The former pop star turned actress talks exclusively with GIANT about her role in the new musical Fame

GIANT: After you signed on to star in the new Fame, did you watch the original movie?
Naturi Naughton: Yes I did watch the original awhile back and looking at it, I could see how our movie was going to be different.  The style, music and fashion today are so different from 1980, so this is a great opportunity to bring a fresh edge to the movie.  I thought the original did do an excellent job exposing the rawness of the entertainment world.  Fame doesn’t come overnight, some people make it and some people don’t and that’s kind of the same theme this Fame is preaching.

GIANT: Your character Denise is based on the role Irene Cara played in the first film.  Are there any similarities between them?
Naughton: There are some similar elements, but I feel like Denise has different struggles.  She’s been trained as a classical pianist and her parents don’t support her desire to pursue R&B and hip-hop.  So she’s afraid to even reach for the stars, to branch out and try something new.  That’s not the case in the original movie.  But I do get to sing the same songs as Irene, including “Out Here On My Own.”  I learned to play the piano so that I could play and sing that song.

GIANT: The movie is filled with fresh young faces like yourself.  How did you guys get along between takes?
Naughton: We spent a lot of time together, because we lived in the same apartment building while we were shooting.  It was like dorm life.  Even before rehearsals, we had get-togethers like game nights and pot lucks.  That way we got to know each other so there wouldn’t be any fake chemistry onscreen.  We spent too much time together, probably.  After awhile, it was kind of like having a brother and sister-like, “I’ve had enough of you!” [Laughs]

GIANT: You got cast as the prim-and-proper type in Fame right after you played the down-and-dirty Lil’ Kim in the Biggie biopic Notorious.  Was that a strange transition?
Naughton: It was hard-I’m not going to lie.  I had just finished this grown and sexy role and then I had to play a timid, all-covered-up little girl trying to find herself in high school. It takes work and professionalism to really stay focused on the heart of the character.  I wanted to portray the rawness of Biggie and Kim’s love affair.  If I watered her down, it wouldn’t be Lil’ Kim.  She’s a person fans know and love and I wanted to make sure I did her justice.  It’s funny, since that movie came out I’ve had people come up to me and say “What up, Kim!  You killed it in Notorious.”  And I’m like “Well, my name is Naturi, but I appreciate the love!”

GIANT: You got your start in the business as a singer in the group 3LW.  When did you decide that what you really wanted to do was act?
Naughton: Well, I always wanted to pursue acting; I just don’t think it was heavy on my mind at first.  I was young when I started with 3LW and at that point, being in that group was what I wanted to do.  I wanted to be a performer, a recording artist.  But the acting bug really hit me when I was in college.  After the group broke up, I had been scarred by the music business and I took some time off to attend Seton Hall University.  I was focusing on school but also auditioned for theater.  Then I got cast as Little Inez in the touring production of Hairspray and got to Broadway six months later.  I remember my opening night: April 4, 2006.  Going out onstage in front of that audience, I was like “Okay, this is for real!”  And that’s when I got serious about acting, taking classes, working with a coach and looking for an agent.

GIANT: You alluded to a rough break-up with 3LW.  What’s your memory of that time?
Naughton: It wasn’t pleasant.  It’s unfortunate because we were all young girls of color trying to represent and be the next Destiny’s Child or TLC.  We really wanted to be a positive image for other young girls to aspire to.  After the success of the first album, there were all these outside people telling us we needed a different look and a different sound when in my mind, things were working.  Before we knew it, we were being broken apart.  I was pushed out of the group and I couldn’t take some of the ways I was being treated any longer.  I realized that I’d rather be happy than be stuck in a situation where I’m not respected.  I still don’t talk to [my former bandmates] on a regular basis.  I’ve seen Adrienne Bailon at different events and its all cordial.  The way I look at it now is that I’m grateful for the bad stuff, because if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be where I am now.  Who knows if I would have been on Broadway or been in Notorious or Fame?

GIANT: What’s next for you on the acting front?
Naughton: I booked an independent movie called Yelling to the Sky that hopefully starts shooting later this year.  It stars Don Cheadle and Zoë Kravitz.  And other than that, I’m still auditioning.  Some actors think, “Okay, I made one movie, I’m going to sit back and let the offers roll in.”  Not me-I go right back to work.  I want people to realize this is not an overnight thing.  I have a few ideas and passion projects that I hope to do one day when I get to be big time.

