MOVIES

When Bling Was Still King

'Notorious' revisits Biggie, and rap, in their primes.

By Allison Samuels | NEWSWEEK
Published Jan 3, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Jan 12, 2009

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  • Posted By: skydancer @ 02/10/2009 5:06:56 PM

    The well deserved hailing of the stunning film Notorious, by its reviewer Allison Samuels, is the same reason this film gave Fox Searchlight films it's highest gross for a weekend over any of their other films. It is that it is a devastatingly moving, finely honed ,sensative, ultimately crafted, directed, acted, written, produced film. And thanks to the brilliant distribution of the film by Mr. Combs, hopefully it will achieve reaching the broadest base of viewers, worlwide. If ever there was an American idiom film for our time, though universal in overall concept - NOTORIOUS is it..It shouldn't be missed.

  • Posted By: rudi somuah @ 02/02/2009 7:10:30 PM

    Americans! just get along. It is easier and quite nice when you do give it a try. This movie is about a group of people who feel that their fallen hero deserves one more tribute. Why should anyone get offended by this? Why should we even question the hip-hop genre in reference to this? If this tribute offends you, ignore it. However, try to respect its righteous intent irrespective of how ludicrous it may seem to you.

  • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 01/03/2009 10:27:38 PM

    So Notorious B.I.G. was murdered! No! A rap star murdered?
    I would think that we should just call it death by natural causes. After all, in the rap community, getting offed by someone is as natural as can be.

  • Posted By: Ms Mississippi @ 01/09/2009 2:08:07 PM

    Maybe some of you need to get off your high horses and exlpore the world around you. It seems like you could stand to have your minds opened up a bit.

    • Posted By: YashBudini @ 01/12/2009 12:53:31 PM

      My mind is open, but nails on a chalkboard still causes pain.

      And last I looked I didn't force feed my music to anybody. Youth not only do that, they get mad and violent when other people speak up about it. Talk about irony.

      • Posted By: Ms Mississippi @ 01/13/2009 11:01:33 AM

        Who's force feeding anything to anyone? And who is getting mad and violent? All I did was state my opinion just like you have. I don't know why you're making confrontational comments about something you've already state that you couldn't care less about. But I guess...some people...LOL.

  • Posted By: DFergun @ 01/06/2009 1:16:46 AM

    Would have been nice to have gotten a movie review from an actual film critic. But, I guess Newsweek is doing their affirmative action thing and handing the "black" story to the sistah.

    • Posted By: notafraidofyou09 @ 01/12/2009 7:43:53 PM

      What does affirmative action have to with anything?

    • Posted By: notafraidofyou09 @ 01/12/2009 7:42:22 PM

      What does AFFIRMATIVE ACTION have to do with anything?

  • Posted By: notafraidofyou09 @ 01/09/2009 10:28:34 PM

    I agree with the people that say that VashBudini & Jimbo3800 are idiots and obviously don't know what they are talking about. They like to make fun of the people who DO know what they are talking about. I'm curious as to why they would be commenting on this film when the culture and images disgust them. Looking up something you have no interest in equals idiot to me. Next time you want to belittle something make sure youcan really back it up.

  • Posted By: Ms Mississippi @ 01/09/2009 2:01:20 PM

    While I realize that this movie is not necessarily typical Oscar material, some of the comments here are really surprising. Some of the commens sound just down right elitist and racist. If you have no interest in seeing the movie, then why are you commenting on the movie review? And if you have such a disdain for rap/hip-hop music & culture, then why are you commenting on here? Yes Bill Cosby, Spike Lee, and Miles Davis are great people. But there are also very lyrically talented and socially conscious rap artists out there also. Maybe if some of you would take the time to exlpore rap/hip-hop music & culture you would see the diversity and depth of the rap/hip-hop music & culture. And for the ignorant person who thinks that "getting offed" is a natural occurrence in the rap community...people (both black and white) get murdered everyday for a variety of reasons. I don't think rap music is the cause behind any of that. Music is just a reflection of what is going on around us. Rap music was created as a voice for people who were being ignored when they were trying to tell the world about the wrongs occurring in their community...poverty, un/underemployment, poor schools, crime, drugs.

