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Jamal Woolard | |
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 Woolard in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 8, 1975 |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, rapper |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Dirty Money Records / Warner Bros. Records |
Jamal "Gravy" Woolard (born July 8, 1975) is an American actor and rapper. He portrayed rapper The Notorious B.I.G. in the film Notorious , [1] and reprised the role as a supporting character in the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me .
Woolard is from Bensonhurst Brooklyn and Lafayette Gardens, Brooklyn. [2] In real life he raps under the name "Gravy". He is featured in the song "Untouchable" by Tupac Shakur on the Pac's Life album. He had to add over 50 pounds to his frame to play The Notorious B.I.G. in the film Notorious.
Woolard was previously known for being shot near radio station Hot 97 on 26 April 2006 and giving an interview on the Funkmaster Flex show directly afterwards. [3] His music was later banned from play at the station as a result of a policy that bans "music by any artist who is involved in an altercation at the station." [4]
In 2016, he starred in the movie Barbershop: The Next Cut as Marquese. Woolard reprised his role as The Notorious B.I.G. in All Eyez on Me , a biopic about Tupac Shakur, which was released in June 2017. [5] [6] [7]
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture and values typical of urban gangs, reality of the world and street hustlers. Emerging in the late 1980s, gangsta rap's pioneers include Schoolly D of Philadelphia and Ice-T of Los Angeles, later expanding in California with artists such as N.W.A and Tupac Shakur. In 1992, via record producer and rapper Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg, and their G-funk sound, gangster rap broadened to mainstream popularity.
Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Considered to be one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, academics regard him as one of the most influential music artists of the 20th century and a prominent political activist for Black America. In addition to his music career, Shakur also wrote poetry and had numerous starring roles in movies. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. His lyrical content has been noted for addressing social injustice, political issues, and the marginalization of other African-Americans, but he was also synonymous with gangsta rap and violent lyrics.
Christopher George Latore Wallace, known professionally as the Notorious B.I.G., and also by the stage name Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap traditions, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive, laidback lyrical delivery, offsetting his lyrics' often grim content. His music was usually semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality but also of debauchery and celebration.
Maurice Shakur, better known by his stage name Mopreme Shakur, originally known as Wycked, is an American rapper. He was a member of the hip-hop group Thug Life and is the stepbrother of rapper Tupac Shakur. He was also a member of the Outlawz, but later dropped out because of a financial disagreement with Death Row Records.
Benny Douglas, professionally known as Benny Boom, is an American director who has worked in music, television, and film. His most commercially successful film was the 2017 Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me.
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by American rapper 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly Shakur's former friend turned rival, The Notorious B.I.G.. The song was recorded at Can Am Studios on April 19, 1996. A previous version of the song was recorded on October 31, 1995.
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album, All Eyez on Me (1996). The song features fellow West Coast rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and was produced by Dat Nigga Daz. The song was released as a promotional single for the album on May 7, 1996 and later as the B-side to the album's second major and third overall single, How Do U Want It. The song peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The song contains interpolations of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five's song "The Message" and "Radio Activity Rap " by MC Frosty and Lovin' C.
Bruce Edward Washington Jr., better known by his stage name Hussein Fatal or sometimes as Fatal Hussein, was an American rapper, best known for his collaborative work with Tupac Shakur as a member of the rap group Outlawz.
The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry is a dispute between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s. A focal point of the rivalry was the feud between East Coast–based rapper the Notorious B.I.G. signed by Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label, Bad Boy Records, and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur signed by Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label, Death Row Records. Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. were murdered in drive-by shootings within six months of each other, after which the feud entered a truce with a "peace" summit in 1997 at the behest of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Pac's Life is the tenth and final studio album, and sixth posthumous album by American rapper 2Pac, released on November 21, 2006 on Amaru Entertainment. The album serves as Shakur's tenth and final studio album since Amaru Entertainment completed the redo of Shakur's original discography, from 2Pacalypse Now to The 7 Day Theory. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart.
"Grew Up A Screw Up" is the second single from Ludacris' Release Therapy. The song features Young Jeezy and a sample of The Notorious B.I.G. who sings the hook "I grew up a fucking screw up." In the video, Young Jeezy raps a verse different from the one which appeared on the Release Therapy album. The video premiered on BET's 106 & Park as a New Joint on Friday October 13, 2006. The video has already been released on MTV Jams.
"Who Shot Ya?" is a song by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., backed by Sean Combs. Bad Boy Entertainment released it on February 21, 1995, on an alternate reissue of Wallace's single "Big Poppa/Warning". Its new B-side "Who Shot Ya", a revision of a track already issued earlier in 1995, was "controversial and hugely influential." Widely interpreted as a taunt at Tupac Shakur, the single provoked a "rap battle" between the two rappers, formerly friends.
"Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix)" is a song by rapper Tupac Shakur. The song was released as a remix by Swizz Beatz and Krayzie Bone and was used to promote the 2006 posthumous album Pac's Life. Tupac recorded the song in June, 1996, just prior to the Makaveli recording sessions. The original version has never been officially released. In the Swizz Beatz remix, rapper Krayzie Bone replaces the original featured artists, recording his part sometime in 2005. As the song was released as a promotional single only, no official music video for the song was created. The song contains lyrics similar to other Tupac songs, such as "Killuminati", "Untouchable (Freestyle Version)" and "Capture The Flag".
All Eyez on Me is the fourth and final studio album by American rapper 2Pac to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Redman, Method Man, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, E-40, K-Ci & JoJo, and the Outlawz, among others.
Christopher Wilkinson is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Nixon (1995). He also wrote the screenplays for Ali (2001) and Copying Beethoven (2006), the latter of which he also produced. Most of his scripts are historically based and co-written with Stephen J. Rivele.
Katari Terrance Cox better known by his stage name Kastro, is an American rapper. A cousin of Tupac Shakur, Kastro would perform alongside him in the former's rap group, the Outlawz, and is featured on many of the late rapper's songs such as "Made Niggaz", and "Hail Mary". When he was in elementary school, he introduced his friend, and future Outlawz rapper, Malcolm Greenridge, later named E.D.I. Mean, to Tupac.
Notorious is a 2009 American biographical drama film directed by George Tillman Jr., and written by Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker. It is based on the life of Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist The Notorious B.I.G. Much of the film dramatizes key events in Biggie's life: his criminal lifestyle, arrest and release from prison, his relationships with Sean Combs, Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim and Faith Evans, his involvement in the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and his drive-by-shooting murder on March 9, 1997. The film stars Jamal Woolard as Wallace, with Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, and Anthony Mackie in supporting roles. Biggie's mother, Voletta, served as a producer for the film, alongside his former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts.
All Eyez on Me is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by Benny Boom. Titled after the 1996 studio album, as well as the song of the same name, it is based on the life and death of the American rapper Tupac Shakur. The film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac, with Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan, Hill Harper, and Danai Gurira. Jamal Woolard reprises his role as Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace / The Notorious B.I.G. from Notorious (2009).
Demetrius Shipp Jr. is an American actor. He portrayed rapper and actor Tupac Shakur in the 2017 biopic All Eyez on Me, as well as gang leader Tyrone Moore in All American.
Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant is a Haitian-born music executive and promoter in the rap music industry. He has worked with several popular artists including Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Justin Rose, and Wyclef Jean. In 2007, he was deported from the United States.
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