GIANT: Such as?
Naughton: I would love to do a story about young Coretta Scott King.  We always see the story of the Civil Rights movement through Dr. King’s eyes and it would be interesting to get her perspective.  I’ve also always wanted to work with Spike Lee, John Singleton and Denzel Washington as either an actor or a director.  And I would love to act alongside Taraji P. Henson.  She’s great and I think we would do so well together.  Those are my people-somebody better call me! [Laughs]

GIANT: What do you hope audiences take away from Fame?
Naughton: I hope young people in the audience realize that anything is possible.  We all have been in situations where we didn’t think something was possible, where we didn’t know if were going to get the job.  I really hope this movie shows people your biggest dreams can be reality.

Fame opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow.

Reviews of Notorious, The Wrestler, Caprica and Wolverine and the X-Men

Notorious
Fox
$29.98
3-Disc Edition: $34.98
Blu-ray: $39.99

Plot: The story of Christopher Smalls a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. (Jamal Woolard), the Brooklyn born rapper who lived large and changed the hip-hop world before his untimely death.

Opinion: Musical biopics tend to follow a similar series of beats and Notorious is no exception.  Like Ray and Walk the Line before it, the film takes a greatest-hits approach to its subject’s life story, condensing his rise to fame, fall from grace and steps towards redemption into an easily digestible narrative that entertains, but rarely enlightens.  The “rise to fame” chapter is generally the most enjoyable section of any musical biopic and its handled particularly well here.  Director George Tillman Jr. shot the film in a lightning quick 38 days largely in Wallace’s home borough of Brooklyn and while the short production schedule is sometimes too apparent in the interchangeable locations and jagged camerawork, the pace mirrors the speed of life in the go-go ’90s when New York seemed like a place where anyone with a dream and the drive to pursue it could become a star.  But Notorious stars to falter is in its second half, largely because the story becomes bigger than Biggie.  Viewers who walk into the film with a working knowledge of the larger events occurring in the hip-hop world at that time will be able to fill in the blanks, but the uninitiated may find themselves wondering what all the various beefs are about.  Considering the hurdles the filmmakers faced in getting the movie made, we should be glad that Notorious turned out better than anyone could have expected.  At the same time, the film’s strengths makes its omissions and contrivances that much more apparent.  The truth is, it’ll probably be at least another decade before we get the definitive movie about Biggie and the ’90s rap industry.

Bonus Features: Kudos to Fox for packing this DVD with lots of fresh cuts for Biggie fans.  Once you get past the generic making-of documentary that leads off the extras, there’s some interesting stuff to be found here, from vintage video of Wallace and Diddy performing “Party and Bullshit” live (footage that is carefully recreated in the film) to a featurette that chronicles the “Biggie Boot Camp” that Woolard went through to become the B.I.G. man.  Other extras include 8 deleted scenes, two commentary tracks—one with the director and screenwriters and the other with Biggie’s mom and manager—and a panorama shot of the street where the rapper was gunned down, illustrated with pop-up facts about the shooting.  Kinda morbid if you ask me, but there are true-crime buffs that love that level of detail.

Verdict: Buy It

—————————————————————————

The Wrestler
Fox
$29.98
Blu-ray: $39.99

Plot: A past-his-prime professional wrestler (Mickey Rourke) struggles to decide whether he should retire from the game after experiencing a massive heart attack.

Opinion: The Wrestler is first and foremost an exercise in career rehabilitation for its star and its director (Darren Aronofsky), both of whom burst onto the scene to great acclaim, but saw their careers nosedive thanks to self-indulgence.  The film’s visual style is raw and stripped-down, lacking any of the beautifully stylized cinematography seen in Aronofsky’s last film The Fountain.  Rourke’s performance–to say nothing of his physical appearance–is similarly glamour free.  The actor is subjected to dozens of emotional and physical blows throughout the film and one gets the sense that he’s enjoying taking the pain as much as Aronofsky is enjoying dishing it out from behind the camera.  From a plot standpoint, The Wrestler bears a passing resemblance to Sylvester Stallone’s final Rocky flick and while the film isn’t going to win points for originality, but it’s a solid, sturdy melodrama that tells its familiar story well.

Bonus Features: A 45-minute making-of documentary does a great job showing viewers how the film’s memorable wrestling sequences were made, but loses points for not scoring sit-down interviews with Rourke or his co-star Marisa Tomei.

