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'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell': Catholic schoolkid to street hustler, Netflix docu delves into rapper's origin story

'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell' is a necessary documentary for fans as well as those curious about the history of hip-hop

Netflix has just dropped the highly anticipated Notorious B.I.G. documentary 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell'. As per the official Netflix YouTube channel which shared the trailer, the Emmett Malloy-directed documentary is the definitive portrait of Christopher Wallace, the man who became The Notorious B.I.G. With unprecedented access granted by the Wallace estate, this cinematic documentary is an emotional and personal journey through the people, places, and events that created one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all-time. Along with recently unearthed footage from his early days, the documentary goes behind the scenes with the rap icon to watch him create classics and bring them to life onstage in incredible unseen concert clips.

Candid interviews show the most trusted members of Biggie’s inner circle opening up to share stories that have never been told publicly. According to his mother, the documentary was not presented to highlight or discuss his death, but a story of celebrating his life. "This will be the first documentary to focus on the experiences of my son’s life rather than the circumstances of his death. It is a celebration of who he was and where he came from. This is how he would have wanted to be remembered."

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While 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell' has a lot of interesting new footage, and hearing the POV of Biggie's friends can keep viewers glued, the film does drift at times. Telling the story of a powerful figure in hip-hop doesn't always have to be about just entertainment (it is Biggie's story after all) so it understandably leans into personal recallings of his friends and associates. But this is also where the documentary falls short. Considering how much of an entertainer The Notorious B.I.G. was -- his strong presence is spoken of several times in the documentary, his image could have been better used.

The growing up, the rough parts of his early life, the breakthrough into music, his death (there's even a few surprising clips where Biggie sings): it's all there for fans looking for those key elements that make up his life and legacy, but it does feel familiar or too authorized.

Arguably, celebrating Biggie as an artist outside of music is of equal importance, but these parts that would have piqued viewer curiosity more feel rushed or even downplayed at times. 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell' is no swing-and-miss but considering what an impact he had on music, the documentary begs for more.

The documentary is shorter than 2009's biographical drama film 'Notorious' and has a different focus. The docu's tagline is "Every Legend Has an Origin Story" and the rapper's personal life is shown from his mother Voletta Wallace's immigration from Jamaica to the young Christopher's transition from quiet Catholic school kid to street hustler to before his smash album 'Ready to Die'.

The more intimate or emotional moments can be felt when a no-nonsense Voletta speaks of her son both tenderly and unyieldingly while shots jump to Biggie's guilty expressions for keeping things from his mom. Their love is evident and it's clear Biggie's mother had a large influence on his personal motivations to succeed.

'Beautifully put together'

Meanwhile, fans are impressed and excited about the documentary. "The new Biggie ‘I Got A Story to Tell’ Netflix docu is beautifully put together," wrote a fan on Twitter. One fan tweeted, "Watched the Biggie Smalls documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell and I loved it. I enjoyed the early videos of him doing rap battles in his neighborhood and seeing his raw talent so clearly present even back when he was 13."

Even record producer, rapper Jermaine Dupri hopped onto Twitter to share his appreciation for the documentary. "You know what’s crazy is I never thought about Biggie being a singer but the boi could sing and that answers alotta my questions I had about his ear," he wrote, adding, "Last night I watched Biggie (I got a story to tell and Big said he really wanted to be a singer but he could rap better."

Overall, 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell' is a necessary documentary for fans as well as those curious about the history of hip-hop.