The estate of the late rapper Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., is at the center of a new legal dispute that underscores the complexities of intellectual property, legacy assets, and family governance.
For wealth advisors and RIAs, this case offers a timely reminder of the challenges that can arise when heirs and estate managers handle valuable, illiquid assets such as music catalogs.
Faith Evans, Wallace’s former spouse, is being sued by Wayne Barrow, the former manager of Biggie and executor of the estate of Voletta Wallace, the rapper’s late mother. At issue is the handling of proceeds from the sale of a significant portion of Wallace’s music catalog to Primary Wave, a publishing and talent management firm. The transaction, valued at approximately $100 million, was arranged by Voletta Wallace before her passing in February 2025.
According to filings, Voletta Wallace managed an LLC that controlled Biggie’s music publishing, recording rights, and certain name, image, and likeness rights. In that structure, she sold a 50 percent stake in the assets to Primary Wave. Following her death, control of the LLC passed to Faith Evans. Barrow alleges that Evans has failed to deliver the share of sale proceeds owed to Voletta’s estate, despite distributing portions to Biggie’s children, Ty’anna and CJ, and potentially to herself.
In his July 2 court filing, Barrow claims that Evans has both withheld proceeds due to Voletta’s trust and excluded the estate from participating as a 50 percent partner in the company, leaving him “completely in the dark” about its ongoing operations. He is now seeking a court order compelling Evans to release the withheld proceeds, as well as her removal as manager of the entity controlling Biggie’s intellectual property. Barrow is also asking to be appointed as the new manager, citing what he describes as Evans’s “continued misconduct and disregard for her obligations.”
Neither Evans nor Primary Wave has responded publicly to the petition.
For advisors, this high-profile dispute highlights the importance of clear governance structures, especially when estates involve complex and highly monetizable assets. Music catalogs, art collections, private equity stakes, and family businesses often require precise legal frameworks that designate rights, responsibilities, and distributions to prevent conflict after a principal’s death.
The Wallace estate case demonstrates how even seemingly well-structured arrangements—an LLC in this instance—can become points of contention when succession transitions occur. The question of who controls management, who has transparency into financial flows, and how distributions are handled can quickly escalate into litigation if not addressed in detail.
As more wealthy families accumulate intellectual property and other nontraditional assets, advisors should be proactive in guiding clients to establish governance models that anticipate disputes. This includes clarity on successor managers, reporting obligations, beneficiary rights, and mechanisms for resolving disagreements without the need for prolonged court battles.
For RIAs counseling clients with estates containing valuable private or creative assets, this case serves as a cautionary tale: without airtight structures, even carefully planned legacy strategies risk devolving into public and costly disputes.
