Brooklyn’s mourning the loss of a matriarchal rap figure, as the Notorious B.I.G.‘s mother, Voletta Wallace, has reportedly passed away. She was 72 years old.
According to TMZ, Wallace was in hospice care in Stroudsburg, PA at the time of her death and reportedly died of natural causes, a local coroner confirmed. Wallace, who lost her son in 1997 after a fatal shooting in Los Angeles, served as the manager of his estate and spent the remainder of her life celebrating his music and cultural impact. She also founded and administrated the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, a non-profit that has worked to expand access to arts programs across New York City. In 2019, the organization led the effort to rename the stretch of St. James Place between Gates Avenue and Fulton Street to “Christopher Wallace Way.”
Born in Jamaica in 1953, Wallace immigrated to Brooklyn and raised her son as a single mother in Clinton Hill. When Biggie signed to Bad Boy Records in 1993, Wallace was actively involved in guiding his career. She also appeared in the video for his hit 1994 single “Juicy,” in which she is referenced as the proud mother of a rap star: “Thinkin’ back on my one-room shack, now my mom pimps a Ac’ with minks on her back/And she loves to show me off of course, smiles every time my face is up in The Source.”
Memorial announcement has yet to arrive, but a local ceremony is likely to follow. Check back for updates in the days ahead.
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