Two kids who barely knew their famous father have spent their adult lives carrying his name forward.
The Notorious B.I.G.'s kids, T'yanna Dream Wallace and Christopher Jordan "C.J." Wallace Jr., were just three years old and five months old when the rapper was shot and killed in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. Today, both are grown adults running their own businesses while keeping their father's story alive.
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Notorious B.I.G.'s Kids Grew Up Without Memories of Him
Christopher George Latore Wallace, known to the world as The Notorious B.I.G., had his first child, T'yanna, in 1993 with Jan Jackson, his high school sweetheart. Three years later, his son C.J. was born in October 1996 to his wife, singer Faith Evans. The timing meant neither child got the chance to really know their father. Wallace was killed less than half a year after C.J. was born, in a drive-by shooting that remains unsolved to this day.
Because of that, both T'yanna and C.J. learned who their father was through other people. Family stories, old recordings, documentaries and public tributes became the way they connected with him. It's a strange kind of childhood, growing up as the kids of one of hip-hop's biggest icons while having no real memory of the man himself.
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T'yanna Wallace Built Her Own Fashion Brand
T'yanna Dream Wallace was born on August 10, 1993, according to People. While studying at Penn State University, she launched Notoriouss Clothing in 2013, a brand that leans directly into her father's nickname and legacy. The label has let her build a career that's connected to him but still entirely her own.
She didn't stop there. In 2021, reports say she co-founded Juicy Pizza in Los Angeles alongside Tyra Myricks, the daughter of Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay. The partnership itself says something about the tight-knit world these hip-hop families still share, decades after their fathers became legends. T'yanna has also shown up at major tribute events, including a 2022 orchestral performance honoring her father at Lincoln Center in New York City.
C.J. Wallace Turned to Acting and Cannabis Advocacy
Christopher Jordan Wallace Jr., born October 19, 1996, has taken a different path. He got into acting, and in 2009 he even played a younger version of his own father in the biographical film Notorious. That's not something many kids ever get to do, step into a movie and portray the parent they lost. He followed that with a role in Everything Must Go in 2010, and later appeared in Monsters and Men and MTV's Scream: Resurrection in the years that followed.
Beyond acting, C.J. has built businesses tied to wellness and advocacy. He started a company called Frank White, named after one of his father's well-known aliases. He's also connected to Think BIG, which reports describe as a group pushing for cannabis legalization and criminal-justice reform. Like his sister, C.J. has appeared at tribute events honoring their father, including the 2022 Lincoln Center tribute.
A Legacy Kept Alive Through the Biggie Estate
Both T'yanna and C.J. have worked with the Biggie Estate, the organization that manages their father's name, music and image. Their involvement means the rapper's legacy isn't just being preserved through old albums and reissues, but through the active choices his own children make. Whether it's a clothing line, a pizza shop, a film role or advocacy work, each project ties back to the same man who never got to watch them grow up.
Public fascination with the siblings hasn't faded. Part of that comes from the tragedy itself, two kids losing their father before they could form real memories of him. Part of it comes from genuine curiosity about how children of a music legend choose to define themselves. So far, T'yanna and C.J. have answered that question by building things that are their own, while still making space to honor where they came from.
There's no confirmed news of a major event on the horizon tied to either sibling right now. But based on their pattern over the last decade, more tribute appearances, business ventures and projects tied to their father's name are likely still ahead. For now, their story remains one of two kids who turned loss into their own kind of legacy.
