Notorious goes B.I.G.

The twin casualties of 1990s gangsta rap wars were of course Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. Surprisingly, this is the first large-scale tribute to one of the fallen stars since Puff Daddy’s ill-advised reworking of The Police classic into the fluffy “I’ll Be Missing You.” Jamal Woolard stars as Christopher “Biggie” Wallace, Derek Luke is Sean “Puffy” Combs, and New Orleans native Anthony Mackie plays rival Shakur in this drama from Men of Honor director George Tillman Jr. Notorious follows Biggie’s tumultuous rise from the streets of Brooklyn to become the world’s most celebrated rap artist. Angela Bassett co-stars. Rated R.