Verdict: Rent It

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Caprica
Universal
$26.98

Plot: Set 60 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows the destinies of two prominent families—the Greystones and the Adamas—who unwittingly set into motion the events that will lead to the Cylon uprising.

Opinion: Following up a series like Battlestar Galactica is an impossible task and, to Ronald Moore’s credit, he’s gone to great lengths to ensure that Caprica is a very different show…perhaps too different.  Based on this 90-minute pilot, which is being released on DVD almost a full year before the series is set to debut on the Sci Fi Channel (which will then be known as SyFy), I’m not sure who the intended audience for Caprica is.  There’s little of the action and “Who is the fifth Cylon?”-style mystery that drew viewers—even those of whom claimed they weren’t science-fiction fans—to BSG and it’s hard to imagine new viewers going crazy for the lengthy discussions of religion and morality that permeate the prequel.  That said, I have to admit that I’m intrigued enough by this first glimpse of Caprica to want to stick around for the series.  Moore is attempting something here we haven’t really seen on television before—a sci-fi series that’s closer in spirit to the work of Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke than George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.  If he succeeds, the result could be something spectacular and if he falls short, at least it’ll be an interesting failure.

Bonus Features: A handful of deleted scenes—several of which contain some major plot revelations that may or may not pop up in the series—and four behind-the-scenes video blogs.

Verdict: Rent It

—————————————————————————

With the success of the Notorious biopic of Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, Hollywood is looking for the next box office bonanza.

Hip-Hop pioneers Run-DMC will have their story made into a major motion picture. Cheo Hodari Coker, co-writer of Notorious, has been tapped to take the Hollis, Queens trio’s rags to riches tale to the silver screen. Coker will adapt Bill Adler’s tome Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC. The rap group, who will soon be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, rose to the top of the charts with hits like “Walk This Way”, “My Adidas” and “It’s Tricky”, they helped put hip hop on the pop culture map and then in 2002 Jam Master Jay was murdered in his studio — his killer has never been found. A great musical story of the American Dream fit for the theater.

King Of Rock – RUN-DMC

Eve dines at Crustacean and gets caught diggin’ deep for some gold. Plus: Halle Berry, Ray J, Mary J. Blige and Dennis White.

That bumbling mall cop Paul Blart stays on top, while Notorious takes a second-week nosedive.

The economic chill that’s currently blowing through the music industry seems to have carried over to the big-screen as well.  After banking a healthy $20 million during its opening weekend, the Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious tumbled to tenth place in its sophomore outing with a sluggish $5 million gross, pushing its total cume to $32 million.  While that’s not an embarrassing number by any means, it does indicate that the film failed to cross over outside of Biggie’s built-in fanbase.  A decline that steep also indicates that there was little in the way of repeat business, which suggests his fans may not have loved what they saw.  But there’s always a silver lining: the film should do strong business on DVD, particularly if Fox Searchlight decides to package it with some kind of collectible Biggie keepsake.

Repeating in the top spot was the family-friendly comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop starring Kevin James as an accident-prone security officer.  With $65 million in the bank so far, this is one mall cop who’ll be able to retire a wealthy man.  Underworld: Rise of the Lycans fell just short of dislodging Mr. Blart from his perch, earning $20.7 million to Paul Blart‘s $21.5 million.  Next weekend will be the real test as to whether the Underworld franchise returns for another installment.  The first two films grossed $51 million and $62 million respectively, so if Rise of the Lycans is able to enter similar territory, you can probably expect a fourth film in another year or two.

Oscar nominations were announced on Thursday and the movie that benefited the most from the Academy’s attentions was Slumdog Millionaire, which now sits comfortably in the #5 spot with a $55 million to-date gross and plenty more coin on the way.  Once a longshot to join the $100 million club, Slumdog should hit that mark by the time it wins the Best Picture Oscar on February 22.  Meanwhile, its fellow nominees Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button didn’t experience much of a post-Oscar bounce, although the latter film has already grossed over $100 million so the studio probably isn’t sweating that too much.

The full Top Ten (courtesy of the-numbers.com) is included below.  Come back next week to find out whether the horror film The Uninvited or the action movie Taken will be able to take down the seemingly unstoppable Paul Blart.

