On Tuesday (June 11), TIME Studios announced that they are currently working on a new documentary titled Understanding Christopher Wallace. Describing it as “an intimate look at the untold life story” of late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., the press release attached to the news explained that the doc will follow Biggie’s son Christopher “C.J.” Wallace, who was born five months before his father died in 1997.
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Considering Biggie died before he could share any substantial time with his at-the-time newborn son, Wallace will seek to learn more about his father throughout the doc, as it will show footage of both Biggie’s time in the spotlight and Wallace in present-day. Further discussing the concept of the doc, TIME Studios’ head of documentary Loren Hammonds shared a statement.
“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,” she said. “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.”
Additionally, Wallace offered a quote for the press release, sharing his excitement about his goals of carrying on his father’s legacy while building up one for himself.
“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,” Wallace said. “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.”
Understanding Christopher Wallace will be directed by Vikram Gandhi, who previously directed and produced the 2020 Hulu documentary about polarizing New York rapper 6ix9ine titled 69: The Sage of Danny Hernandez.
“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 BIG, Christopher Wallace,” Gandhi said.
The documentary has yet to be given a release date, but will likely arrive in the same year as many other documentaries in 2023 that helped celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.
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