Notoriousis a 2009 American biographical film about the life of iconic hip hop star The Notorious B.I.G. who is played by Jamal Woolard . The film co-stars Angela Bassett as his mother Voletta Wallace , Derek Luke as Sean Combs , and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur . Other roles include Naturi Naughton as Lil' Kim and Antonique Smith as Faith Evans .

The film was released in American theaters on January 16, 2009, by Fox Searchlight Pictures . The Film's MPAA rating is R for pervasive language, some strong sexuality including dialogue, nudity, and for drug content.

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 pulls up and someone inside fires a single shot 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's pregnant. Biggie, distraught, starts selling drugs more, along with his friend D-Rock. The hood, start hearing about Big's rapping skills and Big ends up winning an important rap battle. 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 start a new relationship because of a past relationship when she was abused. Biggie assures her that he won't break her heart and they begin dating (even though he is dating Jan also.) Prior to this, Biggie's mother, Voletta ( Angela Bassett ), throws him out of the house after discovering his involvement with drugs and his getting-ready to be a father.

Biggie then lives in a crack-house and has 4 other young drug dealers, working for him. Biggie ends up with a whole lot of cash, Soon, Big is caught with weapons & possession of cocaine and is sentenced to 2 years and bail is $250,000. Biggie serves 9 months in prison before making bail. After serving time in prison, Biggie comes home to see his mother, and official girlfriend Jan ( Julia Pace Mitchell ), and their new daughter, T'yanna ( Taylor Dior ). After reconciling with his mother, he goes to find D-Roc and Lil' Cease and 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. Puffy, however, will only accept Biggie if he gives up drug dealing. Biggie agrees and then leaves. Biggie learns that Puffy has lost his job at Uptown Records. Frustrated and upset, Biggie nearly ruins his chances, when Biggie, along with his friend, D-Roc (played by Dennis L.A. White ), has a run-in with the police which results in Biggie throwing his illegal gun into the bushes. They are caught by the police after a chase. The officer gives the two a minute to decide who will take the fall. Biggie, has proofs and he would be looking at 5-6 years in prison. If D-Roc, who has a clean record, plea guilty for the charge, he'll get 3 years and a day in prison. So D-Roc eventually decides to "take the fall" for the both of them because he believes that Biggie can succeed as a rapper.

When Biggie and Mark Pitts talk to Voletta about Big's rap career, Voletta talks to Biggie in private. Biggie discovers that his mother has breast cancer. Biggie becomes depressed, but soon recovers when Puffy begins his own record label, Bad Boy Records , and signs him. Biggie starts recording songs for his first album,Ready to Die, 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 meets Faith Evans at a photo shoot. They begin a whirlwind courtship, marrying soon after. Meanwhile, Biggie continues to ignore his relationship with Jan and their child. When Faith suspects Biggie is cheating on her, she goes to confront him at his hotel room, seeing him with yet 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 albumReady To Diewith Tupac, admiring the other rapper. When Tupac is shot in Quad Studios, however, he blames Puffy, Biggie and Bad Boy Records for instigating it. 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. The friendship between Biggie and Tupac is ruined. At the Soul Train Award in LA in 1996, Biggie get a death threat call from an unknown black man. At the afterparty, Tupac and Suge verbally assaults Biggie, but leaves when Biggie's security pulls out a pistol. A track called " Who Shot Ya? " is released, a song which claims to diss Tupac. Biggie and Puffy claim that "Who Shot Ya?" was recorded before Tupac was shot, but Suge and Tupac claim otherwise. Tupac comes out with " Hit 'Em Up " which disses Biggie along with talking about having sex with Faith. Then after seeing a magazine photo of Tupac and Faith hugging each other, Biggie becomes enraged. He interrupts an interview that is being conducted with Faith, running after Faith. 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. Biggie tries to renew the relationship, but tensions continue to grow between them.

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 albumLife After Deathand 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. 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.