biggie nearly ruins his chances, when Biggie and D-Roc have a run-in with the police which results in Biggie throwing his illegal gun into the bushes. After a brief chase, they are caught by the police. The officer gives the two a minute to decide who will take the fall. Biggie, who has had prior runs-in with the law, would be required to serve five to six years in prison. If D-Roc, who has a clean record, pleads guilty for the charge, he will only get 3 years and a day in prison. Because of this, D-Roc eventually decides to ”take the fall” for the both of them, believing that Biggie can succeed as a rapper.
When Biggie and Mark Pitts talk to Voletta about Biggie’s rap career, she asks Mark to leave so that she can speak to Biggie in private. She then reveals to Biggie that she is suffering from breast cancer. Biggie becomes depressed, but soon recovers when Puffy begins his own record label, Bad Boy Records, and signs him. Biggie begins recording songs for his first album, Ready to Die, soon thereafter. He records his first single, ”Machine Gun Funk”; Puffy suggests there’s another song that Biggie can record. The track is called ”Juicy”.
Biggie then meets singer Faith Evans while at a Bad Boy photo-shoot, who he begins to court. They begin a relationship, and then get married, soon after. Meanwhile, Biggie continues to ignore ex-girlfriend Jan and their daughter. When Faith suspects Biggie is cheating on her, she goes to confront him at his hotel room, seeing him with another woman. The two later reconcile despite the fact that tensions between him, Faith, Jan, and Li’l Kim, yet another of Biggie’s paramours, continue to grow.
Biggie begins a friendship with rapper/actor Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie). Biggie celebrates his album Ready To Die with Tupac, admiring the other rapper. When Tupac is shot in Quad Studios, however, he blames Puffy, Biggie, and Bad Boy Records for setting him up. At The Source Awards in 1995, Death Row Records executive, Suge Knight, makes a speech ”dissing” Puffy and Bad Boy Records, claiming Death Row is the better label. Soon the disagreement escalates into the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and attacks are made on both sides. At the 1996 Soul Train Award in LA, Biggie receives a death threat from an unknown black man in a call. At the afterparty, Tupac and Suge verbally assault Biggie, but leave when Biggie’s security threatens them with a pistol. A track called ”Who Shot Ya?” is later released, which some have interpreted as a diss directed at Tupac. Biggie and Puffy claim that ”Who Shot Ya?” was recorded before Tupac was shot, although Suge Knight and Tupac claim otherwise. Tupac then comes out with ”Hit ’Em Up” which disses Biggie and alleges a sexual liaison with Faith Evans. After seeing a magazine photo of Tupac and Faith hugging each other, Biggie interrupts an interview that is being conducted between Faith, chasing after her. Faith hides from Biggie and Biggie is forced to leave by one of his managers, Mark Pitts (Kevin Phillips). Later, Faith explains that she and Tupac met at the House of Blues and simply took a picture. She then ends her relationship with Biggie, despite his attempts at reconciliation.
The East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry continues, with Biggie, Puffy & Bad Boy Records doing a tour in L.A. While Big performs the song, ”Gimme The Loot,” the fans are booing Biggie, and throwing up West Coast Signs, representing Tupac. Biggie, who had enough, fires back with, ”Who Shot Ya,” which gets the crowd wild up, which Puffy did not want Big to sing that song. The beef continues until September 1996 when Tupac is murdered in Las Vegas. Sometime afterwards, Biggie calls his mother, Voletta. Voletta states that Tupac was probably killed as a result of their quarrels. Not only is Biggie shaken by Tupac’s untimely death, he continues to have relationship problems with Faith, Jan and Lil’ Kim. Biggie attempts to resolve these issues by meeting with Jan and their daughter more often.
Biggie and D-Roc renew their friendship after D-Roc is released from prison. Biggie states that he’s done with the rap game, a small emphasis upon the apparent change of heart that he had while in the hospital (he was injured in a car accident). Biggie decides to go to Los Angeles to promote his upcoming album Life After Death and brings D-Roc and Lil’ Cease with him. The three men, along with Puffy and Faith, all travel to Los Angeles. Biggie gets several death threats. After calling Li’l Kim to apologize and to set up a meeting with her, the film returns to the beginning scene, where Biggie is shot. A few days later Voletta, Puffy, Lil’ Cease, D-Roc, Lil’ Kim, Faith and others all grieve over the death of Biggie at the funeral. Later, Biggie’s hearse is driven down the city’s street while hundreds of fans are lined up. Someone in the crowd turns on their radio and they play his song ”Hypnotize” and the crowd begins dancing and jumping around to it.

2009

U

024543274582

Movie

2.35:1

123

United States

2009-02-13

MPEG-4 AVC

1080p

2.35:1

N/A

1

A

Snap Case

~$5.00

2024-06-24

2018-02-07 17:58:52