A new documentary about the Notorious B.I.G. — told through the lens of his son who was just five months old when the illustrious rapper died — is in the works.
Time Studios is producing Understanding Christopher Wallace, which promises “an intimate look at the untold life story of one of the greatest rappers to ever live … from the perspective of the son who never knew him.”
Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace in New York City, was shot to death in March 1997. C.J. Wallace, the rapper’s son with Grammy-winning R&B singer Faith Evans, was born in Oct. 1996.
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“Over the past few years, I realized my personal journey is connected to understanding who Christopher George Latore Wallace was outside of his big rap persona,” C.J. Wallace said in a statement. “I am on a journey to fully understand the world he lived in and the massive impact he had on American and Black history and by doing so, I can ensure that I honor his hopes and dreams while I build and create my own legacy for future generations of Wallaces.”
Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls, had major success in the ’90s with the multi-platinum albums Ready to Die and Life After Death, which was released 16 days after his murder. His hits include anthems like “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” ”Stay With Me,” “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money Mo Problems,” and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
Time Studios say the documentary “is a dual narrative that navigates between the lives of both Christopher Jr. and Sr. – from the 2020’s back to the 1980’s – exploring concepts of identity, legacy, and fatherhood. As C. J. chases a deeper understanding of his own destiny, his quest uncovers a more holistic portrait of his dad than the world has ever known.”
Evans, Lil Kim, Jadakiss, Lil Cease and others participate and speak with C.J. Wallace in the doc.
“The Notorious B.I.G. had such an immense impact on not only music, but also on popular culture as a whole. But this film is about so much more than that,” Loren Hammonds, head of documentary at Time Studios, said in a statement. “It’s about fatherhood, loss, and love. It’s incredibly special to be able to let audiences learn about the man behind the myth through C.J.’s eyes, and we’re very proud to play a part in carrying on Christopher Wallace’s inimitable legacy.”
Vikram Gandhi, known for Barry, 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez and Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, is directing.
“It’s an honor to document C.J.’s personal odyssey to understand his father and to create a deeper and more definitive film about the man behind the persona Notorious B.I.G., Christopher Wallace,” Gandhi said in a statement.
Executive producers on the project include Time Studios’ Loren Hammonds, Alexa Conway, Mike Beck, and Lynne Benioff and Wayne Barrow, Elliot Osagie, and Doug DeLuca, produced by Frank White’s Willie Mack and Tiffany Persons and director Vikram Gandhi.
”We are honored to partner with Time Studios on the production of a deeply personal documentary for C.J. and the Wallace family. Working with Loren Hammonds and the incredible team at Time as well as Vikram Gandhi, their wealth of experience in the documentary space is unparalleled and has provided us with the best partners for this unique project,” Willie Mack, producer and co-founder of Frank White, said in a statement. “TIME’s expertise in sharing the stories of pivotal moments in history, aligns perfectly with our mission to bring a new and deeper understanding of the lives of Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace and Christopher Jordan Wallace’s to the world. We cannot wait to share their remarkable journeys with audiences worldwide.”
Time Studios won the 2021 Emmy Award for outstanding interactive program for Space Explorers: The ISS Experience. The company has developed numerous projects that have been sold to streaming services and distributors including Netflix, Amazon, Paramount+, HBO, Showtime, Nickelodeon, ABC and CNN Films. Their projects include jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, John Lewis: Good Trouble, Katrina Babies, TheTurning Point and Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space.