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop – Weekend: $21.5/Total: $64.8
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – Weekend: $20.7/Total: $20.7
3. Gran Torino - Weekend: $16/Total: $97.6
4. Hotel for Dogs - Weekend: $12.4/Total: $37
5. Slumdog Millionaire - Weekend: $10.6/Total: $55
6. My Bloody Valentine - Weekend: $10/Total: $37.7
7. Inkheart - Weekend: $7.7/Total: $7.7
8. Bride Wars - Weekend: $7/Total: $48.7
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Weekend: $6/Total: $111
10. Notorious - Weekend: $5.7/$31.7

Would you like to win a limited-edition The Notorious B.I.G. action figure signed by members of the cast of Notorious? Sure you would!

During our recent shoot with actors Jamal Woolard (Notorious B.I.G.), Derek Luke (Puff Daddy) and Anthony Mackie (Tupac Shakur), they were kind enough to sign three, that’s right, three action figures from Mezco Toyz of the movie’s namesake and we’re giving them away to you!

All you have to do is know your GIANT! In his recent post about the movie, GIANT EIC Emil Wilbekin talked about the first time he worked with Biggie. The question is: Who was the photographer for that shoot?

If you know, just leave that name in the comments section. The contest will take place from today (Jan. 23) through Friday, Jan. 30. For the full rules, please click here.

And for more Notorious, check out our exclusive behind-the-scenes video from our Notorious photo shoot!

Notorious
Directed by George Tillman Jr.
Starring Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke and Anthony Mackie
***

Musical biopics tend to follow a similar series of beats and Notorious, which recounts the life and premature death of rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, is no exception.  Like Ray and Walk the Line before it, the film takes a greatest-hits approach to its subject’s life story, condensing his rise to fame, fall from grace and steps towards redemption into an easily digestible narrative that entertains, but rarely enlightens.

Starting at the end of Biggie’s life—specifically on the evening of March 9, 1997 when he was gunned down while being driven back to his L.A. hotel—Notorious then rewinds the clock back to the early ’80s when a young Chris (played by the rapper’s own son Christopher Jordan Wallace) is rapping along to Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks” in a Brooklyn schoolyard.  Growing up under the strict eye of single mother Voletta (Angela Bassett), the overweight, slightly dorky boy decides early on that he’s not going to be anybody’s fool.  By age 17 (at which point real-life rapper Jamal “Gravy” Woolard takes over the role), Wallace is cutting class to sell drugs on street-corners and participating in amateur rap battles a la 8 Mile.  It takes an extended stint in the slammer to convince him that he needs to pursue music seriously as a career.  Enter Sean Combs (Derek Luke), a loud-talking hustler-turned mini-music mogul who sees dollar signs the first time he meets the man that will become Biggie.

From here, screenwriters Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker (who wrote the biography that the film is primarily based on) race through the events that take Wallace to the top of the charts.  Through the sheer force of his larger-than-life personality, he turns hostile crowds into screaming fans and attracts a bevy of new friends (such as Tupac Shakur, played here by Anthony Mackie) and lovers (like Kimberly Jones—better known as Lil’ Kim—played by Naturi Naughton).  He’s also a force of nature in the studio, creating an entire track (“Juicy” the lead single off his seminal debut album Ready to Die) in the course of a single, marijuana-laced recording session.

The “rise to fame” chapter is generally the most enjoyable section of any musical biopic and its handled particularly well here.  GIANT’s EIC Emil Wilbekin, who has worked with many of the musicians seen in the movie including the B.I.G. man himself, praised the film’s loving depiction of New York’s mid-’90s hip-hop scene in his review and it’s worth repeating that the filmmakers have done a good job recreating that era for both the viewers that lived through it and those who moved to the Big Apple post-Biggie.  Director George Tillman Jr. shot the film in a lightning quick 38 days largely in Wallace’s home borough of Brooklyn and while the short production schedule is sometimes too apparent in the interchangeable locations and jagged camerawork, the pace mirrors the speed of life in the go-go ’90s when New York seemed like a place where anyone with a dream and the drive to pursue it could become a star.

The other reason this section of the film succeeds is because it provides us with a complex depiction of the individual that was Christopher Wallace.  Far from worshipping the man, the filmmakers put his vices front and center alongside his attributes: he loves his mom, but he lies to her; he promises the women in his life that he’s “got them,” but unapologetically enjoys one-night stands with groupies; he raps about representing his ‘hood, but he’s primarily interested in representing his own interests, financial and otherwise.  You want to see him succeed because of his talent, but don’t be surprised if you also catch yourself thinking, “Man, this guy is an asshole.”

