The premier of the most highly anticipated hip hop bioflick of all times, Notorioius, is less than two weeks away and as promised we’re stepping up the coverage.  Today SOHH.com published an interview with Jamal Woolard (previously known as Gravy) to discuss the transformation from little known rapper and first time actor to playing the most iconic hip hop figure in history, the Notorious B.I.G.

The Brooklyn-bred emcee describes how he put himself through a self imposed  “Biggie Bootcamp” to ensure he emulated biggie’s steeze to the T. in When the extra weight didn’t completely do the trick he resorted to putting a cotton ball in his mouth to fill out his face. From there, Gravy built what he refers to as his “Biggie Bootcamp” where he studied the rapper’s every move.

“Mannerisms, behavior, vocal training, knowing which hand he used to talk, the head rolls the rub of the nose, the breathing patterns.”

“The walk, the wobble the way his feet pointed out. The chin, keeping the chin high so the eyes look closed, always screwing up your face, never having a solid face.”

Woolards B.I.G.est challenge however was gaining weight to more closely resemble B.I.G.

“I was at 285 [pounds]. I went up to 340,” he said. “I didn’t have a second chin. I needed that.”

And even after packing on the pounds he took a page from Marlon Brando in the Godfather and placed cotton balls in his cheeks to fill out his face. In addition Woolard went to school on Biggie’s manorism to most accurately emulate his style as it changed while he aged.

“[As] Notorious he was his heaviest so his patterns of movement was different. [As a younger] B.I. he was harder so he was always snarling. He was younger so he moved faster.”