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Just a small addition to the "Notorious" film soundtrack that I reported previously: Faith Evans will join C.J. Wallace on "One More Chance/The Legacy (Remix)". Technically, this was on a link I shared, but I didn't specifically mention it, so I wanted to be sure to do so. Faith will be featured on 3 tracks on the album in all, including "Letter to B.I.G." and "One More Chance/Stay With Me Remix".
As Theo mentioned, Mister Cee premiered Jadakiss' contribution to the "Notorious" soundtrack, "Letter to B.I.G.", on HOT 97 recently. But, he chopped up and spoke over the version he aired, so I wanted to wait until the full version had been released. And it has. You can listen to it now in our audio player. If he hadn't done and said all of those crazy things during The Lox's disputes with Bad Boy, I'd be a big time Jadakiss fan. Definitely digging this track. Well done by Jada.
Mims has released a new track called "Bread N Butter" that features a Biggie sample. Biggie's line, "for the bread and butter, I leave n***** in the gutter" from "Gimme the Loot" is used as the track's chorus.
Biggie's MySpace blog highlights a promotion on Fandango, where you can get a free limited edition t-shirt and iPhone skin when purchasing advance tickets for the film. At checkout, you should enter the promo code BIG. However, at the time of writing, it doesn't seem possible to order tickets. So, you may need to hold on for this one.
You can expect consistent press clippings about "Notorious" now that it is nearing it's theatrical release. Voletta Wallace spoke briefly with Newsday on the new film.
"To be honest with you, I saw a monster last night [in the film]," Wallace says. "Do I love the monster? No. But I love my son. Love you don't change. My love is still here for my son. But his behavior? Thank God he's not here because I would slap the daylights out of him."
SOHH.com has a short interview with Bob Teitel, who is a producer on "Notorious."
"For George [Tillman] and I, we made our first film in Chicago," he explained. "And we drove to L.A. with $600 between us and one CD, and that was Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die."
Rolling Stone has a feature on "Notorious," which includes quotes from various members of the cast and crew.
"I'm like the 2009 Jennifer Hudson," rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard says, laughing at his improbable turn as hip-hop titan Biggie Smalls in Notorious, due in theaters January 16th.
Undercover.com.au reports that a "rare" Biggie poster will be shown at Rock Prints, an exhibition dedicated to showing "a collection of rare and limited edition posters".
It'll be at 374 Gallery, located at 374 High Street in Northcote. It is free to get in and it will run from 6 PM to 10 PM on Friday and 11:00 AM to 7 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
Not a huge news story or anything, but I figured that Biggie fans would find it interesting. According to Warner Music Australia, the remix of "One More Chance" that will feature Biggie's son, Christopher "C.J." Wallace, is set to be titled "One More Chance/The Legacy Remix".
Via GIGWISE.
HipHopDX interviewed Lil' Cease about his fitness DVD and current ventures, as well as the "Notorious" movie and his feelings on it.
But how did 18-year-old Marc John Jefferies (who coincidentally also portrayed a young 50 Cent in Get Rich or Die Tryin') perform in his portrayal of a teenage Lil Cease?
“Oh, he did wonderful!” Cease gushed when asked. “I sat on the set everyday with him. I rehearsed with him. We talked about things. We kicked it, on and off camera. I mean, he’s a full-blown actor. He been doing that since he was 3-years-old. He’s a professional when it come to that. And the only thing I had to do was just be around him, just give him a feel to [who] I was then. And he pulled it together. He did a good job, I can’t complain at all.”
Ben McGrath of The New Yorker has a "Notorious" themed interview with Jamal Woolard (also known as Gravy), who plays Biggie in the film.
BlackBook's Foster Kamer shares reports from Ben Barna from the "Notorious" press junket, which featured a bus led tour of Brooklyn, led by Wayne Barrow, Biggie's former manager, and Voletta Wallace, Biggie's mom.
Diddy shared some of his thoughts on "Notorious" with MTV. In the clip below, he discusses the Biggie and son collaboration for the film's soundtrack. He also vouches for the film's accuracy, saying that it accurately portrayed his life.
"At the end of the movie, it messed me up," Bad Boy's CEO said. "I was messed up for two weeks. It made you miss him in the right way. It made you count your blessings. It's definitely a tear-jerker. It's definitely a movie you're gonna be dancing in, crying in, you're gonna love it. You're gonna wanna see it again."
This is a great video discussing some of the performance footage in the upcoming "Notorious" film. Check out Diddy in the middle of the clip, as well as D-Dot, DJ Enuff, Wayne Barrow and others.
Here is some Biggie live footage released posted on the official The Notorious B.I.G. imeem. They are live music videos, of sorts, for "One More Chance" and "Juicy" with live performance clips pieced together.
Interview Magazine has an interview of Christopher "C.J." Wallace, Jr., Biggie's son, conducted by Voletta Wallace, Biggie's mom.
VW: I saw a YouTube piece where you and your friend Josh were rapping. You think you're gonna want to do that yourself in the future?
CW: Probably. But first I want to go to college. And I want to graduate and study film.
They also have an interview with Anthony Mackie, who plays 2Pac in "Notorious."
