The funeral of Voletta Wallace, mother of The Notorious B.I.G., drew a star-studded gathering of hip-hop’s elite in New York City on Wednesday, as the industry paid tribute to the woman who safeguarded her son’s legacy. Wallace passed away at the age of 78 on February 21, succumbing to natural causes while in hospice care. Her son Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, was a towering figure in hip-hop until his life was cut short in a 1997 drive-by shooting at just 24 years old.
In the years that followed, his mother became the guardian of his estate, ensuring that his influence and impact only grew with time. Among those in attendance were two of Biggie’s most famous exesm Lil’ Kim and Faith Evans. Other notable guests included Christian Combs, son of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs; Gloria Carter, Jay-Z’s mother; and Biggie’s own children, C.J. and T’yanna Wallace—all coming together to honor the matriarch who helped keep Biggie’s name alive.
The funeral of Voletta Wallace, mother of The Notorious B.I.G.—drew a star-studded gathering of hip-hop’s elite in New York City on Wednesday, as the industry paid tribute to the woman who safeguarded her son’s legacy; (pictured Faith Evans)
Other notable guests included Christian Combs, son of Sean ‘ Diddy ‘ Combs
Wallace died of natural causes Feb 21 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania , the Monroe County Coroner informed TMZ; pictured in 2022. Wallace passed away on Friday morning in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, according to confirmation from the Monroe County Coroner. Her death follows controversial remarks she made about Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who is currently in jail awaiting trial over multiple allegations, including rape.
Back in 1993, her son Christopher became the first artist signed to Diddy’s label, Bad Boy Records. However, reports suggest that Biggie was planning to leave the label before his tragic murder in 1997. The rapper was gunned down in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Last year, Wallace didn’t hold back when addressing the growing number of 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual abuse allegations against Diddy. ‘I hope that I see Sean one day and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him. And you can quote me on that,’ she told Rolling Stone. She went on to express disappointment, admitting she once had a fond opinion of him.
Among those in attendance were two of Biggie’s most famous exes, Lil’ Kim (pictured) and Faith Evans, who set aside their differences in the wake of his passing.
Jay-Z’s mom Gloria Carter
Mase paid tribute to Wallace
Notorious BIG’s daughter T’yanna Wallace ‘Because I liked him. I didn’t want to believe all the awful things, but I’m so ashamed and embarrassed,’ she said in the same interview. Her disgust only deepened after footage surfaced showing Diddy physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel in 2016.
‘I’m praying for Cassie. I’m praying for his mother. I don’t want to believe the things that I’ve heard, but I’ve seen [the hotel video]. I pray that he apologizes to her,’ Wallace said, adding that Diddy ‘needs to apologize to his mother, Janice Combs. ‘I hope to God he sits her down and spills his guts and apologizes to her.’ Born in Brooklyn in 1972, Wallace raised Biggie largely on her own after her husband left the family when their son was just two years old.
She brought him up as a Jehovah’s Witness and encouraged his education, but she couldn’t shield him from the rising drug crisis in New York. During the crack epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, Biggie became involved in drug dealing and even served a nine-month jail sentence before turning his life around and launching his rap career. Despite his rapid rise to fame, he remained close to his mother, who watched as he became one of hip-hop’s most celebrated artists of the 1990s.
The rapper’s son C. J. Wallace
T’yanna and friends outside the funeral
Wallace passed away at the age of 78 on February 21 , succumbing to natural causes while in hospice care
Born in Brooklyn in 1972, Wallace raised Biggie largely on her own after her husband left the family when their son was just two years old
She brought him up as a Jehovah’s Witness and encouraged his education, but she couldn’t shield him from the rising drug crisis in New York
During the crack epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, Biggie became involved in drug dealing and even served nine-months in jail before turning his life around and launching his rap career
His murder remains one of the music industry’s greatest mysteries, sparking endless conspiracy theories over the years
Lil’ Kim and The Notorious B.I.G. had a complex and highly publicized relationship, both professionally and personally
As his protégé and lover, she rose to fame under his mentorship, but their romance was tumultuous, marked by passion, heartbreak, and creative collaboration
Biggie Smalls, as he was known to fans, was one of the reigning hip-hop stars of his era until he was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1997 at the age of 24; pictured in 1995
Wallace, who raised her son as Jehovah’s Witness, is pictured in 2007 posing with a wax figure of him at Madame Tussauds in New York – 10 years after Biggie’s murder Biggie was also a central figure in the infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry, often pitted against fellow rap legend Tupac Shakur. His murder remains one of the music industry’s greatest mysteries, sparking endless conspiracy theories over the years. Following his death, Wallace took control of her son’s estate, dedicating herself to preserving his legacy. In 2019, she proudly attended the renaming of a Brooklyn street in his honor, posing alongside his longtime friends Lil’ Kim and Lil’ Cease. She was also a producer on the 2009 biopic Notorious, which chronicled Biggie’s life, with Jamal Woolard portraying the late rapper, Derek Luke playing Diddy, and Anthony Mackie taking on the role of Tupac Shakur.