Where Notorious stars to falter is in its second half, largely because the story becomes bigger than Biggie.  In order to understand why Wallace was gunned down, one has to understand what was happening in the rap industry at that time, specifically the feud between the East and West coasts.  And this is an area where the filmmakers seem afraid to tread in any great detail.  Viewers who walk into the film with a working knowledge of the larger events occurring around Biggie during that period will be able to fill in the blanks, but the uninitiated may find themselves wondering why exactly this so-called “war” started.

One major casualty of Notorious‘ loose grasp on the details surrounding the East Coast/West Coast rivalry is the person that was at the center of it: Tupac.  Based on this movie, you’d never know that Shakur was a groundbreaking recording artist, who had been making hit tracks well before Biggie entered the scene.  Instead he comes across like a bald dude who kept popping up at random intervals to give Wallace some words of encouragement.  The film’s depiction of the friends’ falling-out is also suspect as it essentially clears Biggie of any wrongdoing and makes Tupac out to be some kind of paranoid whack job.  No doubts rights issues are the primary reason Shakur has such a diminished presence in the movie–we never hear any of his music or learn much about his personal life–but the absence of this material makes it feel as if we’re only getting half the story.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the final act of Notorious is the way it abandons the objectivity towards its subject that distinguished the opening hour of the film.  In the wake of Tupac’s murder by assailants the film declines to and his own injury in a bad car accident, the filmmakers would like us to believe that Biggie set his mind towards reforming himself.  Before and during his final, fateful trip to L.A., we’re shown numerous scenes of him mending his relationships with various friends and family members and informing Combs that he intends to take his music in a different, more positive direction.  The movie actually ends with Voletta telling us in a voiceover that she believes her son finally “became a man” right before his death.  While I’m sure that the real Mrs. Wallace (who is a credited producer on the film along with Combs) firmly believes that, in the context of the film, it comes across as an easy way for Tillman and the screenwriters to tack on an uplifting Hollywood ending onto a story that’s not exactly happy.  (Plus, as some music writers have already pointed out, it’s not like Biggie started rapping about sunshine and flowers in his final days; his posthumous second album Life After Death contains a number of tracks that deal with violence and the unfortunate fate that possibly awaits him.  “My Downfall” anyone?)

In the end, the glue that holds the unwieldy two halves of Notorious together is Woolard.  No doubt the novice actor (to say nothing of the filmmakers) spent many sleepless nights wondering if he had the skills to due Biggie justice, but whatever off-screen worries he had don’t register in his vivid performance.  Truth be told, his lack of training was probably more of a benefit than a liability.  He never seems to be thinking to himself “How would Biggie do this?”  He just does it.  That sets him apart from many of the other, more experienced actors in the cast, who never seems as comfortable in the skin of the person they’re meant to be portraying.  I’m specifically thinking of the usually reliable Derek Luke and Angela Bassett here; it’s difficult to see anything of the real Sean Combs in Luke’s bland turn, while Bassett brings little energy or enthusiasms to her underwritten role as a stern, but loving parental figure.  Next to Woolard, the film’s strongest performer is probably Nauri Naughton, who does an excellent job portraying Kimberly Jones’ gradual transformation into Lil’ Kim.  (Interestingly, the real Jones has been badmouthing the film in the press recently, claiming that her version of events is very different.  Anyone wanna bet how long it’ll be until we see Notorious 2: K.I.M.?)

Considering the hurdles the filmmakers faced in getting the movie made, we should be glad that Notorious turned out better than anyone could have expected.  At the same time, the film’s strengths makes its omissions and contrivances that much more apparent.  The truth is, it’ll probably be at least another decade before we get the definitive movie about Biggie, Tupac and the whole ’90s rap industry and you better believe that film won’t be overseen by Sean Combs and Voletta Wallace.

Verdict: See It

The film Notorious is excellent. Yes, you heard it here first. I went to the premiere last night in New York City skeptical. Could Hollywood, the very place where Christopher Wallace was slain on March 9, 1997, capture the real character, swagger and larger-than-life personality of B.I.G.? The answer is a resounding yes.

