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A Delaware court has sided with Wayne Barrow, the former manager of hip-hop icon The Notorious B.I.G., in a legal dispute with the rapper’s widow, R&B singer Faith Evans, over proceeds and control connected to the late artist’s music catalog and intellectual property.
The ruling, issued August 7 by Delaware Chancery Court Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick, confirms Barrow as the sole trustee of a trust established by Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, and allows him to receive distributions owed to the trust from the company that manages the rapper’s intellectual property.
The decision represents a significant development in the continuing battle over the business legacy of Christopher Wallace, who was killed in Los Angeles in 1997 at age 24 but has remained one of the most commercially influential figures in hip-hop.
At the center of the dispute is Notorious B.I.G. LLC, the company created by Wallace and Evans in 2007 to manage the rapper’s intellectual property. Following Voletta Wallace’s death in February 2025, ownership of her interest in the company passed to a trust.
Although Wallace had initially designated her grandson, C.J. Wallace, as successor trustee, she amended the trust documents shortly before her death and named Barrow as the sole trustee. Barrow subsequently sought to exercise the trust’s rights to its membership interest in the company.
Evans challenged Barrow’s position and, according to court documents, withheld distributions that Barrow argued were owed to the trust.
The court ultimately granted Barrow’s motion for summary judgment and rejected Evans’ counterclaim, determining that the trust was entitled to its membership interest and associated distributions.
The dispute has particular financial significance following a major agreement between Notorious B.I.G. LLC and Primary Wave. In March 2025, the company entered into a partnership that gave Primary Wave a 50 percent interest in Biggie’s catalog, publishing and publicity rights in a deal reported to be worth approximately US$100 million.
Under the arrangement, Voletta Wallace’s trust is entitled to a portion of the proceeds. The court’s ruling clears the way for Barrow, in his capacity as trustee, to receive the trust’s share.
Barrow’s attorney, Jay W. Freiberg, described the decision as a complete vindication for his client, saying Barrow intends to carry out what he believes were Voletta Wallace’s wishes for her son’s legacy.
The court’s decision also illustrates the complicated intersection of family relationships and business interests surrounding Biggie’s estate. Evans and Voletta Wallace had jointly established the company responsible for managing the rapper’s intellectual property, but disagreements over succession and control intensified following Voletta’s death.
In a pointed reference to Biggie’s own music, Chancellor McCormick opened her ruling by invoking a line from the rapper’s “Ten Crack Commandments” about keeping family and business separate, noting the irony of the circumstances that ultimately brought the parties before the court.
The ruling does not end all litigation surrounding the Wallace family’s estate. A separate lawsuit filed by C.J. Wallace remains pending and alleges that Barrow improperly influenced his grandmother before she changed the trust documents to name him trustee.
For now, however, the Delaware decision gives Barrow a stronger position in managing the trust’s interests in one of hip-hop’s most valuable musical legacies.
The case also underscores the extraordinary commercial afterlife of Biggie’s work. Nearly three decades after his death, recordings, publishing rights, likeness and other intellectual property connected to the Brooklyn-born rapper continue to generate substantial value, making control of his estate not only a family matter, but a significant music-business enterprise.
English (US) ·