Heartbreaking news to share today, I Love Old School Music family… Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., passed away at the age of 78 on Friday, February 21, 2025, at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. According to Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac, she was under hospice care and died of natural causes.

Born in Jamaica, Voletta Wallace immigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York. She worked as a schoolteacher and single-handedly raised her son, Christopher Wallace, who would later be known as The Notorious B.I.G. Despite initial reservations about his music, which she once referred to as “noise,” Voletta became a steadfast supporter of her son’s burgeoning career.

Tragedy struck in 1997 when Christopher was fatally shot in Los Angeles at the age of 24, a case that remains unsolved. In the aftermath, Voletta dedicated herself to preserving and promoting her son’s legacy. She managed his estate, which grew from an estimated $10 million at the time of his death to approximately $160 million.

In 2009, Voletta served as a producer for the biographical film “Notorious,” which chronicled her son’s life and career. She was portrayed by actress Angela Bassett in the movie.

Beyond her work in film, Voletta was instrumental in various initiatives to honor her son’s memory. She launched the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, an organization focused on providing educational resources to children.

In 2020, Voletta proudly represented her son during his posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Reflecting on the honor, she expressed immense pride in his accomplishments, stating, “As a mother, I’m extremely proud of his accomplishments… it’s an astute honor, and as a mother, I’m just elated for that.”

Voletta’s commitment to her son’s legacy extended to the music industry, where she oversaw the release of posthumous albums and collaborations. Her efforts ensured that The Notorious B.I.G.’s influence remained prominent in the evolving hip-hop landscape.

In her personal reflections, Voletta often spoke about the emotional journey of coming to terms with her son’s music and its impact. She recounted a poignant moment when she immersed herself in his work, stating, “I cried so much that day just listening to the music… I said, ‘Oh my God – that was a talented young man to put those words together.’ He had a beautiful voice. I love his voice.”

Voletta Wallace’s unwavering dedication to her son’s memory has left an indelible mark on the music community and fans worldwide. Her efforts not only preserved The Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy but also highlighted the profound bond between a mother and her son. As the hip-hop community mourns her passing, her contributions continue to inspire and resonate. Voletta Wallace, rest peacefully queen. 🙏🏾👑

The post R.I.P.- Mother Of Notorious B. I.G., Voletta Wallace, Passes away At 78 🕊 appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

A New York street is now renamed after late rap legend Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace. Brooklyn has another piece of history in place.

At the corner of St. James Place and Fulton Street, it’s now “Christopher ‘Notorious B.I.G.‘ Wallace Way.” Yes, the whole thing is the street’s name now, according to Fox 5 News. Reportedly, B.I.G.’s family members and friends were in the ceremony’s attendance. That included singer Faith Evans as well.

It’s only fitting that officials would bring the honor back to Notorious B.I.G.’s neighborhood, on St. James Place in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Pitchfork reports that the renaming ceremony was held at the corner of Fulton Street and St. James Place, in Clinton Hill.

According to Fox News 5, it was rainy. But that wasn’t stopping anyone from coming out to the event. “SPREAD LOVE, IT’S THE BROOKLYN WAY,” the source captioned a video of the event.

“The rain won’t stop family, friends and fans of legendary rapper Christopher Wallace -the Notorious B.I.G.- from honoring his memory at a street renaming for the late Brooklynite,” Fox reports.

Here’s Video Of Biggie’s Renaming Ceremony [Video]>>>

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At the time of his death his youngest child, CJ Wallace, was only five months old but now he’s a twenty-two year old entrepreneur with a budding career within the cannabis industry. And in honor of his late father he has named a new strain of marijuana after him.

Like Father Like Son

Embed from Getty Images

While speaking with Esquire magazine (via Hot New Hip Hop) CJ, whose mother is R&B superstar Faith Evans, admitted his love for marijuana by relaying a story in which he discovered the age his father began smoking.

“I got to talk to my uncle…I think he was actually the first person my dad smoked weed with, and I found out that we actually smoked weed around the same age. I was 16. His first experience was way cooler than mine, in Jamaica. You know, in his homeland. I can only imagine the experience that he had. And he was with family, so he was probably very comfortable.”

CJ also admitted that he grew up around marijuana his entire life which more than likely prompted him to invest in the booming cannabis industry. CJ, along with his business partners Willie Mack and his stepfather, Faith’s ex-husband Todd Russaw, formed the Think Big company which encourages the use of cannabis as a tool for creativity, contemplation and healing. And aside from recreation, CJ is also welll aware of the medicinal benefits cannabis has to offer.

