The Notorious B.I.G.'s legacy is being carried on by his two kids: T'yanna and C.J.
The late rapper, whose real name was Christopher George Latore Wallace, had daughter T’yanna in 1993 with ex-girlfriend Jan Jackson and son Christopher Jordan in 1996 with wife Faith Evans. Six months after welcoming his second child, the artist was killed in a drive-by shooting at age 24 in 1997.
Today, both T’yanna and C.J. work with the Biggie Estate to honor their dad and keep his name alive, either by referencing him in their own work or by attending events honoring him, like the orchestral tribute New York City’s Lincoln Center hosted for their dad in 2022.
“He had a global legacy,” C.J. told PEOPLE of his father in March 2022. “My dad reached across every corner of this world. I see the reaction that I get when people recognize me, and the DMs I get on Instagram and on Twitter show me that even people younger than me have been inspired by my dad. It's crazy.”
In 2017, C.J. spoke at the Billboard Music Awards on behalf of himself and T’yanna to celebrate what would have been their dad’s 45th birthday.
“I know my father is looking down on all of us tonight,” he said in his speech. “All of this love and support, my sister and I carry on his name with tremendous pride, and I live my life by his words.”
Here's everything to know about The Notorious B.I.G.'s kids: T’yanna and C.J.
Biggie and his high school sweetheart, Jackson, welcomed their daughter, T’yanna Wallace, on Aug. 10, 1993.
T’yanna proved to be a big inspiration for her dad’s music, with the rapper mentioning her in several of his songs, most notably his 1994 single “Juicy.”
“To all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin' in front of, called the police on me when I was just tryin' to make some money to feed my daughter,” he rapped on the hit song.
She started her own brand, Notoriouss Clothing, while she was studying at Penn State University, as a nod to her late father.
“The Wallace name is big, I'm not gonna lie ... I try to just continue the legacy. That's why I started my clothing line,” she told MusicXclusives TV in 2016. “I'm not into music, I don't rap or anything, so I was like, let me do something that I love, dedicated to him.”
B.I.G.'s firstborn also opened The Biggie Experience in March 2024 to give fans an immersive look into her father's life and impact, including reimaginings of his home.
"I always wante -
d to be the person who says, 'OK, my dad's not here anymore, but I know how special he is.' So, I want to continue his legacy in any way possible," T'yanna told Forbes. "I always wanted his legacy to be available to his fans."
T’yanna had the support of her brother, C.J., when opening the exhibit. In May 2022, the sister and brother attended an event in N.Y.C. put on by the Biggie Estate, lighting the Empire State Building. "We're always doing stuff together; that's our biggest thing. We're each other's biggest supporters," she said to the magazine.
The elder Wallace sibling now lives in the Big Apple with her daughter, whom she wants to feel connected to her late dad.
"I have my daughter, and I want her to know how special her grandfather is. I want her to understand how influential he is. The train has to keep going because I want her to see how much he accomplished at such a young age," T'yanna explained to Forbes. "I won't stop continuing his legacy because I want my daughter to see that."
Biggie and singer Evans welcomed their son, Christopher Jordan Wallace, on Oct. 19, 1996.
C.J. is named after his late father and has gone by the nicknames Lil Biggie and Lil Biggie Smalls in a nod to one of his father's nicknames.
Though B.I.G. was murdered less than a year after C.J. was born, the rapper's son still takes after his famous father.
“I have no memory of my dad, but I've been told so many stories about him and how much we are similar,” he told PEOPLE in 2022.
C.J. even played a young version of his dad in the 2009 biopic Notorious, and working on the film inspired a love of movies and aspirations to direct.
“I'm very interested in creating a new story — a story that's separate from Notorious B.I.G.,” he continued. “Let's tell the Christopher George Latore Wallace story.”
C.J. owns a health and wellness company called Frank White, named after one of his dad’s aliases. Biggie's second-born also started the Think BIG initiative, which advocates for cannabis legalization and criminal justice reform.
Through his businesses, C.J. hopes to further his dad’s legacy. “It's why I'm doing Think BIG and all of these different things to really keep his name alive and continue to take it to new heights,” he told PEOPLE in 2020.
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