Situated on Atlantic Avenue, a prime Brooklyn thoroughfare home to New York City landmarks like The Barclays Center just down the block, fans of Christopher Wallace also known as The Notorious B.I.G. and hip-hop enthusiasts from around the world are invited to explore the mind and life of the late hip-hop legend.
In 2017, while in her second year as a Business major at Penn State University, T’yanna Wallace launched Notoriouss Clothing. With assistance from her college roommates, she completed a photoshoot, showcasing the Biggie infused pieces and started generating sales. Fueled by a desire to engage her father's loyal and growing fanbase, she transformed Notoriouss Clothing into The Biggie Experience. Seven years later, in March 2024, The Biggie Experience Museum opened to the public.
As they enter, visitors are welcomed by a replica of the “Gimmie the Loot” emcee’s bedroom from 226 St. James Place. The room features a television playing an episode of Martin (the one with Biggie), a Mr. Magic Rap Attack poster, and a photo of a 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500SL. The famous hologram can be found towards the back, across from the Ready to Die sign wall, where hip-hop artists such as Jadakiss, Fabolous, and Junior Mafia members Nino Brown and Banger Junior Mafia have made their marks. Right after the bedroom, visitors encounter an exhibit replicating the bodega from the iconic 1989 freestyle by The Notorious B.I.G. at the corner of Fulton Street and St. James Place.
T’yanna Wallace’s efforts have borne fruit in The Biggie Experience. On her father's 52nd birthday, the museum hosted a unique and intimate celebration at the museum, offering food, drinks, photo-ops, art, and hip-hop. This event proves that she is adept at and committed to preserving her father's legacy.
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In our interview last weekend, Wallace discussed her role as Biggie Smalls' daughter, her vision for The Biggie Experience, her joint business efforts with her brother CJ Wallace, the support from her late father's friends, her hopes for her two-year-old daughter, and her connections with other daughters of hip-hop.
IE: First off, I want to know, do you feel the pressure to maintain your father's legacy and the overall culture as a respected daughter of hip-hop?
TW: It's not that much pressure. I understand my dad's legacy and how big he is in the culture and community. I've always been the person who wants to continue that. I never wanted his legacy to fade because I know how things can happen. There have been super big celebrities whose shine has faded just because they're not here anymore. I never wanted that to happen to my dad, even though I know he can hold his own. I've seen that already. But I always wanted 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, whether it's clothing, a museum, food, or anything else. I always wanted his legacy to be available to his fans. That was always my thing.
IE: When you started The Biggie Experience, what was your ultimate vision for what you wanted to accomplish?
TW: I had my clothing store, Notoriouss Clothing, for five years. It was on Atlantic Ave, which is literally up the block from Barclay Center. Jay-Z started the Barclay Center, had my dad’s jersey hung up in the Barclay Center. Just being in Brooklyn, I always had Biggie fans coming to the store. I had my dad's jersey from the "Juicy" video hung up, along with certain awards and other items of his. A lot of his fans were interested in that. They were interested in his clothes and artifacts. This is what prompted me to start the museum, realizing that his fans really want to see his things and be in touch with the background of everything. I started to see this clearly during those five years of having my store.
IE: Were you able to recognize that there is a dedicated audience that would be in demand for any form of merch or memorabilia of your dad?
TW: People would come to my clothing store and say, "Yeah, I just left St. James," which is where my dad grew up and where his apartment is. They wanted to know more. At my clothing store, I had a little bit of stuff, but I realized I could give them more. So that's what I wanted to do. I just wanted to give his fans more because they were interested.
People would say, "Oh, I'm going to come to Brooklyn. I want to go to Biggie's house. I want to see these things." And I thought, OK, I can give you guys these things, no problem. So that's really what I wanted to do—give his fans an opportunity to get to know him in a more intimate way.
IE: Aside from feeding the demand from his dedicated fan base and admirers of the culture, what else signifies to you the importance of maintaining this space that documents his [Biggie Smalls] life?
TW: I feel like my dad is so important to Brooklyn, so this is something that needs to be here. When people come to Brooklyn, they instantly think of Biggie. This shouldn't be a pop-up; it needs to be a permanent fixture. It's crucial to have a place that recognizes his legacy, his impact on the culture, and his importance to Brooklyn.
For me, before my dad was a celebrity, I always thought of Spike Lee as someone who brought light to Brooklyn. But for people younger than me—I'm 31—everyone thinks of Biggie or Jay-Z when they think of Brooklyn. So, it's important to have a permanent place dedicated to Biggie because, to me, everyone thinks of Biggie when they think of Brooklyn.
IE: How often do people from outside New York City or even the United States travel to experience the Biggie experience?
TW: Oh, we have so many people. Just the other day, we had someone from Dublin. I love the out-of-state people; they're the best. People from Europe, Switzerland, Africa, and Jamaica visit us. Even before I had The Biggie Experience, when it was just The Notorious Store, we loved our out-of-state fans. We recently had a family from Trinidad, and they were so excited to see everything. I love how interested they are in learning about my dad.
IE: In your father's situation, being that he's late, his entire history is indelibly marked in hip hop history. The series of events in his life have contributed to molding the culture and actually plays a role in how it moved forward to this day. How do you feel knowing that, as his offspring, you are always going to be in a position as the holder of this legacy that is respectfully also a commodity?
TW: It's always a heavy crown. But my biggest thing is that 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. I won't stop continuing his legacy because I want my daughter to see that.
When I was growing up, I would walk outside and people would be like, "Oh my God, I love Biggie." I know when she gets older, just living in New York, she'll understand that too. I want the legacy to keep going so she can experience the same things I did.
