A Delaware Chancery Court judge has sided with Wayne Barrow in a dispute over proceeds from Biggie Smalls’s music catalog, rejecting R&B singer Faith Evans’ challenge to payments owed to a trust created by the late rapper’s mother.
Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick ruled that Barrow, the sole trustee of Voletta Wallace’s trust, is entitled to receive her share of distributions from Notorious B.I.G. LLC.
Wallace, Biggie’s mother, died at 78 in February 2025. She and Evans previously co-owned the company, which controlled the late rapper’s music catalog and intellectual property.
The company entered a 50-50 partnership with Primary Wave in March 2025. The transaction reportedly valued Biggie’s personal estate at $200 million.
Under the company agreement, Wallace and Evans each transferred half of their distribution rights to Biggie’s children, Ty’anna Wallace and Christopher Jordan “CJ” Wallace. Each ultimately held a 25% share.
Evans later refused to distribute Wallace’s share to the trust. McCormick said Evans appeared to object to Wallace’s decision to amend her trust shortly before her death.
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The amendment removed CJ, Evans’ son with Biggie, as a co-trustee.
“Presumably angered by the affront to her son, the defendant-widow took the position that the LLC agreement prohibited the transfer of membership units to the trust,” McCormick wrote.
The judge rejected that position after reviewing the company agreement. She found Barrow entitled to “any and all rights and obligations held by Ms. Wallace under the [company] agreement.”
Barrow’s attorney, Jay W. Freiberg, called the ruling “a total victory.”
“Wayne is feeling vindicated,” Freiberg told Rolling Stone. He said Wallace wanted Barrow to safeguard Biggie’s legacy.
A separate Pennsylvania lawsuit remains pending. CJ alleges Barrow improperly influenced Wallace before her death to appoint him trustee and executor.
Freiberg and attorney Yelena Rapoport declined to discuss that case. They said CJ filed it to delay the Delaware litigation.
“That gambit failed,” Freiberg said.
Evans and CJ’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
McCormick invoked Biggie’s “Ten Crack Commandments” in her ruling.
“Christopher Wallace presciently cautioned: ‘Keep your family and business completely separated,’” she wrote.
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