Who’s the G.O.A.T, Biggie or Tupac? There are a few more names when that question is raised but for now we will focus on their life stories, well the ones that will and have been portrayed on the big screen.
Their history is the stuff of legends, much like Superman and Lex Luthor. Once friends, now hated enemies, but still heap a mutual respect for one another. But this is not about whose the best rapper (we can do that later), this is a comparison of their movies. Maybe we have seen Notorious, the biopic of the late Notorious B.I.G, and if you’re like me you thoroughly enjoyed it. But there was something missing, it took me a while to figure it out, and it finally hit me when word that Tupac’s movie was being released.
There was little substance.
The acting was good, minus me not buying Derek Luke as Puffy but other than that I enjoyed the film. The scene with B.I.G and Faith walking down the street, and the end, at the table with his family when he said the prayer, one of the best moments in the movie. But it’s like a distant memory, especially after the release of Straight Outta Compton. I can remember scenes and lines from Beat Street but struggle to remember most from Notorious. It just didn’t stick with me. And it wasn’t the actors or directors fault, B.I.G didn’t have a full story to tell. We were cheated out of a great career and I get that a movie had to be done, the masses were calling for it but he didn’t have enough of a story for the masses.
Later this year in November we will get the movie the world’s been waiting for, All Eyes On Me. And with that one sentence I just summed up why Pac’s movie will outshine Biggie’s.
B.I.G fans will never admit this as they are a loyal bunch but Pac was by far the biggest star, and not just hood wise either. The world knew Tupac, Pac was global, Biggie was reaching for that level. But when comparing the movies, how can Notorious be better? Big dropped two albums and considered himself the greatest, while Pac has dropped more albums dead than Biggie did alive. Straight Outta Compton was about N.W.A. and their music but didn’t have enough time to focus on their careers after the group as much. We didn’t get to see how Dr. Dre became so large and such a legendary producer, or how he signed Eminem, 50 Cent then turned headphones into the next iPhone craze. What about Cube and what he has done after the group, music wise but also how he became one of the most sought after actors of this generation.
You see where I’m going with this? How are they supposed to fit Pac’s life in one movie? As much potential as it has it may turn out to be a clutter job. The music alone, much like Straight Outta Compton could take up en entire 120 minutes but what about his acting, his issues with the law, his ties to the Black Panther party? There will be no shortage of substance with All Eyes On Me as Pac gave the game more, he may not have been the best rapper of the two but he meant more to Hip Hop than Biggie did.
All Eyes On Me has the potential to be as big if not bigger than Straight Outta Compton, while Notorious had its moments it was limited due to the focal point of the story being limited. Pac lived, he hustled hard in his time on this earth and come November 11th, all eyes will be on Tupac.