Voletta Wallace: I Am Voletta Wallace

Having birthed and nurtured one of the worlds most notorious musical icons, having had his physical presence prematurely stolen but however watched, as his spirit continues to reign supreme, Voletta Wallace, has decided to reclaim something which may have gone astray over the last decade; her own personal identity.

As her sons murderer still walks free, Voletta Wallace has had to maintain composure, hide her anguish and continue to promote an air of calm as she delves deeper into fraudulent police forces and corrupt factions, hoping to uncover just why her son was taken from her, his family and the whole hip-hop community that adopted him as their leader. Until she discovers who, why and what for, this determined and strong willed lady will not rest.

Her recently released book Biggie, is an insight to just how the single Jamaican mother went about making her decisions when it came to the upbringing of her only child and choices which affected her life. Ms. Wallace doesnt sugar coat her views on some of her sons business and personal relationships. Nor does she hold back exemplifying respect and admiration for the true figures of support and strength in her life that remain part of her network to this day. She just gives us her story, here she is the leading lady and Christopher Wallace along with Lil Kim, Sean Combs, Faith Evans, breast cancer and her family amongst others are nothing more than the supporting cast. The book totally unleashes a side of Voletta Wallace many people may not have been exposed to. It makes you understand where her drive and her force derives from when having her sons character, both negative and positive be dissected under the eyes of all and sundry.

Her grief is something she managed to deal with privately but as she explains in this interview, it is about business now. She is very much involved with all the projects concerned with her son and looks forward to taking her sons life to the big screen as work commences on the filming of the story in the New Year. Perhaps working as hard as she does fills the void of what she lost, perhaps it is her way of feeling that Christopher is still with her as she secures his name and his legacy of being that rapper from Brooklyn who even after his slaying, continues to take hip-hop to unprecedented heights.

Hiphopdx.com has the pleasure and the honor of talking to Ms. Wallace about her, her life and that of her son, the Notorious B.I.G.

We are here today to talk about your book, recently published and the up and coming album, Duets which drops next week. Just how important was it for you to write this book?

To write this book was very, very important to me. I felt that it was time; I felt that after my sons death I lost my identity. I was, prior to that Ms. Wallace, but after that I was Biggies Mom.

Did you feel you lost your identity?

I just felt it was time for me to let everyone know who I am, my name is Voletta Wallace and that was very, very important to me. It was all about me and I went into detail about my son, my baby and it also tells a lot about Christopher Wallace as opposed to the Notorious B.I.G.

I read previous interviews where you said in 2002/03 you wanted to write a book.

Everyone was writing a book, you know there are so many books about Notorious B.I.G, but I dont think anyone knows Christopher Wallace as well as his Mom and what better person to tell the world about Christopher Wallace, than his Mom, the person who birthed him.

Did you feel that you had to be at a certain point in your life to get this story out?

Nothing happens before the time I believe and when it happens it will just come and it wont have to be forced.

The actual writing of the book took how long?

Two and a half years, there were a lot of tears, all the flashbacks. You know it took me way back home to when I was a little girl. There were a lot of beautiful memories but there was a lot of pain in there too.

Talking of pain when you read articles about Christopher now, the Rolling Stone article for example in last weeks edition, is that difficult for you?

To be honest with you I read the Rolling Stone article, maybe only a couple of paragraphs I wasnt aware of, everything else I was very very much aware of. I would say half of it was brought out in court last month so I wasnt shocked.

Were you hoping to go beyond the Hip-hop audience when you wrote that book? Were you hoping to appeal to other audiences?

I was not appealing to anyone when I wrote the book. If anything the book was maybe a selfish move but it was more solace to me, to get it down on paper, let me write this for me. What I wanted to get out there was my bout with breast cancer, if I could reach one person, one woman who could walk into a room and examine herself, detect that lump, seek help and get rid of that cancer, I think I would have accomplished a lot.

There was a lesson in there for young women and you mention it in your summary, single mothers, young women, is that something you would like to see, young women and young men relating and learning from your story?

Young womenyes. I am not looking for another Voletta Wallace and there is never going to be another Christopher Wallace, but if I can help and put a little something into someone that would help a lot.

You talk about some relationships and opinions you had in the book about Christophers friends, business associates and girlfriends; you didnt hold back in certain areas when you talked about Lil Cease and Kim; has there been any backlash?

There has been a lot, but it doesnt faze me one bit. The reason being (is) that I speak the truth in the book. I am a woman of truth; I am not going to hide and just move on and not express myself. Everything I mention in the book came from the heart and I speak the truth and how I see it. They might not like it but thats too bad.

