Photo Courtesy Of C.J. Wallace/ Instagram
Iconic rapper and songwriter Biggie Smalls’ son C.J. Wallace has been keeping his father’s legacy alive through entrepreneurial endeavors.
C.J., the son of both Biggie, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, and legendary R&B singer Faith Evans, co-founded Think BIG; a social movement and company dedicated to advocating for cannabis legalization, criminal justice reform, and reinvesting into communities harmed by marijuana prohibition.
According to Think BIG’s official website, C.J. started the company with his stepfather as part of his quest to understand the responsibility of carrying his father’s legacy. Through his search, he discovered that his dad used cannabis to “unlock creativity and his signature flow.”
“I got to talk to my uncle…I think he was actually the first person my dad smoked weed with, and I found out that we actually smoked weed around the same age. I was 16,” he told Esquire in 2019. “His first experience was way cooler than mine, in Jamaica. You know, in his homeland. I can only imagine the experience that he had. And he was with family, so he was probably very comfortable.”
C.J. also noted that his mother used the plant to help his younger brother Ryder, who struggled with autism his entire life, and that his grandmother also used it in her battle with breast cancer. As such, the now 25-year-old became interested in the potential of marijuana to “empower, heal, and inspire.”
“My youngest brother, Ryder, was diagnosed with nonverbal autism—my mom was always against using pharmaceuticals like Ritalin and opioids—so cannabis, CBD, was definitely an option we looked at and researched. We started giving him CBD gummies.”
In addition to Think BIG, C.J. co-founded a clothing brand called Frank White, named after one of his father’s famous aliases inspired by a fictional character of the same name from the ’90s crime film, King Of New York. The brand features a line of t-shirts, tanks, and hoodies as part of a collaboration with American sports-inspired lifestyle brand Mitchell & Ness.
The New York native also recently collaborated with car company Lexus, to release a collection of Limited Edition items to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his dad’s hit 1997 album Life After Death. In the album, Christopher boasted about his love for Lexus cars. He owned quite a few.
The items are currently available on Frank White’s official website.
C.J. was last seen celebrating his dad’s 50th birthday at the second annual Biggie Dinner Gala and attending the press conference announcing BIG day at the NYC Mayor’s Office.