In the wake of the funeral of his mother Voletta Wallace, a deal has been made forging a partnership between the late Biggie Smalls’ estate and Primary wave.
According to Billboard, Primary Wave announced a major deal with the estate of The Notorious B.I.G., acquiring a stake in the rapper’s music publishing, recordings and certain rights to his name, image and likeness on Thursday (March 20).
While the exact financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, reports suggest that the overall value of Biggie Smalls’ estate is estimated at $200 million. The agreement comes just months after Voletta Wallace reportedly reached the deal with Primary Wave shortly before her passing in February.
Biggie’s estate partnered up with Primary Wave as they acquired a stake in BIG’s publishing and recordings, as well as certain name, image and likeness rights for $200M
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) March 20, 2025
Voletta Wallace got the deal done before she passed away pic.twitter.com/l2ifRcnjLU
Biggie has continuously been regarded as one of most influential figures in Hip-Hop history in the decades following his 1997 shooting death. His catalog includes some of rap’s most iconic works, such as Ready to Die, Life After Death and Born Again. Together, these albums have sold over 28 million copies in the U.S. and have consistently appeared on the Billboard charts.
Primary Wave, known for its extensive portfolio of artists including Whitney Houston, Nirvana and Prince, plans to collaborate closely with the estate to ensure Biggie’s legacy continues to thrive. The company’s focus will include licensing his music for biopics and other media projects.
“The estate and Primary Wave will collaborate on all business moving forward in an effort to continue the incredible and innovative ork done thus far with one goal in mind, to keep the legacy of The Notorious B.I.G. alive,” the company said in a statement.
However, the deal has not come without controversy. Gene Deal, a former associate of Biggie Smalls, has accused music executives close to Sean “Diddy” Combs of exploiting Voletta Wallace during her final days. In a recent interview, Deal claimed that while Wallace was gravely ill and under hospice care, two longtime Combs confidants, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, were allegedly negotiating the sale of Biggie’s catalog without the full understanding or benefit of the Wallace family.
According to Deal, Pitts and Barrow were primarily motivated by personal gain, rather than securing the best deal for the rapper’s estate or his children.
“They were Puff’s boys,” Deal stated, referencing the pair’s close ties to Combs during Biggie’s life.
Deal further criticized their actions, suggesting that they were working to finalize a deal worth $100 to $150 million for themselves, rather than for the family.
Negotiations with Primary Wave were reportedly nearing completion as of the time of Deal’s remarks, with Pitts and Barrow serving as representatives for the estate. The tensions surrounding the deal and the accusations of opportunism have raised concerns over the ethics of how the sale was handled, especially during the sensitive final days of Voletta Wallace’s life.