It was recently reported that Primary Wave was in talks to partner with the estate of Christopher Wallace a.k.a The Notorious B.I.G. to acquire the rights to the deceased rapper’s catalog and the name, image, likeness, and now it’s been confirmed by The Wall Street Journal that the deal has been completed.
Shortly after Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace died, the deal she was working on to partner with the music company was completed. Primary Wave has reportedly taken a 50% interest in the catalog and works of the Notorious B.I.G. It is purportedly valued at over $200 million.
Wallace, along with Bystorm Entertainment’s Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, took the reins of the business of Biggie and turned what was once valued at $10 million when he was killed in 1997 to a staggering reported $160 million nearly 30 years after his death. When her son died, he had a standard deal of owning 50% of his publishing. She took the business and helped grow it and convinced Sean “Diddy” Combs to increase the share to 85% in the early 2000s. She was able to gain 100% in 2020.
“She trusted no one,” Barrow said of Wallace. “With everything she went through, she wasn’t going to allow her or her grandkids to be in a position where what Biggie’s legacy was wasn’t beneficial to them.”
Now, after her death, the legacy and any profit from his works is in the hands of people who were an integral part of Biggie’s life and she worked to ensure that her grandchildren would reap the benefits of his talent.
Faith Evans, who was married to the “Hypnotize” lyricist when he died stated that this partnership will honor her late husband’s legacy.
“We look forward to creating new opportunities that highlight the timelessness of his work,” she said.
Wallace can rest knowing she did what she set out to do after her only son died in a flurry of bullets in Los Angeles.
