By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Feb 26th 2010 10:47AM
Filed under: Celebrity News, News
A movie production company claims that it paid $30,000 dollars for footage of the late Christopher Wallace, also known as "The Notorious B.I.G.," and never received that footage from the estate. Kaushi Entertainment and Dro-Entertainment are arguing in court that they signed an agreement in 2007 to buy archival footage of Biggie from RocDarling Films, the production company run by a rapper named Damion Butler.
Before his death, Biggie was a huge player in the game of east coast hip hop. His album "Ready to Die" was No. 1 on the U.S. pop and R&B charts.
RocDarling released a documentary called "Biggie Smalls: Rap Phenomenon," in 2009, using unreleased footage of Wallace. In the lawsuit, Kaushi and Dro-Entertainment also sued Faith Evans, the widow of Wallace and the estate, asking for $5 million dollars for the alleged fraud and breach of contract.
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Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Ray Charles
Movie: 'Ray'
Year: 2004
Element: The legendary Grammy Award singer died a few months before the biopic on his life, 'Ray', was in theaters. Jamie Foxx, who played Charles on screen, netted the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance.
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Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Before Their Time
With this week's release of the new movie 'Soul Men,' Bernie Mac (pictured left) joins the growing list of the actors who met an untimely demise before their film's release. Dating all the way back to Hollywood's golden era of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean to the worldwide shock of Heath Ledger (pictured center), some actors have died before their prime. Even young stars of the hip-hop music scene such as Aaliyah (pictured right) and Tupac Shakur also died before their time. Reflect and ponder.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Ray Charles
Movie: 'Ray'
Year: 2004
Element: The legendary Grammy Award singer died a few months before the biopic on his life, 'Ray', was in theaters. Jamie Foxx, who played Charles on screen, netted the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Bernie Mac
Movie: 'Soul Men'
Year: 2008
Element: The well-known comedian, who had a hit TV show with his own name as the title, died in August of the this year, never getting the chance to see his last films, 'Soul Men' and 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' on the big screen.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Isaac Hayes
Movie: 'Soul Men'
Year: 2008
Element: Under unusual circumstance, Hayes died a day after his 'Soul Men' co-star, Bernie Mac, died.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Aaliyah
Movie: 'Queen of the Damned'
Year: 2002
Element: After a promising start to a film career with 'Romeo Must Die,' and with upcoming roles in 'Honey' and the second and third 'Matrix' films, the R&B singer died at the age of 22 shortly before her latest film was to be released.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Tupac Shakur
Movie: 'Gridlock'd'
Year: 1997
Element: With his music career already a success-despite his troubles with the law-and an acting career ready to ignite after supporting roles in 'Above the Rim' and 'Poetic Justice,' the famed rapper was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas before the release of several films he had already completed, including 'Gridlock'd' with Thandie Newton.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Gloria Foster
Movie: 'The Matrix' and The Matrix Reloaded'
Year: 2001
Element: Known as the original Oracle in the first and second 'Matrix,' Foster died of diabetes before going back to complete the trilogy. Mary Alice filled her spot in 'The Matrix: Revolutions'
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Heath Ledger
Movie: 'The Dark Knight'
Year: 2008
Element: No early death shocked the world more than that of Ledger, who would never see his brilliant performance as the Joker in the second highest grossing film ever. He died of a drug overdose in January of 2008.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Bruce Lee
Movie: 'Enter the Dragon'
Year: 1973
Element: Already known as a martial arts expert. And with 'Fist of Fury' to his film credit, Lee died of a cerebral edema at 32 before 'Enter The Dragon' would be released and make him a legend for all-time.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
Famous Face: Brandon Lee
Movie: 'The Crow'
Year: 1993
Element: Just like his father, legendary martial arts expert Bruce Lee, Brandon died before his fame lit up with his role in 'The Crow' when he was accidentally killed by a faulty prop gun on the set.
Actors Who Died Before Their Last Film Opened
The "gangsta rap" industry is one of the most intriguing economic phenomenons of the 20th and 21st centuries. Most of the music can be traced back to NWA and the rapper Ice-T, who were the first to use profanity on an album, and to talk about the experiences of gang life. The violence was clearly disturbing and to some extent objectionable. It also served as a marketing tool for the Crips and Bloods in South Central Los Angeles, with images of hyper masculinity being sold to African Americans across the nation. Black people weren't the ones buying most of the records, but we were the ones who replicated the behavior being portrayed on the albums.
The most economically interesting thing about the multi-billion dollar "gangsta rap" industry is that initially, no one wanted to finance it. American corporations were petrified of the angry young black men in the industry and didn't want to come near it with a ten foot pole. Well, their lack of vision created an opening for drug dealers and others who were able to funnel money to help aspiring artists to finance their initial projects. It also created a volatile experience for the artists, given that the industry was shady and unregulated. The result was a financial bonanza, allowing companies to release platinum records at the drop of a hat.
For good or bad, the final product of the original "gangsta rap" vision are the artists that dominate the airwaves today, including Lil wayne, TI, and others. Even the rapper Ice Cube has a song in which the lyrics state that, "Ain't no kings in this rap game, their siblings. Nothing but my children....."
Ice Cube is right. Being part of the original crew that created a style of music that took over the nation, he and others can claim that they created the industry that is so prevalent today. What is also interesting is that Ice Cube, Eazy -E, Dr. Dre and other members of the original group NWA were products of an urban environment that didn't have to exist. The gang warfare in South Central Los Angeles was not created by the young men who were terrorized by it. Their music was merely a reflection of that reality.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
