biggie: I got a story to tell review
I grew up in Boston watching, listening to and idolizing a host of east coast lyricists, gravitating towards hardest of hard New York-bred talents Nas, Jay-Z, Jeru the Damaja, Group Home, Mobb Deep, Smif and Wessun and of course, The Notorious B.I.G. I was introduced to B.I.G. through 1994 smash-hit “Juicy” but the song that left the greater impression was b-side track “Unbelievable.” Not to take anything away from “Juicy”, but “Unbelievable” is where I came to understand how B.I.G. was simply different from the assembly line of rappers coming out of NY. He was undoubtedly flossy and his sweaters, jewels and Gucci shades are iconic for good reason. It was all superficial window dressing for his music. His crisp, clear delivery, booming voice and ability to tell a story both melodic and haunting was and remains the reason he is considered the best to ever do it. I went into Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell hoping to learn something new about Biggie Smalls and his path from street hustler to street hustler who raps and finally to King of New York and unquestioned best rapper, dead or alive. In that regard I was disappointed as there isn’t much here I hadn’t heard or read a hundred times before. You should still watch it, especially if you weren’t there to see it all go down in real time. Biggie endures due to his otherworldly talent and honesty. Like many of our most gifted artists he wrestled unceasingly with demons both self-inflicted and environmental. He’s gone on record that the decision to call his debut album “Ready to Die” was a lamentation on his desire to escape street life and not an expression of shallow nihilism. RIP to the GOAT.