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Share This \| Related Jamal Woolard as Notorious B.I.G. Tapped as Biggie Smalls
By Mary Browning Mar 7, 2008

New York rapper Jamal Woolard will get his "B.I.G." break, as he will star as Notorious B.I.G. in "Notorious" on the big screen. Woolard, a Brooklyn-based rapper, has been tapped to play late rap icon Biggie Smalls. According to Hip-Hop Elements, two years ago, the budding MC made headlines after he did a radio interview at New York hip-hop station Hot 97 moments after he was shot outside of the building.

Jamal Woolard as the Notorious B.I.G. (Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Like Biggie, Woolard sold drugs before he picked up the mic. He had released a number of albums on indie labels in the 1990s before being signed by Warner Bros.

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"Finding B.I.G. was a task in itself, and I'm honored that so many young men came out to audition for the role," Voletta Wallace, Biggie's mother, said in a statement released Thursday (March 6). "However, it was Jamal's charming personality, warm spirit, wonderful sense of humor and beautiful smile that won my heart. He is a talented and charismatic actor, and I am excited that he will bring Christopher's character to the big screen."

Reuters notes that Woolard, who also is known as Gravy, is not a total unknown. He has released a number of albums, though he's perhaps best known for being shot before a radio appearance outside the New York hip-hop station Hot 97 two years ago, after which he proceeded with the interview and became a part of hip-hop lore.

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