Artist Spotlight
Lil Kim Honors Biggie’s Mother, Voletta Wallace, as “Second Mom” in Heartfelt Tribute
In a world where hip-hop is often filled with drama, Lil Kim’s recent Instagram post shines a light on her love and respect for Voletta Wallace, the mother of her late friend and musical partner, The Notorious B.I.G. In this heartfelt tribute, Kim reflects on their special bond, referring to Voletta as a “second mom.” Lil Kim, known as the Queen Bee, has faced her share of public conflicts, including a famous rivalry with fellow rapper Nicki Minaj. However, her tribute to Voletta serves as a reminder of her deep love for those who have influenced her life and career.
Kim recalls how Biggie discovered her in the early ’90s and brought her into the Bad Boy family, changing her life forever. But it wasn’t just Biggie who made an impression on Kim; Voletta also played an important role as a caring and supportive figure. In her post, Kim shares a fond memory, “I’m smiling to myself because I can hear you saying, ‘MY GOD CHRISTOPHER!! Put that smoke down!!'” These were playful words that Voletta often said to her son. She finds comfort in knowing that Voletta is now reunited with Biggie in heaven, saying, “It makes the sadness a little better knowing that you’re with the other half of your heart.” This shows just how deeply she feels after losing both Biggie and Voletta.
Kim also mentions their special connection over the last ten years, stating that those years were truly remarkable for their relationship. Voletta wasn’t just a mother figure to Kim; she was a “strong Queen” and a “beautiful warrior angel,” someone Kim deeply respects. Through this touching tribute, Lil Kim reveals a different side of herself, filled with love, memories, and gratitude for the powerful women who have guided her along her path. In a competitive industry, the love of family and the memories of those who have shaped her are what truly matter.
Artist Spotlight
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” finds a new direction through Ghost of Panama
Rearranging a song that carries six decades of cultural weight is a creative challenge, but Ghost of Panama approaches “Subterranean Homesick Blues” with clear purpose. The rock band radically reworks Bob Dylan’s counter-culture hit, reshaping its identity while keeping its rebellious spirit. It’s a tribute to musical heritage and a statement of artistic independence all in one.
This new interpretation is very much shaped by the production, made at Ghost of Panama’s home studio in West London. The setting allows an intimate approach to reinterpreting a familiar song and lets the group engage directly with the material, taking it in a new artistic direction.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” centers on the tension between conservation and transformation. Ghost of Panama is true to the song’s rebellious spirit without adding to its legacy, and this approach gives the release an adventurous feel, grounded in countercultural energy but driven by a desire to see what the composition can become in a different musical context.
Their version of this 60-year-old classic shows that respecting a song’s history can also mean breaking the rules and finding new ways to express its spirit. Fundamentally, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” presents Ghost of Panama as artists who want to engage with the past without being tied to it. The release’s strongest identity is a familiar heritage reimagined through a singularly forward-looking creative vision.
Artist Spotlight
“NO MORE” by Amanda Holley connects healing, awakening, and survival
“NO MORE“ carries that kind of emotional weight, and some songs feel like they come from lived experience but reach for something bigger. Amanda Holley blends R&B and soul, turning a lifetime of survival into a vision of healing, awakening, and the determination to move beyond what caused the pain.
“NO MORE“ is a healing anthem for people who have gone through bad experiences and reached a place of higher awareness, but it’s also an emotionally charged protest. The duality is introspective and outward-looking at the same time, turning personal survival into a broader declaration that some experiences, conditions, or cycles should end.
Holley had a premonition of the song six months before the world went into global shutdown. In the vocal booth, working out melodies with her collaborators, she pictured people in the streets. Those images were hard to imagine at the time, but subsequent events would make them painfully familiar.
“NO MORE“ is given a particularly contemplative underpinning by the context. The identity of R&B and soul leaves room for emotion. The song’s themes link survival, awakening, resistance, and the need for change. Amanda Holley is an artist using music to process personal endurance and a broader sense of social awakening. It’s got a complicated significance, and its release feels like a glimpse of a moment when personal intuition and public reality collided in an unexpected way.
Photo Credit: Yulia Shusharina
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