Hip-Hop Legends Gather to Honor Voletta Wallace at Heartfelt Funeral

NEW YORK — A star-studded group of hip-hop luminaries gathered Wednesday at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel to pay their respects to Voletta Wallace, the beloved mother of late rapper Notorious B.I.G., who passed away at 78 last month. Wallace died of natural causes while in hospice care in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, as confirmed by the Monroe County Coroner.

Widely recognized for her role in safeguarding Biggie’s legacy, Voletta Wallace was remembered by family and friends, including Faith Evans and Lil’ Kim, who navigated their own histories with the late rapper. Evans, who was married to Biggie when he was gunned down in 1997, reflected on the event, emphasizing the importance of unity among all attendees. “My issues with Kim really went out the window when B.I.G. passed, to be quite honest,” Evans said.

C.J. Wallace, Biggie’s son with Evans, arrived early in a cream Gucci tuxedo, followed shortly by T’yanna Wallace, Biggie’s daughter from his high school sweetheart, Jan Jackson. Christian Combs, son of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently detained on charges including racketeering, also paid his respects representing his father. Diddy, instrumental in Biggie’s rise to fame, was notably absent from the ceremony.

The funeral, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., saw attendees checked by security upon arrival, ensuring only approved guests entered. Attendees included Jay-Z’s mother, Gloria Carter, Bad Boy Records artist Mase, and RCA Records executive Mark Pitts.

Wallace’s casket was decorated with pink and white flowers, surrounded by family photographs as a tribute to her legacy. The funeral home, known for hosting prominent figures in the past, previously held Biggie’s service on March 18, 1997, just nine days after his death.

Voletta Wallace, hailed as a matriarch, played a crucial role in establishing the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, which is now valued at an estimated $160 million. The family released a statement saying, “This will be an opportunity for all of us to acknowledge and pay tribute to the matriarch who built her son’s memory into the legacy that stands today.”

Fans and supporters also gathered the night before for a public viewing, an opportunity to honor the woman who kept Biggie’s legacy alive in the years following his death. “She was like a mother figure,” said Young Jefe. “She did everything in her power to keep her son’s legacy going.”

Wallace raised Biggie, born Christopher George Latore Wallace, largely on her own after his father left the family in 1974. Throughout his successful yet tumultuous career, she remained a supportive figure until his tragic and still-unsolved murder, a dark chapter that still resonates in the hip-hop community.

The emotional ceremony concluded with a program that included an inscription honoring Wallace as a loving mother and fearless fighter. As her family and friends left the chapel, they carried with them the legacy of a woman who had shaped not only her son’s life but also the music landscape of hip-hop as a whole.