Synopses & Reviews
Voletta Wallace, the mother of Christopher, aka 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 generation immortal.
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. Ms. Wallace, born and raised in Jamaica, West Indies, 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.
Ms. Wallace settled in Brooklyn, New York, pursued a career in early childhood education, and worked hard at not only keeping her own son on the straight and narrow but lovingly and firmly guiding other people's sons and daughters. 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.
Faith Evans, Christopher's widow, the mother of his child -- and a recording star in her own right -- contributed a heartfelt foreword to this book. Evans remains at Voletta Wallace's side as she continues the struggle to keep open the investigation of her son's murder and see that justice is done. She and so many others, in and out of the hip-hop community, continue to work with Ms. Wallace in support of the Christopher Wallace Foundation, an organization dedicated to the well-being and education of inner-city youth.
For more information, visit www.cwmf.org.
Review
"You can't know the complete story of Biggie until you know what his mom has to say...[Voletta Wallace] is not giving you the polite story, this is the real story from Mom's side, which is essential to understanding who Biggie was."
-- Toure, Rolling Stone magazine
Review
"Ms. Voletta Wallace is a gracious and wonderfully honest and sincere human being. I'm glad others are finally getting the opportunity to hear this very special soul share her grief, strength, hope and the painful reality of life without her precious baby boy.
"She is an incredibly strong woman who makes all of us proud of her grace in the face of ugliness. Read this book and remember this Jamaican American Queen and her uniquely talented son Christopher."
-- Afeni Shakur-Davis
Synopsis
This is a memoir of Ms. Wallace's star child and recounts her own story of immigration. As a young woman of modest means in Jamaica, she dreamed the American Dream. Like so many West Indians, she built a life from scratch, settling in Brooklyn, New York's Bed-Stuyvesant neighborhood.
She worked as a teacher of young children and raised her son without the support of his father. She lived a quiet and conservative life as a practicing Jehovah's Witness who tried hard to keep her bright precocious son on the straight and narrow.
Christopher got his knack for writing verse from his mother. She had no idea though that "all that noise" he was making with his friends in the bedroom of their small apartment would one day become platinum selling records. She also had no idea that her industrious son was becoming a leader in his circle and a small-time drug dealer.
The book charts her son's climb to stardom and his death, the result of a drive-by shooting that occurred on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, CA. He was leaving a post-Soul Train Music Awards party hosted by Vibe magazine. The murder remains unsolved. Ms. Wallace and Faith Evans, who was married to the hip hop star filed a wrongful death and federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, the LAPD, Police Chief Bernard C. Parks and former Chiefts Willie Williams and Bayan Lewis.
Wallace is survived by two children.
She talks about the issues surrounding her son's murder and the unsavory people and practices of the music and entertainment industry, but more than that she speaks as an ordinary woman and mother dedicated to raising her son and teaching the sons and daughters of parents faced with the same trials and tribulations as she.
Her aim is to "give back" the resources that have come to her through a terrible and tragic loss as a way to inspire young people to do good.
Synopsis
This is a memoir of Ms. Wallace's star child, Christopher (a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G), and recounts her own story of immigration from Jamaica. The book charts her son's climb to stardom and his death, the result of a drive-by shooting that occurred in March 1997 in Los Angeles.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Coming to America
One Lie and a Baby
Happy Birthday
My Bad Boy
He Was Not Ready to Die
My Big Poppa
Faith
On That Morning
Is It Mo Money, Mo Problems?
Friend of Mine?
Biggie & Tupac: Friend or Foe?
My Life After Death
Acknowledgments