photo by steed media service

Actor, Rapper and Singer, Notorious

As a child, Dennis “Da Menace” White kept busy by singing in his church’s choir and honing his acting chops on stage. While those days are behind him, White’s childhood activities have given way to his pursuit to become a triple-threat on the brink of stardom.

One of White’s first forays into the world of professional acting was a role as rapper Tupac Shakur in a Washington, D.C., stage play. That little tidbit is interesting considering that the Brooklyn-based actor is currently shooting the highly anticipated biopic on the life of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, whose public beef with Shakur fueled one of hip-hop’s most infamous rap battles.

For White, who portrays Wallace’s childhood friend Damien “D-Rock” Butler in Notorious, the role is a dream come true. “This has been a wonderful experience. The entire cast and crew is nice — everybody gets along. [Wallace’s mother] has been on set almost every day, making sure that it’s authentic,” he explains.

Though D-Rock had been in the late rapper’s corner since Day One, he largely remained behind the scenes and is currently incarcerated, which made preparation for the role challenging for White. But those obstacles didn’t stop White from garnering a compliment from Biggie’s mom, Voletta Wallace. “She pulled me to the side one day and told me I had made her cry [during one of the scenes],” he says. “That made me feel like I’m on the right thing.” ivory m. jones

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