Voletta Wallace, the dedicated mother of one of Hip-hop’s greatest lyricists The Notorious B.I.G. has died at the age of 78.
Wallace died in the early hours of Friday at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania according to Monroe County.
She was instrumental in making sure her son’s legacy was kept alive, despite being dismissive of Notorious B.I.G’s style even labelling it as ”noise”
Wallace also launched the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation following her son’s death, an organisation that provides educational resources for children.
In 2003, she honoured mothers of other musicians who died untimely deaths — Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tupac Shakur, Jam Master Jay, Big Pun, Big L and Freaky Tah — at “B.I.G. Night Out,” a benefit for the foundation.
She also took legal action on behalf of her son. In 2004, she dropped a wrongful-death lawsuit against a former suspect in the rap star’s slaying — Amir Muhammad, aka Harry Billups.
With two posthumous albums released, Notorious B.IG certified U.S. sales exceed 28 million copies, including 21 million albums.
Rolling Stone called him the “greatest rapper that ever lived”, In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Credit: AFP
