NEWS
(L-R) Christopher Wallace (Biggie) with 50 Grand.
Netflix/George DuBoseWe've heard every version of Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace's life over the past two decades...and that's a good thing. Yet, getting the ultimate story of hip-hop's poet laureate from those that knew him best, his family and true friends is the best way to learn about the MC that changed the game and left us all too soon.
Netflix and Wallace's estate announced the forthcoming documentary, Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell a few years ago in 2017, and with plans to release the massive project a few years ago, life happened and March 1st, 2021 became the target date. What makes this edition of replaying Wallace's moves and music, is the fact that his Mom, Voletta Wallace, and his former management Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, and Bad Boy Entertainment founder, Sean "Diddy" Combs all had their hands in the creation as executive producers. Emmett Malloy (and his brother Brendan) handled the director duties.
"So many stories have been written and produced on the life and death of Christopher Wallace...," says producer and estate manager Barrow. "We felt it was important to humanize our brother and tell the story that made the legend, not the story of the legend. That's what this documentary represents."
One of the perks of being a rap journalist in the 90s was the access to major artists and their fam. While working on a music feature for Biggie's little bro, Lil Cease, during his debut solo album press run for The Wonderful World of Cease A Leo in 1999, I was presented with a shoebox full of mini camcorder tapes to view various personal moments of Biggie and his wild and crazy crew's travels around the globe. It was amazing to see the carefree movements they enjoyed as well as the tense situations that started to form towards the end of his life. We tend to romanticize the times in hindsight, yet we must realize that Big was murdered in cold blood...and the case isn't solved over two decades later.
To put some of the negative energy to rest, and to properly frame his meaning to those close to him and the people that loved him, this doc is most necessary. Watch the trailer, catch a vibe and get ready to view the project in full on Netflix on March 1st.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
