Biggie

Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.

Voletta Wallace, Tremell McKenzie

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN:
  9780743470209
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• eBook ISBN:
  9781416516484

Experience the untold story of Voletta Wallace, mother of the Notorious B.I.G., as she shares a poignant memoir of love, loss, and the enduring legacy of her son, Christopher Wallace.

Voletta Wallace, the mother of Christopher, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G., became a matriarch of hip-hop on March 9, 1997—the night her legendary son was murdered. An intensely private and religious person, she was thrust into the spotlight of the media and charged with managing the legacy of a hip-hop icon.

Biggie reveals the story of how Ms. Wallace came to America and raised a son who—in a life cut too short—grew to be one of the most beloved recording artists of his generation. Born and raised in Jamaica, West Indies, she immigrated to the United States as a young woman, aspiring to her version of the American Dream. Once here, she fell in love. The relationship didn’t work out, but it did result in a beautiful son. The bright and precocious Christopher became the center of her world, and she the foundation of his.

Biggie is Voletta Wallace’s story and her tribute-in-writing to her beloved son. In a no-holds-barred way, she tells the truth about the night her son was senselessly shot, the terrible aftermath, and what she believes led to his untimely death. She shares her misgivings about the treacherous nature of the entertainment industry and condemns the individuals who posed as friends of her late son while treating her and his memory with little respect. She acknowledges those—the mothers of other slain hip-hop artists, including Tupac Shakur and Jason Mizell—who gave her moral and material support in the dark moments of mourning her son and attending to the business and legal issues, many of which remain unresolved.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Chapter 1: Coming to America
• Chapter 2: One Lie and a Baby
• Chapter 3: Happy Birthday
• Chapter 4: My Bad Boy
• Chapter 5: He was not Ready to Die
• Chapter 6: My Big Poppa
• Chapter 7: Faith
• Chapter 8: On That Morning
• Chapter 9: Is it Mo Money, Mo Problems?
• Chapter 10: Friend of Mine?
• Chapter 11: Biggie & Tupac: Friend or Foe?
• Chapter 12: My Life After Death
• Acknowledgments
• Copyright