Following Rolling Stone’s six-month investigation into alleged violent abuse by Sean Combs, Notorious B.I.G.’s mother, Voletta Wallace, tells Rolling Stone that she hopes the disgraced Bad Boy mogul apologizes to Cassie and his mother and that she wants to “slap the daylights out of him.”
It’s been a steady stream of harrowing allegations against Combs since his former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed her sex-trafficking lawsuit against the Bad Boy founder in November, detailing numerous instances of violent physical abuse — including a 2016 attack that was captured on hotel surveillance footage. In the wake of Ventura’s allegations, five more women and one man have come forward to accuse Combs of sexual assault in their own lawsuits. (Combs has generally denied their claims.)
“I’m sick to my stomach,” Wallace says about the multiple allegations of violence and sexual abuse against Combs. “I’m praying for Cassie. I’m praying for his mother. I don’t want to believe the things that I’ve heard, but I’ve seen [the hotel video]. I pray that he apologizes to her.
“I hope that I see Sean one day and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him. And you can quote me on that,” she adds. “Because I liked him. I didn’t want to believe all the awful things, but I’m so ashamed and embarrassed.”
Rolling Stone’s investigation into Combs documented a pattern of alleged abuse dating back to Combs’ time at Howard University in the late 1980s. Early Bad Boy staffers, associates, and industry sources also recalled how Biggie viewed his label boss as a “corny executive” and was on the verge of leaving Bad Boy before his murder in 1997. Combs capitalized on the shock and sorrow over his star artist’s death, sources say, pushing his team to ensure Biggie’s upcoming album, Life After Death, would top the charts and allegedly dismissing discussions to put Biggie on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Kirk Burrowes, Bad Boy’s co-founding partner and president, told Rolling Stone that he advocated for the late rapper to get the cover. “I was telling Sean, ‘Let’s make it Biggie. You still have a chance [for a cover in the future],’” Burrowes recalled. “He’s like, ‘No, he’s dead. I’m putting out [Combs’ debut album, No Way Out] in July. I need to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.’” (Voletta Wallace declined to comment on the anecdote.)
Wallace, who’s devoted her life to maintaining and promoting the legacy of her son, also says Combs needs to talk to someone else in his life. “He needs to apologize to his mother,” she says. “I hope to God he sits her down and spills his guts and apologize to her.”
Combs has been keeping a low profile since Homeland Security agents raided his Miami and Los Angeles homes as part of a federal sex trafficking investigation in late March. A source previously told Rolling Stone that investigators had interviewed several potential witnesses in the spring. On Wednesday, CNN reported that potential witnesses were notified they should be prepared to testify before a grand jury in New York City.
Asked about the looming Homeland Security federal investigation and six active sexual assault lawsuits against Combs, Wallace’s response is taciturn yet poignant: “I leave it to time.”
