RAP RIVALS
Biggie Smalls broke down in tears after Tupac was shot dead ‘proving’ he WASN’T behind hit, new Netflix doc reveals
BIGGIE Smalls broke down in tears when he learned rap rival Tupac Shakur had been mercilessly gunned down in Las Vegas "proving" he wasn't behind the hit.
The tragic star's wife Faith Evans reportedly told documentary makers how the star called her in shock hours after his former friend had been left for dead by a mystery gunman in September 1996.
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Exact details of are being kept under wraps ahead of it premiering on the popular screening service on Monday (March 1).
However, those to have seen it claim although it does not focus on the bitter East Coast-West Coast rivalry, it does feature Faith telling how the Tupac killing hit her husband hard.
The revelation seems to scupper long-running and unproven rumors that Biggie was somehow involved in the high-profile drive-by shooting of Tupac.
Faith has very rarely spoken about the incident, but she did break her silence nearly 20 years ago amid unproven claims Biggie had offered Crips street gang members $1 million to
In the mid 90s, the former friends were at the heart of a bloody rap war - fueled by jealousy and brutal diss tracks - which would eventually leave both of them dead.
Faith said of the Tupac shooting: "The night [Tupac was shot] I remember Big calling me and crying. I know for a fact he was in Jersey. He called me crying because he was in shock.
"I think it's fair to say he was probably afraid, given everything that was going on at that time and all the hype that was put on this so-called beef that he didn't really have in his heart against anyone.
"I think it would be some element of fear that would kind of run through his mind," she said adding "given the fact that his name was involved in a lot of the situations involving Tupac before his murder."
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"He was already getting threatening phone calls. I'm sure for all he thought, he could be next. Months later... he lost his life as well."
Biggie - born Christopher Wallace - was murdered in March 1997 in a drive-by shooting in . He was just 24 at the time and would have turned 50 next month.
Three years earlier when Tupac was shot for the first time, during a recording session in New York, he publicly accused Biggie of being involved.
The documentary is also said to show Biggie’s last ever interview from 1997, where he seems upset at how his lyrics were being seen as sly digs against his West Coast rap rivals.
After the release of 'Who Shot Ya?', which Tupac interpreted as track mocking his shooting in the Big Apple, he appeared on numerous tracks aiming threatening insults at Biggie.
Notorious examples include the songs 'Against All Odds', 'Bomb First (My Second Reply)' and 'Hit 'Em Up (You claim to be a player, but I f****d your wife)' .
Made in collaboration with Biggie's estate, and featuring the input of his family members and friends, including Sean 'P Diddy' Combs, the new documentary mainly focuses on Biggie's life before fame.
Netflix said: "I Got A Story To Tell offers a fresh look at one of the greatest, most influential rappers of all time by those who knew him best.
"It is an intimate rendering of a man whose rapid ascent and tragic end has been at the center of rap lore for more than twenty years.
"Directed by Emmett Malloy, this intimate documentary features rare footage filmed by his best friend Damion “D-Roc” Butler and new interviews with his closest friends and family."
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The documentary focuses on Biggie's many talents but also shows him torn between his undoubted promise as a rapper and a life of money-making crime on the mean streets of Brooklyn.
It also touches on how he sold crack cocaine on streets corners and how he lost close friends in bloody turf wars.
His mother - Voletta Wallace - is still visibly heartbroken over the time her son brought crack into their home without her knowing.
She said: "This will be the first documentary to focus on the experiences of my son’s life rather than the circumstances of his death.
"It is a celebration of who he was and where he came from. This is how he would have wanted to be remembered."
Biggie was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, on May 21, 1972.
He was signed to Combs' Bad Boy Records when it first launched in 1993 and his debut album 'Ready To Die' was met with widespread critical acclaim and included singles like 'Juicy', 'Big Poppa' and 'One More Chance'.
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Biggie is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time due to his distinctive laidback lyrical delivery and often grim content.
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His music was often semi-autobiographical, rapping about hardship and criminality, but also celebration.
Diddy said in the doc: “He had a life that had such a profound effect. It really gave birth to the future of hip-hop. It wasn’t all for nothing.”
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