Thanks in part to Fox Searchlight, Director George Tillman, Wayne Barrow (one of Biggie’s co-managers), Sean “Puffy” Combs and of course Voletta Wallace (his mother). This team of people took the life and times of Biggie Smalls and made it into the epic tale of the American dream. Notorious captures the essence of Christopher’s life from Brooklyn school boy to street hustler to hip-hop icon. The movie also serves as a metaphor for hip-hop’s meteoric rise and gradual decline through the ’90s.

For me, a person who had the rare pleasure of working with Biggie on several shoots for Vibe magazine back in the day, this movie was a memoir of a time when rap music flourished and bling was still a dream. I styled Biggie’s first cover of Vibe photographed by Eric Johnson. The one with Big and his wife Faith Evans sitting in the convertible on the Brooklyn waterfront. It was my first cover too. And styling someone of B.I.G.’s stature was no easy feat. Thankfully Groovy Lou was there to help out. But like most things in urban culture and fashion, in the words of Tim Gunn, you “make it work!”

Last night’s screening was a tribute to Biggie Smalls, but also a love letter to all of us who had the great opportunity to work with one of the greatest rappers of all time. What you will learn about Christopher Wallace while watching Notorious is that he was a visionary, a sexual creature and a comedian…a real man. I will never forget Big’s grand sense of humor or his hearty laugh. He was truly a gentleman. His mother, Puffy, Faith, Lil’ Kim and many people who knew Big remember that he also had a huge heart. Newcomer Jamal “Gravy” Woolard precisely captured the spirit of Biggie and brought his character to life.

All of the industry cats whom I watched the movie with last night agreed: Notorious is a movie that pays respect to hip-hop. It’s our movie. It also reminds me that the art of rhyming and making great urban music is a thing of the not so distant past; a remnant of hip hop’s “Golden Era.” If you love hip hop and are a fan of Biggie Smalls, then I recommend checking out Notorious on January 16 when it opens nationwide. It’s worth it just to hear the music, but the acting, directing and story telling are like icing on a delicious cake.

Big shout out to my colleague Cheo H. Coker, who co-wrote the script. Big things indeed.

For more on Notorious, check out our behind-the-scenes video with the cast here!

Check out the photos from last night’s Bad Boy reunion at the NYC premiere of Notorious!

For more Notorious, check out our behind-the-scenes video of the cast at our photoshoot here!

It was all a dream come true for many cast members at the red carpet premiere of Notorious last night (January 7, 2009). For the new comers making their debut in this movie, it was B.I.G.’s dream helped them to realize theirs. “No dream is too big is the slogan for our movie and he completely showed that. I feel like that’s my story too, no dream is too big,” said Antonique Smith, the actress portrays Faith Evans.

Even though Jamal “Gravy” Woolard had the biggest role to fill as The Notorious B.I.G., the Brooklyn-bred rapper turned actor said he is not worried about being type cast and sees this a major push for his own music career. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel really proud about it and happy that everybody is going to finally get the chance to know Christopher Wallace, to know the story behind the man with the shield.”

Angela Bassett, who takes on the role of Voletta Wallace, Biggie’s mother, expressed that the most challenging part about filming was simply knowing that it was real life. “Such potential was needlessly cut short, taken from a mother, taken from a community,” said the actress. “He came from that world and he took his gifts and his talents and he navigated and he made well, and he gave us hope that we can all do that very thing. So just simply reflecting that unfortunately this is life but hopefully we can take the positive from this for our own lives. We all have gifts talents and abilities so it’s just about shaping them and finding your purpose and stepping into it.”

Many of the people portrayed in the movie are still living and came out to support. During the course of the film, some of the actors got to spend time with the people they represent in the movie to prepare for the role, with the notable exception of Naturi Naughton who portrays Lil’ Kim. According to Naugton, she “didn’t get the chance” to speak with Lil’ Kim while preparing for the role and relied on her own research. However, she’s not phased by Kim’s  negative comments toward her portrayal in the movie, “ Its done, I’ve done the role, I did my best in the role, I know I did a great job, I’m proud of my work,” said Naughton. I’m very hopeful that she will be proud of it as well when she sees it if she hasn’t already, so I’m just hoping she enjoys it when she sees it. I put my heart into this role.”

While that may be so, Lil’ Kim has publicly stated her dissatisfaction of how she is portrayed in the film. To which Faith Evans jokingly suggested that perhaps Lil’ Kim should be the next rapper to get a biopic.

- Rhonesha Byng

Image: The YBF

Notorious will open in theaters on January 16, 2009.

