The sale of The Notorious B.I.G.‘s catalog has officially been finalized after receiving the blessing of his mother, Voletta Wallace, just before her passing last month.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Primary Wave confirmed they’d acquired the late rapper’s catalog on Thursday (March 20). The financial details have not been disclosed, but previous reports alleged that Biggie’s publishing rights were up for about $100 million, and his master rights at around $30-$50 million – and that the deal gives Primary Wave 50 percent to both rights, as well as his name and likeness.
Primary Wave, per the company’s website, “is home to some of the most iconic songwriters, artists, and record labels across the history of recorded music,” including Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, Prince, Sly & The Family Stone and Stax soul legend Steve Cropper.
News of the deal brewing first broke just a week after Voletta’s death.
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TMZ confirmed the news on February 21, revealing that she passed away at the age of 78 while in hospice care in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Hours later, the Instagram page for Biggie’s Invisible Bully clothing company shared a tribute.
“We suffered a tremendous loss today,” it read. “Our mother, our matriarch, the woman who dedicated herself to uplifting her son, Christopher Wallace, and preserving his legacy has passed away. It is with immense sadness that we share this news with you, and ask that you please give our family the space and time needed to grieve this monumental loss.
“Thank you for your continued outpouring of love, prayers and condolences in this difficult time. In the coming days, we will share how we can all honor Ms. Wallace. Thank you for your immense support and love.”
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Voletta Wallace was in charge of Biggie’s estate after his passing, and grew it from around $10 million when he died in 1997 to over $160 million as it stands now.
Despite her blessing on the catalog sale, Diddy‘s former bodyguard Gene Deal slammed it when news first came out, claiming that the late rapper’s family will not benefil.
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 mother with the sale.
“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.”
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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.
“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.
