вЂњWe had talked to all of BiggieвЂ™s friends from growing up so that when Puff was able to watch some of that footage, he was really able to get into the emotions of what we were telling and the story we were telling. вЂњPuff Daddy was important in speaking to this era, the more famous era of Biggie,вЂќ said Malloy. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo In 1992, Wallace was discovered by Sean Combs (Puff Daddy at the time), in the Source MagazineвЂ™s Unsigned Hype column and this recognition raised his profile and led to his most famous 1996 Puff Daddy collaboration, Mo Money Mo Problems. Living in the 80s and 90s in New York, Wallace noticed there was an even faster way to financially support his small family and that was through these illegal practices that consumed a huge aspect of his young adult life. Throughout MalloyвЂ™s direction and depiction of Christopher WallaceвЂ™s early life, there are various interviews with dearest friends that vividly explain WallaceвЂ™s necessity to вЂњhustleвЂќ that eventually steered him down the road of contraband and drug trafficking. вЂњThere was this incredible life and talking to Donald Harrison about listening to jazz music with him and the intelligence that this young kid had made it easy for me to tell a beautiful story,вЂќ said Malloy. Wallace was educated in jazz by the famous saxophonist Donald Harrison who describes WallaceвЂ™s rhythm as similar to the striking and staccato of a percussion instrument. He reveals that Wallace was a huge admirer of jazz music in his teenage years and the genre heavily inspired his flow and adlibs. вЂњIn the chronological storyline of our film, I wanted to start in Jamaica to go where he truly began to learn about the roots of ChristopherвЂ™s life,вЂќ Malloy said. It provided a sense of context in contrast to WallaceвЂ™s gritty lifestyle in New York where his mother, Voletta later relocated. Malloy first began filming in Jamaica to focus on an element of WallaceвЂ™s background that may have not been shared in earlier narratives. The film focuses on the rapperвЂ™s cultural and childhood memories and importance of his Jamaican roots. вЂњHe held on to this footage for all these years and felt the right moment for him to feel comfortable to share was now.вЂќ вЂњD-Roc had the most foresight with his tapes of everything during BiggieвЂ™s rise,вЂќ said Malloy. These raw camcorder clips showcase the sensational lifestyle of a young 22-year-old as a 90s rap star, from many hotel travels to frenetic concert tapings to candid conversations between close friends allowing the audience to see Biggie in a way no one has ever seen him before. With VolettaвЂ™s approval, Malloy had the green light and access to never-before-seen archival footage from BiggieвЂ™s 1995 Ready to Die tour from videographer and best friend, D-Roc (Damion Butler). вЂњThat meeting gave the estate the trust that we needed and then the real work began, from then on forward was the more complex part.вЂќ вЂњI was sitting at lunch with Miss Wallace at a Red Lobster near her home and we talked about her sonвЂќ said Malloy. He traveled to VolettaвЂ™s home in Pennsylvania to build a firm bond with her, something he deemed pivotal for the production of the Netflix film. Biopics of the rapper have previously been seen as inaccurate portrayals of both his personal story and his musical career and Malloy wanted to make sure he didnвЂ™t make the same mistakes.

Outside of trying to capture his larger-than-life stage persona, the most daunting challenge for Malloy was gaining the trust from his estate and mother. Biggie, himself, has become a sempiternal emblem in hip-hop culture even if many of his now fans were not of age during the 90s when he reigned over the early days of rap in Brooklyn, New York.

Im ready to die biggie smalls