Click here to see GIANT’s behind the scenes video from the Dec/Jan ’09 Notorious photo shoot with stars Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie and Jamal Woodward.

And for more Notorious, check out our red carpet gallery here!

Biggie’s back. Well, that’s not the complete truth but with all the newly paid homages, it’s clear the people wouldn’t mind his revival. For one, his notable demeanor will be portrayed in the upcoming Fox Searchlight biopic Notorious. Even we felt it necessary to get a moment with the film’s buzzworthy stars. Also, Mister Cee recently debuted Jadakiss’ “Letter to B.I.G.,” a heartfelt prose-like message that’s both reflective and anticipatory and proclaims a longing for B.I.G.’s return: ”I can go on for a year about how would it be if you were still here / The game’s gotten cheaper / Rappers is more commercially successful now, but the heart’s a lot weaker.” With music and movies clearly influenced by (arguably) the greatest rapper ever, comes the tributary attire.

Artist and designer Ruslan Karablin, better known as SSUR, has collaborated with longtime friend, patron, and supporter, acclaimed photographer Barron Claiborne, to create a three-style tee featuring the portrait of the famed lyricist. The chosen image? A familiar one. The frequently used, abused, and bootlegged picture taken by Claiborne himself just five days prior to B.I.G.’s death. You know the one: the rapper stares droopy-eyed, donning a crown—hence, the tee’s title. The “King of Brooklyn” shirts feature the reworkings of SSUR, who hails from the same borough, as the illustration of guns are morphed with B.I.G’s features, and each is meant to represent a stage in his life (and untimely death).

With only 350 shirts set to be available exclusively between the NYC location of SSURPLUS and few selected boutiques, you may want to pre-order here.

-Danielle Cheesman

GIANT had the pleasure of getting time with the Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie and Jamal Woolard from the Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious for our exclusive photoshoot. Check out our exclusive behind-the-scenes video below:

For more on Notorious, click here for GIANT’s exclusive photo gallery with Jamal, Anthony and Derek!

Remember the days of thug life? Take a trip down memory lane and take a look at the most iconic images of Tupac.

Don’t forget to take a peek at the hot pictures of the NOTORIOUS cast from GIANT magazine here!

Apparently,  the Notorious soundtrack has more leaks that a swiss cheese cup full water.

Last week, the Jay-Z and Santogold collabo “Brooklyn Go Hard” hit the interwebs. Now, another Hov track, “BK Anthem,” is out in the ether. Peep the MC Lyte-assisted track below and let me know your thoughts.

If you love B.I.G. like we here at GIANT do, then you can’t wait to see the forthcoming Biggie biopic Notorious. We recently caught up with the film’s stars — Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke and Anthony Mackie — for a photo shoot in… Brooklyn, of course. Peep the photos below:

For more with the cast of Notorious, click here to watch Jamal, Derek and Anthony talk about what it meant to become hip-hop legends!

Mythology, murder and resurrection. The cast of Notorious discusses the challenges and thrills of making controversial Biggie Smalls biopic. Actors Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie and newcomer Jamal Woolard talk about art imitating life and portraying legends in our own time.

It was all a dream…in a desolate building in Brooklyn, around a large wooden table. Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G” Wallace, Sean ”Puffy” Combs and Tupac Shakur are animatedly talking. Chopping it up. In fact, they’re laughing Although Wallace and Shakur were slain more then a decade ago, life after death is summoned in Notorious, director George Tillman Jr.’s Biggie Smalls biopic. Jamal Woolard — the Brooklyn rapper best known as Gravy — plays B.I.G. Derek Luke is Puffy, and Anthony Mackie is Tupac. GIANT joins the actors to discuss what it’s like to embody legends and carry the weight of a legacy. Needless to say, it’s juicy. – JUSTIN MONROE

FOR THE FULL STORY, CHECK OUT THE NEW DECEMBER/JANUARY ISSUE OF GIANT ON NEWSSTANDS NOW!

Want to know what makes the new issue of GIANT so fly? Other than Beyoncé… Well, watch my editor’s video letter below to find out.

You knew Hov was going to show love to his Brooklyn brethren. Conceived by Graffiti Research Labs‘ Evan Roth, peep this high-minded video for Jay-Z and Santogold’s “Brooklyn Go Hard” from the forthcoming Notorious soundtrack below. (Word to Nah Right)

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