“My little brother, Ryder, has non-verbal autism and through research, my family heard about Jayden’s Juice and other CBD products for kids with epilepsy and autism. Watching him calm down and be less frustrated when trying to express himself was the big sign of cannabis being used for medicine, and that solidified my belief in the powers of the cannabis and hemp plants.”

CJ is truly about his business and also wants to use his company to pay homage to his father, a man still highly respected in the music industry. And the name he’s chosen for this new strain is a perfect way to show his respect.

Next Page: CJ Uses The Perfect Name For His Product

The post Notorious B.I.G.’s Son, CJ Wallace Sells New Strain of Marijuana In Honor Of His Late Father appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Before We Start…

Before we get into what’s currently goin’ on with Faith’s family, can we take a second to talk about the fact that her son, Christopher Jordan Wallace Jr. a.k.a. C.J. Wallace has grown up?!! He’s 21 years old now and out here lookin’ like a slim look-alike version of his legendary pops, Christopher Wallace Sr. a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G.! Here is a recent pic of him…

Aiight now onto the bombshells and things..

Bombshell About Biggie’s & Faith’s Son & Why Family Is Reportedly Pissed

When news spread like wildfire that Faith married Stevie J seemingly outta the blue, many were surprised for several reasons: (1) Fans questioned why Faith suddenly married Stevie, with all of his baby-mama drama; (2) Many also wondered what to make out of Faith marrying her deceased husband’s producer.

Well, now we all have a reason to add a new question to the aforementioned: Why did Faith marry the GODFATHER of her and Biggie’s son? Yep, you read that right, Stevie J is who Biggie and Faith apparently chose as the godfather to Christopher Jr., which made sense, given that Stevie was such a close friend to both of them. That adds even more fuel to the reportedly furious fire that is now burning among Faith’s family, regarding her latest impromptu wedding.

Word on the Old School curb is that C.J. is pissed off to the highest level of pissivity (that’s not a real word…but y’all get it) after learning that his moms upped and married his godfather. Faith’s family is also pissed about it, according to TMZ. Here’s what was just reported:

Family sources on both sides tell TMZ … they were never given a heads-up marriage was even a possibility. We’re told there was never talk — not a hint — of a wedding. Faith was scheduled to be in L.A. getting ready for a London trip, and Stevie was just in Atlanta for ‘Love & Hip Hop’ … so the Vegas rendezvous that ended in “I do” floored everyone.

Our sources say there are a lot of hurt feelings among those close to the couple … especially their kids. We’re told Faith’s son, CJ Wallace — her child with Biggie Smalls — is especially upset … because he’s also Stevie’s godson.

There’s more…

Family Thinks Stevie J Manipulated Faith Into Marriage?

It was also reported that Faith’s family believes Stevie J. manipulated and/or pressured Faith into doing a quickie marriage, so she wouldn’t consult with them and thus, change her mind:

Via TMZ- Family sources on Faith’s side tell us … Faith told them Stevie J went to her Tuesday and told her they needed to get married that day. The sources think Stevie J knew if Faith started telling friends and family she was marrying him, they would talk her out of it. …Friends and family members were blowing up Faith’s phone Wednesday, asking her why she did it. She responded by sending them a song she just recorded with Stevie J called, “A Minute” with the explanation … it only took a minute to fall in love.

Oh boy! This is like a real-life reality show…minus the scripted TV fights.

The post Hours After Faith Gets Married, Bombshell Drops About Biggie & Faith’s Son..And It’s Not Good appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Reunited in Heaven. Biggie and Craig Mack #RIP #BadBoy pic.twitter.com/cDX81vIzmv

— Bill Desmarais (@DollarDollaBill) March 13, 2018

Although it’s been years since the hip hop world heard the dope rapper spit, upon hearing about his untimely passing, many fans instantly craved a sense of 90’s nostalgia in honor of Craig Mack’s memory. For the past 24 hours, many have been blasting Mack’s 1994, classic remix for “Flava In Your Ear.” That song set the tone for Bad Boy Records, because as Diddy recently pointed out, it was the label’s first hit ever. It was also the first time fans had the opportunity to hear Craig Mack, L.L. Cool J., Rampage, Busta Rhymes, and Notorious B.I.G. on one song. Speaking of Biggie, shortly following Craig Mack’s unfortunate passing, details have now re-emerged about the history he and Craig Mack had back in the day. Let’s just say that it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.

The United Front

In the mid 90’s, Craig Mack was oftentimes seen in interviews and shows together. Unbeknownst to most of us at that time, the so called brotherhood we thought we were witnessing, was anything but, when it came to Biggie and Mack. In fact, according to what Biggie revealed back in the day, he was only on Mack’s song and seen in public with him to put up a united front for the sake of their Bad Boy clique.

