Notorious (2009 Film) - Plot

Plot

The film opens in Los Angeles, California in March 1997. Biggie Smalls (Jamal Woolard) is shot and killed by a drive-by assailant.

The film then flashes back to Biggie's childhood in 1983 Brooklyn. Christopher (Christopher "CJ" Wallace, Jr.) writes several rap songs. Christopher then starts selling drugs at the height of the crack epidemic. In 1990, Biggie finds out from his girlfriend, Jan (Julia Pace Mitchell), that she is pregnant. Biggie, distraught, begins to take his drug dealing more seriously. Biggie eventually takes part in a rap battle, which he subsequently wins. Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace (Angela Bassett), throws him out of the house.

Biggie then lives in a crack house. However, Biggie is soon caught in possession of weapons and cocaine, and as a result is sentenced to two years in jail. After serving nine months in jail before making bail, Biggie comes home to see his mother, girlfriend Jan (Julia Pace Mitchell), and their newly born daughter, T'yanna (Taylor Dior). Biggie meets Kim Jones (Naturi Naughton) for the first time. 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. After reconciling with his mother, he goes to find D-Roc and Li'l Cease, then records a demo called "Microphone Murderer". Shortly thereafter in 1991, Biggie meets Sean Combs, an ambitious producer for Uptown Records. Puffy promises Biggie that he will sign him to a record deal. 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. After a brief chase, they are caught by the police. The officer gives them one minute to decide who will take the fall. D-Roc eventually decides to "take the fall" for the both of them.

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, in 1994 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 (Antonique Smith) while at a Bad Boy photo-shoot, who he begins to date. 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 Lil' 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 Awards in Los Angeles, California, 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 relationship 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 walks out on Biggie.

Biggie and Faith attempt to work things out after she tells him she's pregnant with his child. The East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry continues, with Biggie, Puffy & Bad Boy Records doing a tour in L.A. While Biggie 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 Biggie to sing that song. The rivalry between the two rappers continues until September 1996 when Tupac is murdered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sometime afterwards, Biggie calls his mother, Voletta. Voletta states that Tupac was probably killed as a result of their rivalry. 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 Lil' Kim to apologize and to set up a meeting with her, the film returns to the beginning scene, where Biggie is shot and killed. A few days later Voletta, Puffy, Lil' Cease, D-Roc, Lil' Kim, Faith and others all grieve over the death of Biggie at his funeral. Later, Biggie's casket 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.