Voletta Wallace, the mother of iconic rapper The Notorious B.I.G., has voiced her opinion on the recent allegations of violent abuse against Sean “Diddy” Combs, telling Rolling Stone that she wants to “slap the daylights out of him.”
“I’m sick to my stomach,” Wallace said. “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… He needs to apologize to his mother. I hope to God he sits her down and spills his guts and apologize to her.”
In November 2023, singer and former partner of Combs Cassie Ventura sued the rapper for rape and years of repeated abuse. Though the suit was settled only one day later, allegations and evidence of Combs’ pattern of violence have continued to come to light, including surveillance footage of him attacking Cassie at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
Combs addressed the video in a clip posted to social media, saying, “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
“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,” Wallace continued. “Because I liked him. I didn’t want to believe all the awful things, but I’m so ashamed and embarrassed.”
The situation continued to escalate following Cassie’s allegations, as Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by the US Department of Homeland Security in March as part of a federal sex trafficking investigation. Combs is also facing multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse.
Despite the several lawsuits and raid, Combs has thus far maintained his innocence. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he wrote in a statement posted to social media on December 6th, 2023. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
Meanwhile, 50 Cent is executive producing a documentary detailing Combs’ abuse, pledging to donate the proceeds from the documentary “to victims of sexual assault and rape.”
The Notorious B.I.G. was signed to Combs’ label Bad Boy Records in the 1990s. According to Rolling Stone, Biggie had thought of Combs as a “corny executive” and multiple reports allege that he was preparing to leave Bad Boy before his death amidst a struggle to take back his publishing.
Following Biggie’s murder in ’97, Combs reportedly looked to capitalize on the situation by pushing the posthumous album Life After Death to the top of the charts while allegedly blocking discussions of putting the late rapper on the cover of Rolling Stone. Instead, Combs wanted to appear on a cover to promote his debut album, No Way Out.
