The sale of Biggie‘s catalog has been slammed by Diddy‘s former bodyguard Gene Deal, who claims that the late rapper’s family will not benefit from the lucrative deal.
Speaking to The Art of Dialogue, Deal accused Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, representatives of Biggie’s estate, of exploiting the MC’s children and recently deceased mother with the sale of his publishing and marketing rights, which are expected to fetch as much as $100 million.
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“Knowing this lady was sick and she was in a hospice,” he said, referring to Biggie’s mom Voletta Wallace who died last month, “these guys Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts went on and started working out deals to allegedly sell Big’s publishing, his marketing, all his rights to everything.”
Deal added: “They are working out a deal for them. It ain’t for Miss Wallace, it ain’t for Big’s kids. Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, those are the dudes that Puff put in play. I can’t believe this.
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“These are the dudes that when Big died, they took over the marketing and the publishing and everything […] They were Puff’s boys. I guess it paid off ’cause now they looking to get $100 million to $150 million on this whole thing […] They about to get paid and they were placed there.”
Biggie welcomed two children, daughter T’yanna and son Christopher Jr., before his murder in 1997. It’s unclear what the terms of the deal are and how much money Biggie’s kids will receive once the sale is finalized.
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The ex-Bad Boy security guard also claimed in the interview that Voletta Wallace never “trusted” Diddy and actively avoided him at events as she “knew he might have had something to do with her son’s death,” which remains unsolved almost 30 years later.
“And now she’s taking it to her grave. It’s sad. And these dudes are about to get paid from that, from sticking around,” he lamented.
The Hollywood Reporter reported earlier this month that half of Biggie’s music rights were close to being sold to publishing company Primary Wave, which also manages the rights to the likes of Prince, Whitney Houston and Bob Marley.
The outlet, citing “multiple sources,” said that the late rap icon’s publishing rights (which involve the compositions, not the sound recordings) were set to go for $100 million, while the master rights (rights to the sound recordings) would cost in the $30-$50 million range.
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They did, however, note that other sources told them the total amount of the sale would come in at under $100 million.
The publication also noted that the timing of the deal was “somewhat curious” given the recent death of Voletta Wallace.
Wallace was the executor of Biggie’s estate until her passing, but Barrow and Pitts represented the estate in negotiations with Primary Wave.
Barrow and Pitts were previously managers of the “Juicy” rapper during his lifetime and are credited as executive producers on his sophomore album Life After Death.
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The two also worked under Diddy for Bad Boy Records and managed the career of Biggie’s ex-wife, Faith Evans.
Barrow and Pitts have yet to comment on the sale of the catalog nor the allegations made by Gene Deal, who has gained a reputation for making outlandish claims about his former employer.
