The Notorious B.I.G.’s Daughter Revealed Who He Would Have Thanked at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The Notorious B.I.G. entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, 23 years after his death. His children received the honor in his place. During her acceptance speech, The Notorious B.I.G.’s daughter, T’yanna Wallace, revealed he would have thanked some famous rappers and other people if he was alive for his induction.

The Notorious B.I.G.’s daughter gave a speech about her relationship with her dad’s music at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

During her acceptance speech, Wallace said her father died when she was just 3 years old. She said she came to appreciate his work through the eyes of her family and her father’s fans. Wallace opined her father wasn’t just the King of New York — he was “the king of the culture.”

She then discussed who her father would thank if he could appear at the ceremony. “I know if my dad was here, he’d want to thank his mom [Meemaw Wallace] … Gigi, Uncle Dave, my mom Jan, Faith [Evans], Todd, Puffy, Wayne [Barrow], Mark [Pitts], the Junior M.A.F.I.A. family, everyone that helped bring his music to life, and of course, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for this tremendous honor.”

For context, Evans was The Notorious B.I.G.’s wife. Puffy, a.k.a. Sean “Diddy” Combs was his collaborator. Both artists appeared on “I’ll Be Missing You,” a song in tribute to the “It’s All About the Benjamins” rapper. Barrow was his manager and Pitts was his producer. The Junior M.A.F.I.A. was a group he mentored.

The Notorious B.I.G.’s son gave a speech about his father’s place in hip-hop

C. J. Wallace honored his father in a speech as well. “Our father was one of the founding fathers of hip-hop,” he said. “He helped revolutionize what was a young art form for the Black community and the world. I’m honored to share his name and his dedication to Black music, creativity, self-expression, and Black freedom.”

He then thanked members of his family. “I love you, Meemaw,” C. J. said. “Thanks for teaching us who Christopher Wallace was as a son, friend, poet, artist, and father. We love you Meemaw. We love you, dad. Brooklyn, we did it!”

Have other rappers been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Although the Hall of Fame’s name mentions rock ‘n’ roll, many artists outside that genre have been inducted into it. According to Billboard, only a handful of rap groups and solo rappers got into the Hall of Fame before The Notorious B.I.G. They were Run-D.M.C., the Beastie Boys, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Public Enemy, N.W.A, and Tupac Shakur.

Tupac was the only solo rapper to get inducted before The Notorious B.I.G. This meant the latter was the first solo East Coast rapper to get inducted. The Notorious B.I.G. made history at the Hall of Fame even if he wasn’t able to be there.