By Daniela Capistrano

Like most Notorious B.I.G. fans who are eagerly anticipating the biopic set for release January 16, I was concerned about how true-to-life “Notorious” would be.

Luckily, some folks who were close to the legendary artist signed on as consultants for the film to ensure accuracy, including rapper Lil’ Cease, who gave details about his contributions to the film during our set visit back in May.

This afternoon, Lil’ Cease and friends DJ Mazi O and Rich Nice dropped by the newsroom to visit Sway. Being a big fan of Cease’s style on Lil’ Kim’s debut album, Hard Core, I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to snap a photo.

After our impromptu photo shoot, Cease shared some info with us about his latest project, “Hard Body Fitness,” a series of unconventional fitness videos directed by Mazi O that are available on YouTube and a DVD soon to be released on HardBodyMusicGroup.com.

The rapper describes the videos as ” ‘hood official,” featuring techniques similar to calisthenics with a street perspective. Lil’ Cease and surprise guests demonstrate routines that can be done anywhere — from the gym to right on your block.

When asked what makes these videos different from other workout series, director Mazi O grinned, “You just have to check out the trailer.”

A quick search on YouTube revealed a clip dated November 4 that features Cease with Cardan and Havoc from Mobb Deep. In the video, Lil’ Cease is in a gym pumping some serious iron. It all seems like your average workout session until 1:31 into the clip, when Cease straps two huge car rims to his waist and does some pull-ups. Ouch! But it looked effective. Check it out for yourself.

The “Hard Body” videos are just the beginning for the franchise. They plan to release several series that will target all fitness levels and age groups.

Lil’ Cease is keeping busy with “Hard Body Fitness,” so he doesn’t currently have any tour plans, although he did let us know that he has a solo project coming out soon that will feature Cancun, Cardan (of Harlem World) and J Bonkers, all part of his Hard Body Entertainment roster.

Oh, and ladies, they are also now accepting applications for women to be in the next DVD: “Hard Body Women.”

What do you think about trailer? Which artists would you like to see in a fitness video online? Let us know in the comments!