Despite being murdered at just 24 years old, the Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls is still one of the most revered hip-hop artists in the history of the genre. So you can imagine it was a real head-scratcher when it was announced that the late rap star’s masters and publishing catalog were for sale.
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Diddy’s Ex-Body Guard: Biggie’s Fam Won’t Profit From Catalog Sale
After the alarming announcement, an individual who is familiar with the circumstances added more context to the situation involving the Brookyln-born artist. That person is Diddy’s former bodyguard, Gene Deal. Deal says that despite the catalog being on the market, Biggie’s family is not expected to profit from the sale.
He also says that Biggie’s one-time business associates Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts began plotting the sale of his masters once his mother Voletta Wallace, became terminally ill.
“Knowing this lady was sick and she was in a hospice, 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,” Deal said in a recent interview with Art of Dialogue.
“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, are the dudes that Puff put in play. I can’t believe this,” he added.
“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 are about to get paid and they were placed there.”
Biggie’s mother Voletta passed earlier this year. Before her passing Diddy’s former bodyguard revealed that she would often avoid the Bad Boy Records at events. Because she always felt that he had something to do with Biggie’s murder in 1997.
” She never [trusted] him. She knew he might have had something to do with her son’s death,” he added.
“And now she’s taking it to her grave. It’s sad. And these dudes are about to get paid from that, from sticking around.”