Perhaps that is why you are so respected because you stand by your beliefs and put down on paper what people may be whispering or mumbling. Was there any re-writes at any point?

Oh no, no, no, no (Laughter.)

Now since the book was released, how does the publishing issue with Sean Combs stand?

There was never a publishing problem with Sean Combs. We have a business partnership, and in business nothing goes smoothly. We are going to have our meetings, we are going to have our fights, and we are going to have our arguments but at the end of the day, call it a strike. It was more of a kind of moving on. You know we are happy people now and I adopted him, (laughter) he is my adopted son.

Well perhaps some good of what was said in your book may have come out of it, you saw the Lox getting their publishing back last week.

They did? Well everyone has their problems and I am happy they solved theirs, which is one problem less.

Now you plan on taking Christophers life to the big screen?

Yes the movie is with Fox Searchlight and hopefully will start shooting in March, somewhere around there.

How involved do you plan on being in that, will it just be on the production side?

Well that is my sons life, I have to be involved. You know there are documentaries out there, you know everyone is doing their thing, so let me do a little exploiting of my own, and what better person to exploit the memory of Christopher Wallace, Notorious B.I.G than his mother? Now it is my time to shine. This is going to be a movie; this is going to be my sons life on the big screen, not a documentary.

Now casting someone to play your son, is this going to be a hard?

I hope it wont be, I know there are a lot of Biggie Smalls out there, I just hope we can find the right one. We did actually find the right 12 year old to play Christopher.

Is he from New York?

No he is from Chicago, he is a young man. And I am happy with him.

But is that hard for you to see someone who resembles your son, who reminds you of him enough to take on the role of Christopher in the movie?

Actually it was a little eerie as that was Christopher as a sweet boy, that was him when he was 12 years old.

How involved did you get in the Duets album?

In all projects that involve my son with Universal, Arista and now we have Warner/Atlantic, all projects that are affiliated with Christopher; I was always involved in then. I gave names, well when I say gave names Tupacs Mother and I spoke a couple of years ago and we came to an agreement back them for Tupac to be on the album, Jay-Z of course, Puffy of course. These are very close associates in my life and this was what I needed and my wishes were granted.

So you are happy with the final product?

Yes I am very happy with it, the album is beautiful, and it has a lot of energy. I am thrilled with the fact that Bob Marley is on it and Jay Z also, that he came forward and was able to take part.

Jay- Z is obviously someone you are close to and you speak so highly of him.

Yes I do, he was my sons friend and he became my friend.

Do you believe that had Christopher been alive today, he may have learned from experience when it came to some of the friendships he had with the people you talked about in your book?

The thing is this; I am getting to know them, which is good. I was just a little woman back then, but here I am and you get to know people when there is tragedy, who your friends are and you really get to know your sons friends were or are (laughter.)

The title, the Final Chapter, is this really the final chapter?

Yes this really is it, the final chapter. It is called the Final Chapter because as everyone knows my son wasnt the type to sit at a desk and go to work with a pad and a pen; he maintained his work in his head. So when he went into a studio, whatever he made it is here on the album, except the piece on Jay-Zs track is new, but nothing more but his greatest hits. In the movie you might find something new, but no other albums.

People are still holding onto the legacy of your sons talent and that of Tupac Shakur, do you think the time has come for someone else to step up and give hip-hop fans something new?

If you love, that love can live on. Love is everlasting, so whoever is going to come, if the love is there for them then it will maintain. Both for Tupac and my son, you cannot extort it because you cant extort love it is just there.

Now going through what you have gone through, you must have a strong network, support system behind you?

I have a very strong network, but my faith in Jehovah keeps me going.

What made you opt to look for the solace in Jehovah as you werent originally a Jehovahs Witness were you?

I never had a religion, but by process of elimination I searched out religion and by process of elimination I weed out a lot and grab back what I felt was truthful and that was what helped me. I have a wonderful family and I have some very good friends around me and thats what gets me through.

You were a teacher, but after Christophers death you opted to leave your profession. Children, not just your grand children are a very big part of your life.

I was a teacher for twenty-five years and I gave up teaching because when I would walk into the classroom I never felt like I was doing a good job, it was possible that I was but in my heart in my whole being I felt like I wasnt giving up myself the way I was supposed to. When I got a hug I wasnt giving it back because I felt that hug I should have been receiving it from a son and my heart wasnt in the classroom and that was why I walked away. I walked away with no regrets.