Before the untimely passing of The Notorious B.I.G., he was a hit with not just the men, but the women. Yes, the streets loved the rapper, but the women loved some “Big Poppa.” Big’s reputation with the ladies carried on even well after his passing. Let’s journey through the love life of the infamous Brooklyn rapper.
Christopher Wallace, who would later be known worldwide as The Notorious B.I.G. or “Biggie Smalls”, took off quickly after meeting and signing with Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. At the time, Biggie Smalls had been in a longtime relationship with his then-girlfriend, Jan Jackson.
Soon after signing to Bad Boy Records, Jackson gave birth to T’yanna Wallace, Biggie’s first daughter. Shortly after T’yanna entered the world, Biggie would be making his exit from the relationship with Jan. In a 2014 interview with XXL, Jan gave details as to why the relationship with Biggie Smalls suffered. From year one, she says that it was “filled with drama.” She would constantly have to fight off other women due to his “charisma.” According to Jan, their relationship ended when T’yanna was eight months old.
Shortly after the demise of their relationship, Jan would receive the shock of her life. In the interview, Jan shared that she was holding on to hope that Biggie Smalls and herself would rekindle their relationship, as he was “still coming to see” her. “We were still interacting with each other. I really thought I was going along for the ride,” she said. However, three months after their split, Biggie got married to then R&B newcomer, Faith Evans.
The love affair between The Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans was a swift one and could only be described as “love at first sight.” The two met during a Bad Boy photoshoot in 1994. Upon meeting Evans, Biggie was smitten by her, as she was also charmed by him. Within that first encounter Biggie boldly declared, “I’m gonna marry you,” as Faith told i-D in 2017. Biggie kept his promise and the couple married eight days later.
Faith Evans and Biggie Smalls’ relationship was one that the public rooted for heavily. Besides the love, the music they made would turn out to become classic records for years to come. Just as quickly as they married, turbulence swiftly entered the relationship. Amid the infamous feud between Biggie Smalls and west coast rapper Tupac Shakur, rumors began to arise involving Faith Evans and Tupac. However, she denied that anything happened, but did admit years later in an interview with MTV News that he did proposition her as a means to “play” her.
From their marriage, Biggie would become a father once again to a son, Christopher Jr. But infidelity would begin to plague their relationship as Biggie was also romantically involved with another Brooklyn rapper and member of his Junior M.A.F.I.A. group, Lil’ Kim.
Lil’ Kim has been known to speak highly on her relationship with Biggie Smalls as he was a firm believer in her talent and abilities. “[The Notorious B.I.G.] became my friend. My lover. My everything,” the rapper shared to Entertainment Weekly. Describing their relationship as a “match made in heaven,” at times it was anything but. During an interview at Hot 97 with Ebro in the Morning, ‘the Notorious K.I.M.’ rapper revealed horrifying details about her relationship with Biggie. Lil’ Kim also revealed that she became pregnant by the rapper during recording sessions for her debut album. However, she chose to get an terminate as having the baby was “something that couldn’t take place.”
There was also the time that Faith Evans caught Biggie Smalls with Lil Kim. Faith detailed the encounter in her book, “Keeping The Faith”, telling how she got into Big’s complex and upon her discovery, began to pounce on Lil’ Kim. However, Faith also found out that Biggie was (still) messing with another rapper, Charli Baltimore.
Biggie and Charli Baltimore met following a Philadelphia concert. Within four to five months, he was telling the rapper he loved her. “He had the best sense of humor and best personality so it was a natural progression into a relationship,” Charli Baltimore said to BET. Her recollection matched that of his other women.
Biggie would later rub the relationship with Charli Baltimore in both Lil’ Kim and Faith Evans’ faces by including her in his “Get Money” video. Her likeness was used to impersonate Faith Evans in the video, which she ultimately did not know she was doing at the time. However, it only solidified that they were romantically involved. Biggie never publicly claimed Lil’ Kim.
Sadly, Biggie Smalls’s life was cut short at the young age of 24 due to a drive by following a Vibe afterparty. Years later, the relationship between Lil’ Kim and Faith Evans would be mended. Each would also speak highly of Biggie and his legacy for years to come. At the time of his passing, Notorious BIG was still married to Faith Evans, although they weren’t together.
