The Notorious B.I.G.’s Son Speaks on the Father He Never Knew on the 25th Anniversary of His Death
Fans often forget that the family and friends of those closest to their beloved celebrities are the ones who suffer the greatest loss when they die. In the case of The Notorious B.I.G., his two young children were left without their father when he was murdered 25 years ago. Biggie’s son C.J., whom he shares with his widow Faith Evans, is now 25-years-old. In honor of the anniversary of his father’s death, C.J. is opening up about how he connects with the icon that he never got the chance to know.
How he tries to honor his father’s legacy despite being an infant when the rapper died
At the time of Biggie’s murder, C.J. was a mere five months old. He’s grown up learning of his father through tales of family and friends and his own research. With so much public information about his father, that’s also helped.
“I have no memory of my dad, but I’ve been told so many stories about him and how much we are similar,” C.J. told People Magazine in a recent interview. “Now that I’m 25, it’s really starting to sit with me that I was able to pass the age that he died. It’s a very special feeling because I’m starting to really grow into my own as a man.”
This year, C.J. has put together a tribute dinner. “I’m trying to make sure everything’s put together correctly,” he told the publication. “It’s going to be close family, friends and everybody who really knew my dad. I’m just trying to show people a good time and celebrate.”
C.J. Wallace played Biggie in a 2009 biopic
Though C.J. never personally had the privilege of knowing his father, he got the chance to transform into a younger version of him by starring as a teenage Biggie in the 2009 biopic Notorious. C.J. was just 13-years-old at the time.
“Man, that was terrifying,” he admits. “It was scary. I was in seventh grade at that time, and it was my first time acting and being on a big set like that. Luckily, I’m basically him reincarnated.”
The film followed Biggie’s upbringing and quick rise as a rap icon. Reviews from critics were mixed and the film grossed a little over $44 million at the box office by the end of its theatrical run.
What Biggie’s mother has said recently about her son’s unsolved murder
Biggie’s children are not the only ones still reeling from his murder, his elderly mother, Voletta Wallace, has been on the front lines of the rap icon’s murder case since 1997. She vowed then to never give up on finding her son’s murderer and has never wavered
“As long as I have life there’s hope,” she told Entertainment Weekly exclusively while promoting the Netflix documentary Biggie: I Have a Story to Tell. “I’ll never give up. And I hope when I’m not in this world anymore, my friends and family will carry on the fight. There is always hope.”
She also has the support of Biggie’s widow, Evans, as well as a tight-knit circle of family and friends. They continue to hound the police for answers, though Wallace and others say they believe the police have been involved in a cover up of sorts.
“I have a very good idea who murdered Christopher and I genuinely believe that the LAPD know exactly who did too,” Wallace told The Daily Mail in 2017. “They’ve done their investigation, but they just refuse to move forward. I don’t know why they haven’t arrested who was involved. It seems to me that it’s one giant conspiracy, and someone is definitely being protected somewhere down the line. There’s no closure for me until that murderer is behind bars and sentenced.”
