Singer Rasheeda Wallace Talks Biggie Family Ties, Dating Disaster, AI Music And Her $60 iPod Album

Rasheeda Wallace has spent years working behind the scenes in entertainment, but now she’s putting herself front and center. And she’s bringing some serious Hip-Hop history, relationship drama and unconventional business ideas along for the ride.

Known as “The Queen of Street Soul,” Wallace has carved out a sound that blends classic R&B, Hip-Hop influences and the unfiltered realities of street culture. Her musical journey includes collaborations and performances with an impressive roster of talent, including Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Sam Smith, Crystal Waters, Rahzel and Ky-Mani Marley.

But Wallace isn’t simply leaning on her résumé. She’s got stories to tell, and some of them are downright outrageous.

Her latest single, “Representative,” interpolates The Notorious B.I.G. and R. Kelly’s “Lovin’ You Tonight,” turning a frustrating romantic encounter into a soulful anthem about deception, accountability and knowing your worth. The record is gaining traction across traditional and internet radio, including iHeartRadio-affiliated stations.

During a wide-ranging conversation with Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur at WonWorld Studios, the R&B siren revealed that her family’s musical connections may run deeper than many people realize. She says she is related to the late Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., and that her father, Jerome Wallace, had connections to pioneering Hip-Hop figures including Kurtis Blow and Kool Herc.

Wallace also discussed her father’s passing, her frustration with artificial intelligence replacing real singers and an unusual plan to sell her forthcoming album on physical iPods.

In other words, she’s not interested in doing things the conventional way.

The Interview

AllHipHop: You have a new song, “Representative.” What’s the inspiration behind it?

Rasheeda Wallace: That song is an anthem for the ladies. Listen, don’t gaslight us anymore. Do what you say and say what you’re going to do.

He wanted to come up. I’m not going to tell you where he’s from because y’all would have been like, “Come on, you already know he’s sus.”

I let him rock. He stayed with me for almost two weeks. It was kind of cute until that man ran out of money. Well, he never really had that much money, because I wasn’t on that type of thing.

Next thing you know, I’m paying for the meals. I’m paying for whatever T-shirts he needs. I’m like, “Dude, hold on a minute.”

He started doing some things and acting a little cray-cray. So I said, “Okay, you got to go.”

AllHipHop: Men don’t always have to pay for everything, but if you’re staying somewhere for two weeks instead of paying for a hotel, do something.

Rasheeda Wallace: That’s a fact. Point blank, period.

AllHipHop: How did that experience become a song?

Rasheeda Wallace: I spoke to a good friend of mine, one of my writing besties, Ash. He’s a beast.

The track came from our boy, the legend DJ Chuck Chillout. He was at the station one day vibing, and he said, “I got a track for you. This is going to be a hit.”

When I heard it, I was like, “Oh, this is dope.” But then I realized there was an interpolation from R. Kelly and Biggie. Now you’re dealing with Bad Boy, Sony Music and Universal. I’m like, “Oh, I got to deal with these big boys. What’s that number going to be?”

My advisor, Blue, Mike Williams, gave me a company to call to handle the sampling. It took a few weeks because I wanted to do it right.

I put up some coins to make sure I did it the right way.

AllHipHop: You also told me something interesting about Biggie. You think you’re related?

Rasheeda Wallace: Yes. So Voletta was related to my dad, Jerome Wallace. We went to the funeral.

There’s a big Wallace family in Jamaica. My dad knew more. Rest his soul, he passed February 9 of this year.

Back in the ’90s, when I first met Big, I didn’t know. I told my dad later, in the 2000s, and he was like, “Man, I wish you would have told me when you were at the Apollo, because that’s your cousin.”

I was like, “My cousin?”

He told me about the story in Jamaica, the shoemaker who had these big stores out there. That’s how I found out we’re related. Second cousins, something like that.

And nobody knew. Y’all hearing it here.

Editor’s note: Wallace’s account of the family relationship has not been independently verified.

AllHipHop: Your father also had some remarkable connections to Hip-Hop history.

Rasheeda Wallace: My dad, Jerome Wallace, managed Kurtis Blow. He also helped Kool Herc when he came from Jamaica.

