Big impact, small discography

Few rappers have had the impact on hip-hop that Christopher Wallace did. Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls and The Notorious B.I.G., was truly larger than life.

The George Tilman Jr.-directed "Notorious" examines the influential artist's brief life, from his days a small-time drug dealer through his rise to fame and sudden, tragic death. Throughout the film, as in Biggie's life, there is always one constant: the music.

Despite Biggie's place at the top of almost every fan and critic's list of the greatest rappers of all time, his discography is relatively small. However, even with just two studio albums before his untimely death in a shooting on March 9, 1997, Biggie made an incredible impact.

His quick rise to stardom in the 1990s was largely because he was the complete package. Very few rappers have had the broad talents to appeal to the streets, clubs and radio stations the way Biggie did.

The film's soundtrack does a solid job of highlighting Biggie's versatility, featuring hard-core street songs such as "Kick in the Door" as well as laid-back club hits like "One More Chance." Although the soundtrack is largely a collection of classics, there are six songs that will be new to most listeners, including three never-heard-before demos from early in Biggie's career.

These demos are also featured in the film, performed by Jamal "Gravy" Woolard, who plays Biggie as an adult. Woolard, a rapper himself, does an admirable job mimicking Biggie's flow and delivery on these and other songs.

Unfortunately the soundtrack isn't comprehensive. Notable omissions include Biggie's "Who Shot Ya," which was featured prominently in the film.

While ultimately neither the film "Notorious" nor its accompanying soundtrack are perfect, they both make excellent starting points for further exploration of the life and the music of The Notorious B.I.G., and will go a long way in introducing Biggie to a new generation of fans. *