Diddy's son, Jay-Z's mom meet at Biggie Smalls' mom's funeral

Voletta Wallace, the mother of late hip hop legend The Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls, was laid to rest in New York City as hip-hop’s biggest names came together to honour her legacy.

Wallace, who fiercely protected her son’s legacy after his 1997 murder, passed away at 78 on February 21 from natural causes. Her funeral was held on Wednesday, March 12. 

Among those paying their respects were Christian Combs, son of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, and Gloria Carter, Jay-Z’s mother. Biggie’s children, C.J. and T’yanna Wallace, also attended, along with his exes, Lil’ Kim and Faith Evans.

Biggie, born Christopher Wallce, was at the heart of the infamous East Coast-West Coast rivalry, often compared to his West Coast counterpart, Tupac Shakur. Their murders, just months apart and carried out in a similar manner, still remain two of music’s greatest mysteries.

Wallace never stopped seeking answers about her son’s death and didn’t hold back when it came to Diddy, who had signed Biggie as Bad Boy Records’ first artist.

In a 2023 Rolling Stone interview, she made her feelings clear. "I hope that I see Sean one day and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him."

Her frustration deepened after footage surfaced of Diddy assaulting Cassie Ventura. "I’m praying for Cassie. I’m praying for his mother," she said at the time.

Beyond keeping Biggie’s name alive, Wallace cemented his legacy through documentaries, a biopic, and even renaming a Brooklyn street in his honour.

Now, hip-hop’s matriarch has joined her son in history.