He was in Mount Vernon. He stayed at my Uncle Nuna’s house, which is my father’s uncle, my great-uncle.

AllHipHop: So you’re a legacy.

Rasheeda Wallace: Definitely a legacy. But I don’t really use that with people at all. I’ve been doing it by myself.

AllHipHop: Let’s talk about the music business. You took “Representative” directly to DJs and clubs before releasing it. Why?

Rasheeda Wallace: You get the real feedback. Real time.

When you throw it out on streaming, it’s kind of like throwing it in the dark. Hopefully people hear it. You have to promote it, place ads and worry about numbers.

But when you’re in the club and you’re seeing a thousand people bumping to your joint, that’s different.

WBLS played it. Power 105 played it. I was in Miami, and Big Meech was in the club dancing and jumping, saying, “Yo, play that again.”

I was like, “Oh, you know that’s me?”

Everywhere I went with the song, there were no complaints. Everybody loved it.

Sometimes you give DJs $20 or $50 and they’ll play it. How many people make $50 in three minutes?

AllHipHop: You’ve also got a pretty unusual plan for your album. You’re not selling it through streaming?

Rasheeda Wallace: My album will not be sold on streaming. Direct to consumer.

It’ll be on my site, and there’ll be a limited edition of my albums being sold on iPods.

AllHipHop: You’re selling an actual physical iPod?

Rasheeda Wallace: Yes. Each iPod has the UPC on it, so it’ll go out as a purchased album. It’ll be around $60 per iPod.

You’ll also be able to get exclusive Rasheda Wallace songs, bonus material. You sign into it, make sure you’ve got your Wi-Fi.

I’m going to change a little bit of the game. Teeny bit.

AllHipHop: That’s innovation. What do you think about the music business today?

Rasheeda Wallace: It feels like Game of Thrones. Literally.

It’s like musical chairs. You don’t know where it’s going most of the time. You have to move with it, or you have to create. You’ve got to be 20 steps ahead.

In the business aspect, you want to be an innovator and step out. Some people will be like, “That’s going to be too much. Don’t do that. You don’t think that’s going to work.”

Get rid of those people.

It’s going to work because you make it work. You manifest what you want.

AllHipHop: You’ve worked in PR and behind the scenes. Why make the transition into being a full-time artist now?

Rasheeda Wallace: I said, “Scratch it (F##k it).”

I don’t feel like giving my energy to people who don’t deserve it anymore.

I found that most people didn’t deserve my energy. I put energy into you, time or money, whatever I have and resources. And then I’m like, “What was I there for?”

When my dad passed this year, I remembered what he told me before he heard the finished single.

He was like, “Look, you’ve got to start focusing on you.”

So that’s it. Thank you, Pop.

Now I’m very selective. I’m not even going to do PR for anyone anymore. I’ll recommend someone.

AllHipHop: You also use AI in parts of your creative process. How does that work?

Rasheeda Wallace: My co-writer is in San Diego. He’ll sing something and form it into a female version, make his voice female, and send it to me.

I think AI is great for that.

But I don’t think AI is good to release and be like, “Oh, I have a song.” We don’t want to hear robotic wannabe singing.

I’m not knocking it because there are great writers out there who don’t sing at all. But creating an AI person and putting it out like it’s a real artist? I’m not with all that.

Don’t negate real singers.

I sat almost in the front row watching Alice Smith at City Winery, and I was in awe. There’s nothing they can create that replaces that.

I don’t want to sit in front of no hologram.

AllHipHop: Before we wrap, you’re also involved with Ghostface Killah?

Rasheeda Wallace: I’m an executive producer on his cooking show, Cooking With Ghost. Eric B. is an executive producer on that as well.

AllHipHop: What’s next for you musically?

Rasheeda Wallace: I’m going to give a little taste of the second single while I’m still pushing “Representative.”

It’s giving you more of a live sound, which is what’s needed, and it’s still in the R&B lane.

The album should be finished no later than the first week of November.

I don’t just rush to throw stuff out. I want to make it right.

AllHipHop: Any final words?

Rasheeda Wallace: We don’t do final words! No final words, because it’s going to continue. The camera’s just going to go off, but we’re going to continue.