Primary Wave Acquires Notorious B.I.G.’s Catalog and Other Rights

Primary Wave said on Thursday it partnered with The Notorious B.I.G.‘s estate to acquire a stake in the Brooklyn rapper’s music publishing and recordings, as well as certain name, image and likeness rights.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Thursday that Biggie Smalls’s late mother, Voletta Wallace, reached the deal with Primary Wave shortly before her death earlier this year, and that it valued his estate at $200 million.

The celebrated MC was born Christopher Wallace on May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn, and while he was killed in 1997, his influence on hip-hop and rap and his role in launching the careers of artists like Lil Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A. has led to the sale of more than 28 million albums in the United States and a steady rise in the value of his works.

Biggie’s albums Ready To Die, Life After Death and the posthumously released Born Again spent the combined equivalent of more than 3 years on Billboard‘s top album sales chart, with Life After Death and Born Again both hitting No. 1.

The rap icon had 15 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Mo Money Mo Problems” featuring Puff Daddy, Ma$e and Kelly Price, which was No. 1 for two weeks in 1997, “Hypnotize,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 the same year, “One More Chance/Stay With Me,” “Big Poppa/Warning” and “Juicy/Unbelievable.” Biggie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Primary Wave’s portfolio of songs includes works by Whitney Houston, The Doors, James Brown, Stevie Nicks, Nirvana, Prince and Bob Marley. The company and estate described this as a “panoramic partnership that will encompass The Notorious B.I.G.’s music publishing and recordings, as well as his name, image and likeness.”

Name, image and likeness rights are needed to license an artist’s work for films. Known for its role in licensing music for biopics, like Bob Marley: One Love and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Primary Wave is currently involved in biopics about Boyz II Men and Boy George—both of which are in production.

“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.