(Video) Biggie Admits He Didn’t “F— With” Craig Mack

Their dislike for each other was so prevalent, that it eventually got to a point in which Biggie outright admitted that he didn’t “fu*k with” Craig Mack in a televised interview. Don’t take our word for that though, see for yourself in the video clip below (Biggie says this at the 1:47 mark of the video)…

Why Didn’t They Get Along?

Although Biggie, nor Craig Mack, never publicly revealed the exact reasons they did not get along, there were many talks around the industry as to why that was the case. Craig Mack had a reputation for being a very outspoken, flamboyant cat back in the day. He was also known to be a tad stern whenever label CEO, Sean “Diddy” Combs, tried to persuade Mack to try certain styles of music tracks that would help elevate his career to the next level. Diddy and Mack had extensive discussions about the direction of his next project, following the hype of his Grammy nominated “Flava In Your Ear” single, but apparently, Mack wasn’t down with Diddy’s ideas at that time.

Biggie reportedly witnessed many of the issues Diddy was having with Mack and over time, he may have grown to dislike Mack’s personality. Not sure if they clashed face to face, but based on the fact that Biggie had no problem publicly saying “I don’t fu*k with” Craig Mack, it’s probably safe to assume the two emcees had some type of disagreement(s) behind the scenes.

Mack’s Life & Career After Bad Boy

By 1995, Mack reportedly got fed up with Diddy trying to elevate his music and decided to ask Diddy to release him from his contract. Diddy apparently granted Mack his wish at that time and unfortunately, that was pretty much the end of Mack’s career as we all knew it.

Even though two years after leaving Bad Boy, Mack released his second album, Operation: Get Down, on the labels, Street Life Records and Scotti Brothers Records, it didn’t have the success that his Bad Boy album garnered. It wasn’t until 2002, that we saw Mack back with his Bad Boy fam,’ only to appear on one single, Diddy’s hit song, “I Need a Girl (Part One).” By 2006, Craig Mack released another single, “Mack Tonight.”

Following that release, it wasn’t until a 2012 Youtube video surfaced (shown above), that fans ultimately learned where the brotha had disappeared to. In that video, it became apparent that Mack had become deeply devoted to his Pentecostal Christian faith as he testified to the preacher and congregation at Overcomer Ministry in Walterboro, South Carolina. Mack was seen proudly speaking into the microphone, testifying and referring to his past hip hop career as “wickedness.”

Until his last days, Craig Mack remained devoted to his religion and also resided on Overcomer Ministry’s compound in S.C.. Erick Sermon revealed, on the day of Mack’s passing, that he’d was in the middle of working on tracks for what would have been Craig Mack’s new 2018 album comeback. That proves that even though Mack’s lifestyle changed, his genuine love for music never died, just like his musical impact never will. Rest on Craig Mack.

The post (Video) Proof That Craig Mack & Biggie Didn’t Like Each Other But Found A Way To Make It Work appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

While it is true, that both Faith’s are beautiful women, that and the fact that they’re both females are pretty much the only things they actually have in common. Those are also probably the only ‘errors’ people would have given CNN a pass on, LOL.

However, the actual error was that CNN tweeted that Faith Hill was dropping a new duets album with the late hip hop legend, Notorious B.I.G.! I kid you not, see it below for yourself:

Afterwards, both Faith’s tweeted their reactions and the good news is that the country/hip hop collabo’ between Faith Hill and B.I.G. ain’t happening. The even better news is that Faith Evans actually is dropping an R&B/hip hop duets album with her deceased husband, Notorious B.I.G..

HERE ARE THE TWO FAITH’S COMICAL REACTIONS TO THE CNN BLOOPER:

Faith Hill’s reaction:

Faith Evans’ reaction:

**

But Faith Evans’ Instagram meme took the cake! She posted a meme of she and Biggie’s 90’s photo with Faith Hill’s face photoshopped over it instead:

HILARIOUS!

Listen, most of us have made a typo mistake and when a media outlet makes one, it gets blown up sometimes. Trust me, we know…some of y’all in our ILoveOldSchoolMusic fam’ have called us out over a typo, LOL. So we’ll give CNN a pass on this one, because it looks like it was a typo and not an intentional mis-reporting on their part (which many mainstream media outlets are known to do, just saying).

Anywho, FAITH EVANS’ & NOTORIOUS B.I.G.’S duet album will drop in May 2017!!! You can pre-order your copy now on iTunes: https://rrih.no/tkaidl and on Amazon: https://rrih.no/tkaicd

The post Lawd! Network Confuses Faith Evans With Singer Faith Hill & THEY BOTH REACT! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.