Honestly, I feel that even if I didn't work hard to continue the legacy, he did so much at a young age that people would still hear about her grandfather. But I'm the person who wants everyone to know how influential he was. Even if they weren't alive at that time to hear his music, they can hear it now in 2024. I have ten-year-olds DMing me on Instagram asking about Biggie. And I'm like, "Huh, I'm 30. How do you even know who this person is?"
IE: How much support have you received from the hip hop community, especially from people from your dad's era, regarding The Biggie Experience or any of your endeavors, such as your clothing line, The Notoriouss Clothing?
TW: Oh, I get so much support. When my grandmother came to the museum and saw everything, she instantly wanted to call Busta. She was like, "Busta has to come here and see this," and she called him. He was like, "Yeah, mom, I got to come see this." Jadakiss always supports me. If I don't invite him to something, he's like, "Oh my God, Tee Tee, you didn't invite me," but I just never want to bother people.
There are so many people from my dad's era or younger who want to be invited to events and support me. Busta went to school with my dad, so he's the same age as my dad. Many of these people always have my back, support me 100 percent, support my daughter, and are always there for us. They're like, "I want to be at the baby shower, I want to be at the first birthday," and I'm just like, "You guys have shows to do." But they're adamant about being there, and I definitely appreciate that.
It's always been a big thing for me to have strong male influences in my life, especially with my dad passing away when I was so young. Whether it's Junior Mafia, Jadakiss, Busta, or anyone else, I've always had strong male influences supporting me.
IE: Growing up from adolescence into womanhood and motherhood, how did having that support impact your adulthood?
TW: It's always been good. My mom is the strongest person I know, so she's always been there for me and always helped me. I started my business when I was 21, and once I reached that age, I felt like I was on my own, living in New York. But I always had people to call. I always had my brothers and others around me to support me.
Just today, I was on FaceTime with my brother and Cease at eight o'clock in the morning. I'm on the phone with them almost every day. I honestly have the biggest support system all the time. I never feel like I'm lacking in help or support because I always have them.
If I need anything, I can call my brother, Cease, Jadakiss, or anyone else, and they will be there for me. I'm super grateful that my dad had people in his life who continue to have my back to this day.
IE: Speaking of your brother CJ, have you and CJ collaborated? Are you both involved in The Biggie Experience?
TW: Yes, CJ has his own brand called Frank White, and I have my Notoriouss brand and The Biggie Experience, but we always work together. Both brands are always highlighting my dad. My biggest focus is cross-branding. I sell his stuff in my store, and we sell each other's products on our websites. We're always doing stuff together; that's our biggest thing. We're each other's biggest supporters.
IE: Mister Cee was one of the most renowned producers who contributed to your father's work. How much did he support you over the years? Also, considering his recent passing, how significant was his support to you?
TW: Mister Cee was my biggest supporter. I got so emotional after he passed away, looking at all the pictures of him and us. He was always wearing something from Notoriouss, my clothing line. He literally supported me so much. He would come to my house and say, "I need the new T-shirt," and all sorts of things. I was the most emotional after he passed away because when other people weren't supporting me and my mom, he was always there making sure we were good.
I miss him so much. It's still so recent, and I'm not sure how we're going to handle it. Every March 9th party, every Biggie event we did, he was there as our DJ. This will be the first time without him, and I was just saying to CJ, "What are our parties going to be like now?" It's going to be so different without him.
IE: How do you represent The Biggie Experience as both a hip-hop brand and Black woman-owned business?
TW: My favorite thing about being a business owner is being Black and being a female. I love supporting females and Black people. I always promote ownership and believe that all people of color should strive for it. We should stand together and support each other.
My role is to always be supportive and to have everyone's back because that's what we need as people of color and as women. As a female, I've experienced times when I didn't have support from other women or friends, but as you get older, you realize the importance of having that sister friend who has your back. My mom is my best friend and the most supportive person in my life, and I want to be that for my daughter.
I don't have a sister, only a brother, so I've always valued having supportive female friends. I want to be that person for others. When I see a Black girl with her own business, I support her with my own money because I know how hard it is to start a business.
IE: Reflecting on how many hip hop brands are Black female-owned and endure, being in the game for five years stands out as very impressive.
TW: One of my really close friends is Nas's daughter, Destiny, and she has her own lip gloss brand called Lipmatic. We are super close friends, so I sold her lip gloss in my store because I always wanted to support her whenever I could. We're young, we're female, and we're Black, and people already look down on us because our dads are famous. But we really put the work in.
I'm like, "No, girl, send me the lip gloss," and I just gave her the money because we don't need to complicate things. Whatever money is made from selling the lip gloss, I send it to her because I want to support her. She's one of my great friends, and I love her. She's an amazing person, so I want to support her. I had a brick-and-mortar store, so I thought, "Yeah, I'm going to put your lip glosses in my store, of course."
IE: Do you make a conscious effort to bond with the other daughters of hip hop?
TW: Yeah, Jam Master Jay's daughter, Tyra, is one of my closest friends. We did Juicy Pizza together and opened a pizza store in Cali. That's my thing. When I meet these people and form connections with them, it’s really special.
The crazy thing is, I've never met Nas, but Destiny and I are the closest of friends. We've hung out multiple times, she's met my brother and all my friends, and she knows my mom. Sometimes you meet people and really become close with them, regardless of who their parent is.
IE: What are your future plans with The Biggie Experience?
TW: My future plans for The Biggie Experience include making people want to come back. If you saw The Biggie Experience once, I want you to want to return. We're going to have different events every month.
In July, we’ll celebrate the anniversary of one of his albums with a special event in the museum. Even if you've been to the museum before, you'll want to come that day because there will be new things to see.
In a certain month, I want to do something for kids who have lost parents to gun violence or have parents who are incarcerated. I want to create different events for different people at various times that make them want to come back to the museum, even if they've already been there.
Please note that this interview has been condensed and edited for clarity