From The Miami Herald:
11 p.m. PERFORMANCE
It's been chilly lately, perfect weather for boots with the fur. Catch rap sensation Flo-Rida perform tonight at Mansion at a party hosted by the cast of Notorious: The life of Biggie Smalls. Tickets: $15 at www.wanttickets.com. Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach.
Just to update the story I wrote this morning, I spoke with Wayne Barrow, producer on the "Notorious" film and former co-manager of The Notorious B.I.G. and he confirmed for me that "Blind Alley Freestyle" and "Microphone Murderer" are one in the very same, as I had suspected. So, it looks as though we are getting the real demo. I can't wait.
MTV News' Shaheem Reid reveals the track listing to the soundtrack for "Notorious," according to Bad Boy. Here it is:
1. "Notorious Thugs" (featuring Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
2. "Hypnotize"
3. "Notorious"
4. "Juicy"
5. "Party & Bullsh--"
6. "Warning"
7. "One More Chance" remix (featuring Faith Evans)
8. "Brooklyn Go Hard" (Jay-Z featuring Santogold)
9. "Letter to B.I.G." (Jadakiss featuring Faith Evans)
10. "Kick in the Door"
11. "What's Beef"
12. "World Is Filled"
13. "One More Chance" (featuring CJ)
14. "The Notorious Theme" (composed by Danny Elfman)
15. "Microphone Murderer" (previously unreleased demo)
16. "Guaranteed Raw" (previously unreleased demo)
17. "Love No Ho" (previously unreleased demo)
This seems like a nice assortment of tracks from various points in Biggie's career. But, let's talk about the good stuff - the new stuff.
"Brooklyn Go Hard" is the first single, as we reported. It was produced by Kanye West.
"Letter to B.I.G." is a song that we reported on back in March. It was intended for Jadakiss' "Last Kiss" album, according to MTV. The song is basically Jadakiss talking to Biggie about what has transpired since he died.
Just yesterday, we reported that a new version of "One More Chance" will find Biggie's son C.J. rapping along with his father. This is according to a "source close to the Wallace family" that spoke with MTV.
"The Notorious Theme" will be the score for the film crafted by Danny Elfman. It will, most likely, have no vocals.
Finally, let's get to the best part. The demo. In Cheo Hodari Coker's "Unbelievable," Biggie's original demo is said to have three tracks. They are "Blind Alley Freestyle," "Guaranteed Raw" and "Don't Love No Ho." For all intensive purposes, "Microphone Murderer" is simply "Blind Alley Freestyle" renamed. In a track that was previously released online, and is said to be the "Blind Alley Freestyle," Biggie begins with "Microphone murderer, mass mayhem maker..." While the veracity of the track isn't 100% clear, it also seems to point to the track being renamed.
Nonetheless, in the interest of having that confirmed, I have reached out to Mr. Barrow for comment. Hopefully, I'll have more later.
Update: Mr. Barrow was kind enough to return my message, confirming that the two tracks are one in the very same. So, it looks like we're getting the real deal demo here. I can't wait to get my hands on this soundtrack.
The Notorious B.I.G.'s MySpace has some new stills from the "Notorious" movie, featuring the screen versions of Biggie, Diddy, Lil' Kim, Lil' Cease and more.
EW.com's Simon Vozick-Levinson spoke with Wayne Barrow, Biggie's former manager and a producer on "Notorious."
Wayne Barrow tells EW that several legendary unheard demo tapes from early in Biggie's career form the heart of the soundtrack: "We kept everything as is, in its raw form. This is what got him the [recording] deal, plain and simple. His fans have been asking for it for years."
In addition, Barrow said that Biggie's son C.J. will be featured on an "emotional remix" to "One More Chance." MTV News spoke to a "source close to the Wallace family," who told them that C.J. will be rapping with his dad on the track.
From the press release:
The Source Magazine today announced its December issue will hit stands on December 9th and features the Notorious B.I.G. on its cover in honor of the release of his January 09' movie "Notorious". The issue also features extensive coverage on President-Elect Barack Obama's historic win this past November as well as a four-page collage of newspapers covers from around the country, honoring the historic moment of America 's first black president. Also included in the new issue is an in-depth look at the AIDS epidemic and the economy as well as a tribute to Shakir Stewart, former President of Def Jam Records. There is also an in-depth Holiday Buyer's Guide and stories on Q-Tip, Nina Sky, Keri Hilson, Joe Budden and Wyclef.
The story of the late great rapper, Christopher Wallace, is retold through the eyes of director George Tillman as he recounts to The Source how he managed to bring the legendary rapper's life to the big screen. Voletta Wallace, Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts (former managers), Lil' Cease and many of Wallace's closest confidants and business partners give recollections of their experiences during the filming of the movie. Voletta Wallace, mother of Notorious B.I.G. states in the article, "Maybe I'll cry my heart out; maybe I'll just laugh myself silly. I really don't know what I'm going to do after I see the film."
Edit: Since our audio player is apparently on the fritz, I am going to include the audio here:
Today we get our first taste of the upcoming "Notorious" soundtrack as Bad Boy releases the first single. It's called "Brooklyn Go Hard" and it's a Jay-Z song that features Santogold. It was produced by Kanye West. You can listen to it in our audio player. A video is coming soon.
On a related note, the release of the soundtrack has now been pushed back to January 13.
The album cover has also been released. Here it is:
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