On Thursday, January 8, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz presented proclamations to the family of Brooklynite Christopher Wallace, aka “Biggie Smalls” and “Notorious B.I.G.,” at a special Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) screening of the new biopic Notorious, presented by Fox Searchlight Pictures and the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office. Wallace, a native of Bedford-Stuyvesant who was fatally shot in 1997 at the age of 24, is regarded as one of music’s most influential rappers.

Among those attending the star-studded Brooklyn premiere were Wallace’s mother, Voletta, the co-producer of Notorious who is played by Angela Bassett in the film; Jamal Woolard, who portrays Notorious B.I.G.; Derek Luke, cast as Sean “Diddy” Combs, the movie’s executive producer; Faith Evans, Wallace’s widow, and her son Joshua Russa; and Wallace’s son, Christopher Wallace, Jr.

Notorious, directed by George Tillman, Jr. and produced by Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, opens nationwide January 16.