  • Posted By: Vsaxena @ 01/05/2009 10:29:22 PM

    First of all, the bougie idiots (VashBudini & Jimbo3800) leaving comments display the ignorance possessed by so many from mainstream society who essentially lack any respect for hiphop and the urban culture. Second, It brightens my day like no other to know that somebody from the 'sophisticated' and 'corporate' world of Newsweek is a "hip-hop fiend like me" too! That's incredible! I appreciate your article dearly and I am extremely excited to see this movie. The trailer definitely makes me feel sad because it is so unfortunate that Biggie & 2Pac died. It was an unnecessary death and I hope Suge gets justice one day just like OJ! Third, I happen to like BLING and PIMPED OUT RIDES and SUBWOOFERS and excuse me Mr. 'Du Whjuor' if that's too ignant and juz not gosh darn goood enuf 4 uze and yoze moztart n baytowen.

    Sincerely,
    V from Raleigh @ ISeeColor/Vsaxena

    • Posted By: YashBudini @ 01/07/2009 11:19:42 AM

      Someone forgot the sign that says - English spoken here. Scratching record is not a musical instrument. Massive sub woofers are just more "in your face" stuff. Solid communication and understandability occurs at human sound levels.

      Bill Cosby and Spike Lee have brains. Miles Davis was a real musican.

      • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 01/07/2009 2:50:27 PM

        Thank you, well said. I will never understand people that promote being "ghetto", like that is some good thing.

        • Posted By: YashBudini @ 01/07/2009 3:53:20 PM

          The blasters are no different than the Harley riding crowd, they are all completely self absorbed. They have a right to make as much noise as they want, you have no rights to be able to hear your own TV in your own living room without painful interruption. Their rights count, your rights don't exist. Suggest otherwise turns to violence.

          Other common myths - fear and respect are the same thing. Far from it. With respect one gets help from someone else by free will, with fear it takes a gun or some other intimidation.

          And then there's the gansta logic of never calling the police. Yeah some pervert rapes your neighbors kids and you just sit there with your mouth shut even though you know who it is, what a farce. That isn't living like a man, that is the lowest form of coward there is. Unwilling to do the right thing because some gangsta logic, then getting a gun AFTER the crime happens to you and yours. And I thought the leisure suits of the 70's was a bad joke.

  • Posted By: Vsaxena @ 01/05/2009 10:28:15 PM

    First of all, the bougie idiots (VashBudini & Jimbo3800) leaving comments display the ignorance possessed by so many from mainstream society who essentially lack any respect for hiphop and the urban culture. Second, It brightens my day like no other to know that somebody from the 'sophisticated' and 'corporate' world of Newsweek is a "hip-hop fiend like me" too! That's incredible! I appreciate your article dearly and I am extremely excited to see this movie. The trailer definitely makes me feel sad because it is so unfortunate that Biggie & 2Pac died. It was an unnecessary death and I hope Suge gets justice one day just like OJ! Third, I happen to like BLING and PIMPED OUT RIDES and SUBWOOFERS and excuse me Mr. 'Du Whjuor' if that's too ignant and juz not gosh darn goood enuf 4 uze and yoze moztart n baytowen.

    Sincerely,
    V from Raleigh @ ISeeColor/Vsaxena

    • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 01/07/2009 2:52:52 PM

      "Urban Culture" - now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one. And please, tell us more about how cool and hip you are because you are not bougie and you are obviously outside of mainstream society.

  • Posted By: YashBudini @ 01/05/2009 11:35:27 AM

    Bling? It's less about sheer status and more about in-your-face. Bling is chump change in the real world.

    Sean Puffed Wheat Who's Your Sugar Daddy Combs, or whatever his name du juor is, comes out with a cologne called "I am King?" Gee, can we make any more money off the gullible?

  • Posted By: eisnine @ 01/04/2009 11:29:51 PM

    That wasn't lip-sync. The actors performed the songs. An important distinction.

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